filmbore pick of the week - Dogtooth

Dogtooth (Kynodontas)

Director: Giorgos Lanthimos
Screenplay: Efthymis Filippou, Giorgos Lanthimos
Starring: Aggeliki Papoulia, Mary Tsoni, Hristos Passalis, Christos Stergioglou, Michele Valley, Anna Kalaitzidou
Year: 2009
Languages: Greek
UK rental release: September 2010

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Continuing with out awards themed reviews, this week we look at Greece's winner of the Prix Un Certain Regard at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. It also sat as a Best Foreign Language nominee, next to Biutiful, Outside The Law and Incendies, at the 83rd Academy Awards (losing out to In A Better World). Though missing out on the gong, it's hard to ignore the originality of Dogtooth.

Three teenagers live in their own world. Holed up within an isolated environment, they have little understanding of how life is outside their hazy bubble.

Younger daughter (Mary Tsoni, Evil) is a high spirited soul. Along with her innocence, she likes to make up games for her siblings to play. Son (Hristos Passalis, Black Field) is quiet and aloof. He's kept busy with chores and has some musical talent, but sometimes expresses an air of pride and a need to prove himself.

Older daughter (Aggeliki Papoulia, Alps, Matchbox) is the most inquisitive and most forthright of the bunch. She has itchy feet and is quick to experiment if posited. She has a appears to have an inch more awareness than the rest, with her scrutinising behaviour allowing an alternative perspective to the other two.

They learn new words via cassette tapes passed on to them, where all the meanings are skewed. For example, the word motorway is described as a strong wind. But to them, this is the norm. They make up all manner of games to keep themselves occupied, and respond with boundless enthusiasm to the slightest of stimuli.

Housed in a luxurious house in the Greek countryside, they're conditioned to carry on their lives within this extremely controlled haven, captive by their parents regime. The Mother (Michele Valley, Morning Patrol, Singapore Sling) is cooped up all day with them, even though she is party to this insular conspiracy. In order to communicate to the outside world, she has a telephone hidden in her bedside cabinet. When the kids hear her, they think she's talking to herself. 

The Father (Christos Stergioglou, Hard Goodbyes: My Father, A Dog's Dream) is the head controller of this treatment. He hardens his children in peculiar ways and isn't averse to a little violence when he deems it necessary. He even cuts off the labels of water bottles he brings home, just to be rid of any outside influence.

At his firm, he has a deal going with the company's security guard, Christina (Anna Kalaitzidou, The Enemy Within). She is taken to the home from work by the Father, blindfolded so as not to know the building's location. Her task is to take part in the act of sex with the family's Son; an exercise that seems to occur to infuse his development with some maturity somehow.

He is occupied elsewhere some of the time though. Along with his siblings, he keeps speaking to the fence in the garden, thinking that his brother is out there somewhere. He reached enough accolade and maturity that he ventures outside the ground, never to be seen again.

As the siblings venture through their unreal lives, in their hope to follow in their missing brothers footsteps, they must stay victim to this unusual experiment. What is the meaning behind this routine? Or are their parents just control freaks?

With a budget of only €250,000 this picture, scandalously, only took $384,147 at the box office. This is such a shame, as Giorgos Lanthimos took a very organic angle when making Dogtooth. He didn't start to block his shots and plan the film's look into rehearsals were underway, wanting a naturally evolved approach. He employed strict framing throughout, establishing the film's slick template.

Symmetrical shots are frequent also, paired with lots of low shots, confidently held for lengthy moments capturing our cast from the waist down. This is an incredibly exclusive feeling picture visually, refreshing in its overall look.

Included in its unique appearance is some of the most incredible use of natural light I've seen in years. Not, perhaps, in the "Malick-esque" sense where peeks of sunlight seep over profiles to generate lens flares (even though there are some from time to time), but on display is a clear understanding of the qualities that organic illumination can bring to a picture; mostly subtle, yet still noticeable, and for all the right reasons.

Another minimal choice is the amount of performers, Yes, the cast is limited in numbers but certainly not in style. With an indirect take on the source material, each actor handles every word with severe punctuality and precision; almost monotone and robotic in their method at times.

It's a peculiar acting approach to take, yet it is so suitable for this piece. It's comical at certain moments (the dance in particular is one of the finest "hoons" I have ever seen!), yet each portrayal is beautifully quirky thanks to the casting choices, especially with the trio of teenagers in particular.

The three protagonists are very distinct, while elusive. They display some unusual relationships between each other; they're close but clearly stifled. From their viewpoint, you begin to build a surprising context, sparking no end of challenging aspects while engulfing yourself in this left-field tale.

For the main, you'll question the effects of incarceration. The dogtooth in the title, which is explained to you midway through the film, is the gateway to the outside world. With the knowledge that this concept brings to the children, you see their desire to escape or rebel grow. A lot of this is thanks to the character of Christina, seldom seen in this film, yet her part carries such importance. Her presence and interaction with this tight-knit family demonstrates at such a concentrated level how one person's influence can have such an impact on such a concealed habitat.

As her infection into the straight-family rules take form, no matter how minor, we get to see the progression of Dogtooth's ace cards: sex and violence. Both play a hugely important part in this story, especially as they don't appear to fit in this film's raison d'être. 

Firstly, with it being so nonchalant about sex, it takes "casual" to a whole other level. If sexually explicit scenes do offend you, be prepared for some direct visual nudity and quite graphic intercourse. And then there's the bloodshed and brutality. The effects and violence are surprisingly real. 

Yes, there is that scene with the kitten, but it's the surprising moments of lashing-out that emerge from nowhere that astonish. You may find some of the abuse is shocking but it's presence is so vital to this tale, tapping into unnecessary oppression and the fear nurtured from such moments of aggression.

With these facets thrown in the mix, it's clear to see the genius method in which Lanthimos, as a director, has seamlessly incorporated raw thematics into an unconventional piece. At its heart it's a film about platonic relationships, with how they can crumble against a desire to break out of a cycle. All of this achieved while still exposing how humanity will always respond to isolation; in the end you need to break free.

It's fair to say that Dogtooth may be too abstract for some. However, if you crave something original, quirky and enlightening then you, like myself, will find this film strange but oddly appealing. Through the light, there is a deluge of darkness running through its veins...it's probably the sweetest horror you will ever see!

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