Continuing my series of reviews that aren't current, I've chosen to write about 2010's Academy Award nominees for Foreign Language Film, starting this week with Dogtooth.
It’s hard to say you like Dogtooth. But it’s harder to forget it. Because of its subject matter and perversion, Dogtooth probably won’t make it into many people’s list of favorites, but it’s such an original and unpredictable viewing experience that it’s definitely worth a watch.
The Greek film is about a strange, strange family with three teenagers completely sheltered from the outside world. It begins with the homeschooled kids listening to a vocabulary lesson that gives them all the wrong definitions (a motorway is a very strong wind, for example). Why would their parents want to keep them so misinformed, and as a result so frightened of the world outside their yard?
The complete trust these three oversized children put in what their parents have taught them make them do some disturbing things. They’re so innocent that they don’t know the difference. Licking an elbow is the same to them as licking anything else.
I don’t know what to say to make you want to watch this movie without giving away any of the bizarre surprises. On the cover of the DVD for Dogtooth there’s a quote from another review that reads “HILARIOUS!” I didn’t think it was funny. But I didn’t let it weigh too heavily on my mind either. It’s weird for the sake of being weird, and that’s okay.
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