Film in Pictures: Yorgos Lanthimos’ Dogtooth

To complete this other piece I just posted (see the trailer & comments here) I’ve included some stills from the Dogtooth press kit handed out during Cannes. Here is a five-some of images that explain the curious rapport between siblings, the parameters of their home which is almost prison like, the father’s need for extra surveillance, the reward and punishment system implemented by the father and practiced with trivial games (hence the blindfold) and finally, the last picture sees the family unit entertaining themselves.

Dogtooth sees a father, mother and their three kids live in a house at the outskirts of a city. There is a tall fence surrounding the house. The kids have never left the house. They are being educated, entertained, bored and exercised in the manner that their parents deem appropriate, without any influence 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.