Though it’s not usually a good idea to encourage you stop reading this early on, having already seen Yorgos Lanthimos’s provocative film, “Dogtooth,” we think you would be better off going in blind.
Not that the stellar trailer below contains any real “spoilers” (though it may seem like it does), but allowing yourself a preemptive glimpse into this warped world is almost like cheating — the experience “Dogtooth” offers is more rewarding when you find yourself as disoriented by its initial premise as as its central characters seem to be. But if surprises aren’t your thing, and you need some real visceral incentive to check out this Greek stunner, the trailer Kino International has served up should stoke your anticipation.
For further context, we reviewed “Dogtooth” when we caught it in Toronto last year, and had this to say about its peculiar plot: “A study in perverse domesticity, Lanthimos depicts a married couple with three young-adult children (one boy, two girls) and their struggle to keep their family sheltered from the outside world. Their property is surrounded by a tall wooden fence and only the father is allowed to venture outside each day for work, regaling his children with made-up stories about the dangers that lurk beyond the borders of their home.”
That brief synopsis may not hit at the darkness (or, for that matter, the dark humor) that defines Lanthimos’ distinct vision, but the trailer does a more than decent job at hinting exactly how much the effects of this twisted social experiment weigh on the psyches of each character. This is a disturbing, dark and comedic work and one of the most original pictures we’ve seen in a while. We also added it to our 2010: Most Anticipated List — Films That We Have Already Seen/Films That You Should See list.
If you’re hungry for more insights into the mind of Yorgos Lanthimos, look for our interview with the iconoclastic filmmaker at the end of the month, and check out “Dogtooth” when its unleashed into theaters on June 25th.