Review of Dogtooth (2009) by Sarah O — 08 Feb 2012

Oh, Lord, where to start on this one? The concept of Dogtooth is surreal, but also creepy as hell. It reminds me in many ways of Funny Games, in the sense of foreboding and knowing something is wrong, and they are going to get worse. Worse in a way that your stomach hurts and your teeth ache, but you can't stop watching. This film still has me confused as to the genetic relationship between these people - is there any at all? Where did they come from? Why is the Father doing this & why does the mother go along with it? The children following their orders/brainwashing makes sense - they were indoctrinated at an early age to this way of life and to fear anything outside the wall of their compound.

I thought one of the most clever touches is when the children believe a plane flying overhead really lands in their backyard because one of the parents throws a little plastic plane into the yard. Another touch adding to the suspense is how the children (realizing these are late-teens to early-20's) compete for stickers and paste them on their bedposts as a source of pride and their Father's affection. So strange it's almost indescribable and the last ten minutes even twist the "normality" of the previous scenes. It's like once the viewer has accepted this situation and their way of life, it goes in a different direction. So thought-provoking and debate inducing I will recommend it to all my friends - even the ones who would normally scoff at sub-titles.