The Killing of a Sacred Dogtooth: Ainouz Paints with Contempt
Karim Aïnouz doesn’t so much eat the rich as he does regurgitate them in his latest feature, Rosebush Pruning, a hyper stylized rehash of Marco Bellocchio’s breakout classic, Fists in the Pocket (1965). Tonally, this feels much more like a dead end tangent to the Greek Weird Wave thanks to screenwriter Efthimis Filippou, who seems to have approached Bellocchio’s masterwork as a sordid sequel to The Lobster (2015). Aïnouz, whose previous feature Motel Destino (2024) attempted to resuscitate The Postman Always Rings Twice through a vaguely queer lens, lustily follows a similar pattern of lost souls indefinitely confined within the very abode which defines and sustains their existence. However, there’s a serious disconnect which renders this novel exercise completely inert, no matter how many of its characters get to frivolously use the word ‘cunt.’ It would appear the only alignment director and screenwriter agree upon is vehement contempt for their subjects, but neither found a way to simultaneously humanize any of the characters enough to make the film something more than a beautiful void constantly riddled with dialogue as elegant as buck shot.
Four unhappy siblings, each unhappy in their own way, live out their vapid days in a palatial villa in Spain, where they relocated to from America several years prior. Ed (Callum Turner) narrates their lives, explaining their mother (Pamela Anderson) was ripped apart by wolves in the forest not far from their estate. Their father (Tracy Letts), who is blind, demands they drop a skinned lamb from the butcher shop every month at the site where mother was murdered so no other unsuspecting victims are taken by the wolves. However, the inheritance they received from their mother’s death has allowed them to live a life of opulence without ever having to work a day in their lives. Eldest brother Jack (Jamie Bell) is about to upset the balance thanks to his new girlfriend, Martha (Elle Fanning). But his sister Anna (Riley Keough) and youngest brother Robert (Lukas Gage) are a bit possessive of Jack, and would like to sabotage the relationship. When Ed follows Jack to town, he discovers something unexpected about the actual fate of their mother.
The deadpan tone is in keeping with all of Filippou’s collaborations with Yorgos Lanthimos, sometimes yielding a broad chuckle if thanks to unexpectedly off the wall interjections (such as the omniscient voice of Donatella Versace at one point). Hélène Louvart’s sumptuous cinematography might suggest watching the film on mute might prove more effective, but then one would miss out on some fantastic soundtrack selections which suggest the possibility Rosebush Pruning could have worked, somehow. But the illustrious cast never really vibes with the material, nearly all of them a jagged edge jutting out preposterously in their own gangly way.
Not surprisingly, Jamie Bell, as the most well adjusted sibling, has the benefit of seeming the most capable of having an actual human experience. Everyone else is acting out some gonzo version of dysfunction that never makes any real sense as there’s been no real development as to what this family’s behavior or attachment styles would actually resemble. Eschewing reality is fine, but then why not make something more lavishly subversive, like a clan of Kardashians all obsessively trying to modify themselves to such a degree they all look the same? These are all merely beautiful strangers bouncing off one another in a manic frenzy when they should have felt the elitist version of What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? (1993).
Taking on most of the burden is Callum Turner as the obnoxious narrator, the title coming from one of his made-up idioms. He’s obsessed with fashion and sexually repressed in ways that also don’t make sense, the specter of familial incest finally confirmed when Ed finds out what’s really going on with daddy’s nightly toothbrushing rituals. A bright light of reprieve is the plot twist involving Pamela Anderson and her lesbian girlfriend, played by Elena Anaya. But if there’s any need to make another film about despicable, beautiful, filthy rich monsters, at least decide what, if anything, might be of interest to say. If families are rose bushes needing pruning, then so are scripts.
Reviewed on February 14th at the 2026 Berlin International Film Festival (76th edition) – Main Competition. 94 mins.
★★/☆☆☆☆☆
