Dogtooth is unlike any coming-of-age film you’ve ever seen before, because the children come of age in spite of the father’s attempts to keep them regressed to child-like dogs.
Dogtooth is NOT your ordinary coming-of-age film. You will not find the empathetic, character-driven sensibility of John Hughes here, nor will you be able to relate to the teenagers’ struggles. It’s a profoundly misanthropic film, but that’s entirely what you’d expect from Yorgos Lanthimos.
A Greek patriarch asserts his dominance over his children through keeping them contained within their family compound, teaching them an alternative view of the world that’s entirely created by him, like a pseudo-God figure. They’re intentionally taught incorrect definitions of words, often pitted against one another in animalistic-like contests of physical strength and endurance. What prevents them from leaving is the fear that the unknown monsters lurk beyond – the only way they can leave is when their ‘dogtooth’ falls out.
This is often regarded as Lanthimos’ breakout film, having screened at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival and winning the Prix Un Certain Regard – it would go on to be nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars. It’s a film draped in surrealism, both aesthetically and narratively. Also, the relationships between parents and children, and among children themselves, are remarkably complicated, and often their actions speak much louder than words. Lanthimos’ films often preclude any clear meaning or allegory, and thus several readings can be mapped onto his work.
The reading I’ve always subscribed to in Dogtooth is a satirical take on the Edenic myth – the children are taught not to engage in certain actions, but corrupting outside influences lead them to develop interests that run counter to their father’s wishes. It’s certainly unlike any coming-of-age film you’ve ever seen before – because the children come of age in spite of the father’s attempts to keep them regressed to child-like dogs.
It’s also no coincidence that there is an emphasis on canine metaphors and physicality. There’s a curious link between the children in the compound and the father’s efforts to train the family dog in a pen somewhere in town. Once again, there’s no clear conclusion to draw from what Lanthimos shows us, and deciding what we believe his images convey is all part of the fun.
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