DOGTOOTH

Directed by: Giorgos Lanthimos
Released: 2009

until i watched this, i don't think i'd ever seen a greek film. and i don't know if they're all like this, but DOGTOOTH was fucking DARK. it's a comedy, i guess, but there's a lot of borderline disturbing stuff going on... parts of it reminded me of harmony korine's work, though i can't put my finger on why. a family of 5 lives in this crazy compound-like-home. the kids have never, ever left the compound. they don't have names. they don't know what most things are called (ex: "salt" is called "telephone", ie, "please pass the telephone"). they don't watch TV or movies, but they do watch videos of themselves that their father films. they're completely, 100% sheltered from every aspect of the outside world. the father brings in a coworker who doubles as a hooker so his son can get laid (why, i'm not sure, as the daughters are never taught about sex). she, not really knowing the severity of their sheltered life, starts talking to them like they're regular people, giving them new ideas. things go downhill from there. i HIGHLY recommend this film. 9/10.

three more quick things about DOGTOOTH:

1. there's a lot of sex in the movie. none if it is enjoyed by anyone. it's often uncomfortable to watch.

2. some of the best film violence i've ever seen was in this. there's only a couple quick outbursts, but they're simple, to the point, and pretty damn brutal.

3. my favorite part of DOGTOOTH, style wise, is the camera work.. or lack thereof. to the best of my recollection, there is ONE moving camera shot in the entire film. everything else is completely still. characters move in and out of frame, their heads get cut off, as if the camera was just placed in a room and no one was operating it. it reminded me of the first two or so minutes of this scene from ELEPHANT (that scene happens to be my favorite from the entire film). but DOGTOOTH utilized that style so well... it added to the unsettling and real nature of the film.