Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos’s “Dogtooth” was one of our most anticipated films at Cannes, but we unfortunately missed it.
It’s basically about three siblings completely sheltered and cut-off from the outside world and forced to play strange games according to rules created by their overprotective parents (they also bathe naked together ala “The Dreamers”). We knew nothing about it other than that but it just sounded so peculiar and potentially thrilling that we were immediately interested.
And then it won the top prize in its Un Certain Regard section so we were even more excited (and even more sad we missed it). Karina at Spoutblog called the film one of her favorites from Cannes. And now that the trailer is out (spotted at QuietEarth) our interest is further piqued. Here’s the full synopsis and the trailer is some real, deadpan oddness.
The father, the 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.
No release date yet, obviously. Later this year? Smells like something that would play at the New York Film Festival as they seem to love the artier stuff from Cannes last year and hell, that worked for all of us.