Dogtooth (Kynodontas) (2009)

This review is sponsored by

BUY IT

General		Extras
Category	Black Comedy	Deleted Scenes-(5.26) Theatrical Trailer-(1.41)
Rating
Year Of Production	2009
Running Time	94:00
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Giorgos Lanthimos
Studio Distributor	Madman Entertainment	Starring	Christos Stergioglou Michele Valley Aggeliki Papoulia Mary Tsoni Hristos Passalis Anna Kalaitzidou
Case	Amaray-Transparent
RPI	$29.95	Music	None Given

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	Greek Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) Greek Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	2.35:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	2.35:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

     Dogtooth, a 2009 film from Greece, is not only a nominee for this year's Best Foreign Language Oscar (it already won Prix Un Certain Regard at Cannes) but is also one of the most original and disturbing films in recent memory.

     The Cannes Press Kit for Dogtooth describes the plot of Dogtooth thusly: The father, the mother and their three kids live at the outskirts of a city. There is a tall fence surrounding the house. The kids have never been outside that fence. They are being educated, entertained, bored and exercised in the manner that their parents deem appropriate, without any interference from the outside world. They believe that the airplanes flying over are toys and that zombies are small yellow flowers. The only person allowed to enter the house is Christina. She works as a security guard at the father’s business. The father arranges her visits to the house in order to appease the sexual urges of the son. The whole family is fond of her, especially the eldest daughter. One day Christina gives her as a present a headband that has stones that glow in the dark and asks for something in return.

     That is as good a beginning as any to describe the bizarre, perverse and sometimes shocking world of the Dogtooth family. The title, which provides perhaps the only notion of forward plot development, refers to the prominent teeth which, when they fall out, are a signal that the child is ready to learn to drive. When they grow back the child is ready to leave home. The most obvious American comparisons are the films of David Lynch where the odd world is both funny and scary but the influences go deeper, from the social satire of Bunuel to the absurdist works of Eugene Ionesco such as The Lesson where words assume a strange power, where the thought and word of "knife" can kill. In that world a kitten can be terrifying just because the father says it is so. Australian fans will see parallels in Bad Boy Bubby, with it's twisted sexuality, although the family in this film live in a degree of luxury in their secluded world. Fans of Dogme95 will see the austerity of that movement and Haneke junkies will hook into the similar cruelly dry intellectual aesthetic.

     Director Yorgos Lanthimos and Boo Productions are principally involved in making commercials, which at first seems an odd CV to launch into this type of twisted film but, on second pass, the influences seem clearer. This really is like a commercial for a strange world which lies just at the fringes of our thought. Not too far though. The revelations of Josef Fritzl, who kept his daughter locked up in his basement, were a reference during the making of, but not the scripting of, the film. Whilst there are parallels this is not an exploitation film where sex and violence are used for its own sake. It is a look at parents and their expectations of their children, demanding that they follow pre-ordained paths. At least, that is my reading. There are many possible readings.

     Dogtooth features mainly theatre actors as leads. They give the sort of off-centre performances that suit the piece and as viewers we are genuinely uncertain as to where the film is heading at any time. This is difficult though stimulating cinema. Director Lanthimos uses deliberately alienating techniques to intentionally frustrate the viewer and lead us into the world. He frequently stages scenes with heads or speaking characters out of frame and uses long, sometimes painfully long, shots that start to twist us into his milieu. Be warned, for casual art-house fans this film contains a lot of realistic sexual activity and some moments of squirm inducing violence.

     For those who dare Dogtooth is a seriously compelling work, pitch black yet darkly humorous, that stays long in the memory after viewing.

Video

     Dogtooth was shot on 35mm film and presented in the cinema at a 2.35:1 aspect ratio. That ratio has been preserved for the DVD release. It is 16x9 enhanced.

     The world of Dogtooth is one of muted tones. This DVD transfer is a good representation of that aesthetic with clear colours and a reasonably crisp, though ascetic, image. There is a little softness which comes through the interior and exterior lighting but no problems with grain or compression. The flesh tones are accurate.

     The only valid criticism of this transfer is that, for some reason, the DVD has been minted from a copy which has apparent artefacts in the form of small scratches and blotches. For a 2009 film this seems odd.

     There are subtitles in English which are clear and easy to understand.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     The soundtrack for Dogtooth is Greek language. There is two Dolby Digital tracks - one 5.1 448 Kb/s and one 2.0 (224 Kb/s).

     This is a film which relies on the absence of sound and, except for the higher bitrate, there does not seem to be much added by the surround track. I could not detect surround activity or any real movement from the sub-woofer. The dialogue is rendered clearly and there are no technical problems with the soundtrack. It is what it is.

     The film does not contain any musical score. There area couple of songs in it, including a Greek song, but a centrepiece is the playing of Fly Me To The Moon by their uncle, Frank Sinatra. Creepy!

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

     There are only a couple of brief extras to this DVD. A pity. I was crying out for an essay to help with interpretation!

Deleted Scenes (5.26)

     There are three deleted scenes on offer. The first is the father singing a long song in Greek. The second is the children singing along in broken English to Fly Me To The Moon and the third a long scene of The Eldest dancing to the music in her head, Flashdance I believe. They are not subtitled as there is no actual dialogue. All are creepy.

Theatrical Trailer (1.41)

     Actually, a pretty good trailer for the film.

     This film is available on both Blu-ray (1080i) and DVD in Region A/1. The extras are similarly lacking but the Blu-ray apparently has a Booklet with an essay and an interview with the director and the DVD has the deleted scenes and an Interview with Director Yorgos Lanthimos (12:57) and a photo gallery. Apparently, (there are only a couple of reviews on-line) the DVD features the artefacts problem. Up to you.

A reader, Sean, kindly provided more detailed release information as below: The film has been released (on 20 September 2010) on R2 PAL DVD and 1080i/50Hz Region B Blu-ray in the United Kingdom by Verve Pictures, and these releases only contain the UK trailer. I have personally seen the UK region B Blu-ray and can confirm it has some print dirt, likely the "blotches" you make mention of for the R4 DVD.
In the USA, Kino Video released the film on NTSC DVD only on 25 January 2011,and this release includes the deleted scenes and an interview with the director. Fan pressure (and the Oscar nomination) has convinced Kino to issue a Blu-ray in the USA, and that is set to release on 29 March 2011.

     By the way I have referenced a number of filmmakers it would seem as if Dogtooth is a referential or derivative work. Not so. It is very original and thought provoking. It is not easy to like but impossible not to admire.

     The DVD transfer is acceptable despite the level of artefacts and the deleted scenes are welcome though not extensive.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall