Dogtooth

One of my all-time favorite movies

Imagine a language where “cunt” means lamp. Where cats are demonic predators, and a garden gate marks the edge of the world. That’s how Dogtooth opens — and it doesn’t take long before the film knocks the ground out from under you.

This is one of the most shocking films I’ve ever seen. I’m no stranger to brutal storytelling, but Dogtooth genuinely left me reeling. As the credits rolled, I sat there thinking: What the hell did I just go through? The message hit deep and stayed like a dense filter over my thoughts. Weeks later, the feeling remains vividly intact.

The environment is clinically sterile: perfect angles, whitewashed walls, symmetrical garden lines — everything reinforces how artificially constructed the family's world is. The language, the moral code, the punishments: every detail is engineered for total control. Cross a boundary? A daughter is violently beaten by her father, who’s taped a VHS cassette around his fist.

The film swings between full-blown absurdity and pitch-black psychological horror. It’s perverse, disturbing, slow — and brilliant. A parent as Pavlov’s curse: controlling, conditioning, corrupting. The father is a monster, but dressed in banality. And that may be the most terrifying part — his normalcy is a disguise.

A man who has built a world where truth does not exist. Where biology and morality are nothing but blocks to be dismantled.

Christos Stergioglou portrays the father as a cold-blooded monster with a friendly face. He switches from casual small talk to clinical brutality in a heartbeat. Christos shows magnetism and is absolutely brilliant in the role. The fact that he looks so “normal” only makes him more dangerous.

There’s a particular scene — and those who’ve seen it will know — that makes it difficult to ever look at a dumbbell the same way again. It’s one of the film’s most harrowing moments. And the title Dogtooth? It becomes symbolic in the most direct, brutal sense. That scene stays with you — if you can endure it.

This isn’t a film you enjoy — it’s one you carry like a bruise.

Simply put, this is a masterpiece by Yorgos Lanthimos, and this outstanding director has many more films in the same unsettling spheres. He crafts a manifesto on indoctrination: how language can be twisted until reality collapses, how control erases the boundary between human and animal. Lanthimos pushes it so far, you start to wonder where your Dogtooth borders lie.

If you’re unfamiliar with him — get acquainted. You won’t regret it.dapted to the world of the film)

Rating: ⭐ 10/10 – A Genius Masterpiece
Production: 10/10
Cinematography: 8/10 (sterile, but perfectly adapted to the world of the film)
Authenticity: 10/10 (as real as a nightmare)

Before 'The Lobster' and 'The Killing of a Sacred Deer' - This is the first Yorgos Lanthimos movie I've watched and still the most disbursing movie his ever made.

It's so compelling to watch, yet incredibly sad when reflecting on the overall story. Simple story, simple performances with no music. Super effective.

'Dogtooth' is certainly a Yorgos Lanthimos film! On the whole, I found this fascinating. It gets quite disturbing in parts, as you'd expect from this director, but all in all it is very good. The plot starts out difficult to read, though does quickly become clear and well portrayed.

Christos Stergioglou is a perfect fit for his role, rather intimidating and controlling. Angeliki Papoulia, Mary Tsoni and Christos Passalis bring noteworthy performances as the children, Papoulia and Tsoni particularly stand out. It's not a film that is cast reliant, but they play their part.

Looking back, it is quite a slow paced and meandering movie. However, that's basically only in retrospect because whilst watching I didn't actually feel that to be the case, which is a big positive. The film is wonderfully shot too, not that I expected any less having seen Lanthimos' most recent (similarly as great) releases.

I went into this without even reading anything about it. Not even the plot summary. To say the least, I did not know what was going on, at all, for the longest time. And when I finally realized what was happening, I felt really bad for having giggled all the way there. This movie really messes with your head and it is masterfully made. I like how, about 70% into it, it takes a sharp turn (I only say this: video tape) as if to wake up the viewer from the coma this movie has purposely induced. And when it wakes you up, well, you can't look away any more. Your eyes will be glued to the screen until the end, after which you will only feel a big void in your soul.

At first i thought "It can't end like this!" but then i realized it's kinda perfect. The movie is like a mindfuck, and it only sets up a discussion. You will think about this movie for days to come, and what we are really doing to our kids as a society. It's very sad. I would like to say that this movie has some seriously pitch black comedy at times too, but I won't because I'd feel too awful.

A brilliant and subtle (perhaps a tad too much for my tastes) satire which is arguably more important now than when it was made, as it explores in depth a leader who gaslights his followers - and how they react.

This movie is weird, creepy, disturbing and original. It has a point to make and does so very effectively. I didn't know anything about this movie going in and it works best that way. Shocks and surprises abound!