Parental Issues, Lies & Control in Dogtooth (2009)

Everything we learn in life comes from the way we are brought into the world, and how our parents teach us. From the accents we develop, to the language we use, to our emotional responses and our social behaviour towards others. It’s something that is inherently built into us from the moment we are birthed by our mothers into this world – something out of our control and inescapable. This upbringing into the world determines the person we will become once we reach adulthood, and how we will begin to look at the world and become a part of society. Which is why being a parent is one of the most powerful and dominating positions to be in.

In 2009, director Yorgos Lanthimos laboured his incestuous child into the world and called it Dogtooth. The strange and uncomfortable drama film was Lanthimos’ second feature film, and won the Prix Un Certain Regard in the same year at the Cannes Film Festival. Such an enticing piece of cinema that presents the audience with somewhat of a dark, surrealist and distressing family landscape. That portrays the importance of exposure to the outside world as a child, and how parents have a responsibility to ensure their children are brought up through the societal norms of parenthood. 

Read the full Festival de Cannes: Parental Issues, Lies & Control in Dogtooth (2009) on Filmotomy website!