Review of Dogtooth (2009) by Legitsalt — 06 May 2020
Dogtooth is a Greek surrealist drama that explores the extremes of developmental psychology as it pertains to cases like Genie’s. Dogtooth has a pleasant, if not slightly off-putting, initial presentation.
But it isn’t until much later that the viewer realizes something is fundamentally flawed about the movie. The film never fully explains its premise and only ever shows bits and pieces of the story. The journey of connecting the dots and realizing what the bigger picture might be is what gives the movie its value.
The performances are disgustingly real, causing knee-jerk reactions when their misguided actions play out. Dogtooth is presented in a manner such that the viewer can be seated into the children’s position.
Dogtooth’s value comes from the fact that the viewer enters the film with a preconstructed set of beliefs and knowledge. The children don’t suddenly reach some revelation and the world they live in isn’t shattered at the end.
Things remain more of the same only with some players swapped out. The rules haven’t broken but readjusted themselves to the new facts. In Dogtooth, as in real life, facts don’t make or break a world view, leaders do, and the leaders don’t change.
The ending is left intentionally vague because the movie is as theoretical as it is practically allegorical.
This review of Dogtooth (2009) was written by Legitsalt on 06 May 2020.
Dogtooth has generally received positive reviews.
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