ΚΥΝΟΔΟΝΤΑΣ, a twisted tale

ΚΥΝΟΔΟΝΤΑΣ (Dogtooth) tells the tale of three siblings and their parents living in acute seclusion. The three teenagers lead a dysfunctional life in a twisted world created by the parents. Their daily routine is scrupulously planned and expected to be meticulously followed. Disobedience has brutal and violent consequences.  Their actions are governed by reward and punishment, forever imprinted in their minds as the golden truth. The concept of “Give and Take” is abused and exploited, pushed to the limits in disturbing ways.

The parents seemingly are the sole creators of this dystopia.  Words take on new implications as the parents deem appropriate. Hence, “Zombies” are little yellow flowers, the “Sea” is a huge armchair, the harmless cat a bloodthirsty predator and Frank Sinatra is the family’s grandfather. The force fed beliefs are terribly repulsive, more so for the blind acceptance of this perverse reality by the kids. 

This film holds no bars in tackling taboo topics of incest and violent rage. In scenes of a sexual intercourse between the siblings, it is probably not the visual which repels rather the nature of their relationship and their utter lack of understanding social norms. The family interaction seems primal, animalistic and grotesquely comical.

 

This extreme desolation may have been caused by some atrocity incurred by the mother, forcing them to shun the outside world turning them into fanatically protective dangerous maniacs.

Another oddity the parents inflict is a “Dogtooth”.  When the teenagers question this seclusion and express the need to go outside, the parents fabricate this tale about the canine being a “Dogtooth”, their freedom bound to the falling of this particular tooth. Naturally, this never happens, sealing the poor prisoner’s fate of being caged in forever. The most haunting situation occurs when the elder sister deliberately knocks her tooth off in despair and tries to escape, bleeding gleefully.

The film very convincingly takes ideas and effortlessly flips them into contradictions.  Dogtooth gathers all societal norms and contentiously destroys them to bits. Packed with robust performances, bizarre behaviour and a whimsical plot, ΚΥΝΟΔΟΝΤΑΣ is an eye opener.