Dogtooth (2009)

Three teenagers live isolated, without leaving their house, because their over-protective parents say they can only leave when their dogtooth falls out.

Director:

Yorgos Lanthimos

Writers:

Efthymis Filippou, Yorgos Lanthimos

Stars:

Christos Stergioglou, Michele Valley, Angeliki Papoulia

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 18 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Christos Stergioglou	...	Father
Michele Valley	...	Mother
Angeliki Papoulia	...	Older Daughter (as Aggeliki Papoulia)
Hristos Passalis	...	Son
Mary Tsoni	...	Younger Daughter
Anna Kalaitzidou	...	Christina
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Steve Krikris	...	Colleague
Sissy Petropoulou	...	Secretary (as Athanasia Petropoulou)
Alexander Voulgaris	...	Dog trainer

Storyline

Three teenagers are confined to an isolated country estate that could very well be on another planet. The trio spend their days listening to endless homemade tapes that teach them a whole new vocabulary. Any word that comes from beyond their family abode is instantly assigned a new meaning. Hence 'the sea' refers to a large armchair and 'zombies' are little yellow flowers. Having invented a brother whom they claim to have ostracized for his disobedience, the über-controlling parents terrorize their offspring into submission. The father is the only family member who can leave the manicured lawns of their self-inflicted exile, earning their keep by managing a nearby factory, while the only outsider allowed on the premises is his colleague Christina, who is paid to relieve the son of his male urges. Tired of these dutiful acts of carnality, Christina disturbs the domestic balance.

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Plot Keywords:

social isolation | overprotective father | isolated house | fellatio | child abuse | 

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Taglines:

The cat is the most feared animal there is!

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site (Greek) Official site [France]

Country:

Greece

Language:

Greek

Release Date:

11 November 2009 (Greece)

Also Known As:

Dogtooth

Filming Locations:

Athens, Greece

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$6,686 (USA) (25 June 2010)

Gross:

$110,197 (USA) (18 March 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Boo Productions, Greek Film Center, Horsefly Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The first film from Greece to be officially selected for the Cannes Film Festival in a decade.

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Goofs

When the boy brushes his shoes it is seen he touches the carpet with the brush, but the carpet stays clean.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Mother: The new words of the day are: "Sea", "Highway", "Road trip" and "Shotgun".

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Connections

Featured in Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Episode #1.3 (2011)

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Soundtracks

Fly Me to the Moon
Written by Bart Howard
Performed by Frank Sinatra

User Reviews

love or hate

I was expecting some kind of "The Village" film... Just to avoid spoiling.. The lights turned on, the credits were running and everyone was quiet and searching for answers in others looks. Its best surprise that I've got in years. You don't have to be special to watch it, just sit and you'll end it living it, even that it isn't your life. I appreciate latter how good the movie was when I realized that all the scenes didn't need background violins to drive your emotions to a certain field. Everything goes by itself naturally. I just registered to post this, as I couldn't believe those bad reviews. I'm a normal guy that doesn't read reviews, but this movie is different and I was curious about how would other people feel about it. Maybe its one of those that you just love or hate, but at the end you'll feel something that isn't indifference.