Dogtooth (2009)
Yorgos Lanthimos's clinical and deeply unsettling Greek drama about language, power, and the terrifying limits of parental control.
Dogtooth - Movie Information
- Original Title: Κυνόδοντας
- Release Year: 2009
- Directed by: Yorgos Lanthimos
- Type: Movie
- Genres: Drama
- Age Rating (US): NR
- Runtime: 1h 38m
- Original Language: Greek
- Spoken Languages: Greek
- Release Date (Theatrical): October 22, 2009 (Greece), April 23, 2010 (United Kingdom - 18), December 3, 2009 (France - 12), November 11, 2009 (Brazil - 18), August 27, 2020 (Italy), May 14, 2010 (Spain), January 5, 2012 (South Korea - 18)
- Alternative Titles: Dente Canino (BR), Dogtooth (US), Клык (RU), Dogtooth (UK), Hundszahn (DE), Κυνόδοντας (GR), Canine (FR), ناب الكلب (AE)
- Production Companies: Greek Film Centre, Boo Productions, Horsefly Productions
- Production Countries: Greece
Dogtooth - Plot
Three teenagers are confined to an isolated country estate that could very well be on another planet. The trio spend their days listening to endless homemade tapes that teach them a whole new vocabulary. Any word that comes from beyond their family abode is instantly assigned a new meaning. Hence 'the sea' refers to a large armchair and 'zombies' are little yellow flowers. Having invented a brother whom they claim to have ostracized for his disobedience, the uber-controlling parents terrorize their offspring into submission.
Dogtooth - Trailer
Watch the official trailer and see Lanthimos's unsettling world unfold:
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Dogtooth - Cast & Crew
Director(s)
- Yorgos Lanthimos
Main Cast
- Christos Stergioglou
- Michele Valley
- Hristos Passalis
- Angeliki Papoulia
- Mary Tsoni
- Anna Kalaitzidou
- Steve Krikris
- Sissi Petropoulou
- Alexander Voulgaris
Writers
- Efthimis Filippou
- Yorgos Lanthimos
Producers
- Yorgos Tsourgiannis
- Yorgos Lanthimos
Dogtooth - FAQs
Where can you stream Dogtooth online?
Dogtooth is available to stream for free on Kanopy with a library card. It can also be rented or purchased on Amazon Video, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, YouTube, and Fandango At Home. Kino Film Collection offers it as part of a flatrate subscription.
What does the dogtooth symbolize in the film?
The dogtooth — a canine tooth — functions as a threshold symbol. The parents tell their children they may leave the compound only once their dogtooth falls out naturally, an event that never occurs in adulthood. It represents the impossible condition of freedom the parents have constructed to maintain permanent control.
What is Dogtooth about?
Dogtooth follows three adult siblings raised in total isolation on a remote estate by their authoritarian parents. The parents have fabricated an entirely false vocabulary and worldview to prevent their children from ever leaving. The film is a disturbing allegory about power, language, and the mechanisms of psychological control.
Who are the main actors in Dogtooth?
The cast is led by Christos Stergioglou as the controlling Father and Michele Valley as the Mother. Their children are played by Hristos Passalis, Angeliki Papoulia, and Mary Tsoni. Anna Kalaitzidou plays Christina, the sole outsider permitted limited contact with the family.
Did Dogtooth win any major awards?
Yes. Dogtooth won the Prix Un Certain Regard at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, bringing Yorgos Lanthimos to international attention. It was also selected as Greece's submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and received a nomination, marking a significant milestone for Greek cinema.
What is the age rating for Dogtooth?
Dogtooth is rated NR (Not Rated) in the United States. However, it carries an 18 certificate in the United Kingdom and Brazil, and a 12 certificate in France. The film contains explicit sexual content, graphic violence, and deeply disturbing themes, making it strictly for mature audiences.
How long is Dogtooth?
Dogtooth has a runtime of 98 minutes, or approximately 1 hour and 38 minutes. Despite its relatively compact length, the film's deliberate pacing and unsettling atmosphere create a sense of suffocating duration that mirrors the claustrophobic experience of its imprisoned characters.
Who directed Dogtooth and what is his style?
Dogtooth was directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, the Greek filmmaker who later made The Lobster, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, and The Favourite. His signature style — flat affect, absurdist logic, clinical framing, and darkly comic cruelty — is fully formed here in what many consider his breakthrough work.
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