Search/Recent Changes
DBTropes
...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

Dogtooth

 Dogtooth
type
TVTItem
 Dogtooth
label
Dogtooth
 Dogtooth
page
Dogtooth
 Dogtooth
comment
Dogtooth is a 2009 Greek absurdist drama film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and written by him and Greek writer Efthymis Filippou.The plot concerns a husband and wife who have kept their three adult-age children isolated within the walls of their country estate for their entire lives. They tell them lies about the outside world and even the most basic concepts of life, keeping them in a perpetual state of helpless childhood. Their only outside visitor is Christina, a security guard at the father's workplace, who is brought in for sexual services with the son. As she interacts with the children, she reveals new concepts and realities that threaten their parents' hold over them.The film premiered at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the "Un Certain Regard" award, and was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.It additionally served as the feature film debut for Boo Productions, an Athens-based advertising company which produced the film.
 Dogtooth
fetched
2024-02-02T03:46:11Z
 Dogtooth
parsed
2024-02-02T03:46:11Z
 Dogtooth
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Dogtooth / int_129749df
type
All Men Are Perverts
 Dogtooth / int_129749df
comment
All Men Are Perverts: The idea that men are innately sexual is recognized and subverted with the son. The whole reason Christina is brought in is to satisfy the son's presumed sexual needs, but he eventually rejects her.
 Dogtooth / int_129749df
featureApplicability
-0.3
 Dogtooth / int_129749df
featureConfidence
1.0
 Dogtooth
hasFeature
Dogtooth / int_129749df
 Dogtooth / int_222dc873
type
Black Comedy
 Dogtooth / int_222dc873
comment
Black Comedy: Of Lanthimos' signature style, with conversations balancing between deadpan expressions, alienation between the discussants and Word-Salad Humor with harsh undertones.
 Dogtooth / int_222dc873
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dogtooth / int_222dc873
featureConfidence
1.0
 Dogtooth
hasFeature
Dogtooth / int_222dc873
 Dogtooth / int_42215dce
type
Ambiguous Ending
 Dogtooth / int_42215dce
comment
Ambiguous Ending: After the eldest daughter knocks out her canine, she escapes and hides in the trunk of the car. The family goes out and tries to find her, but to no avail. The following morning, the father drives to work; the last shot is of the trunk of the car.
 Dogtooth / int_42215dce
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dogtooth / int_42215dce
featureConfidence
1.0
 Dogtooth
hasFeature
Dogtooth / int_42215dce
 Dogtooth / int_4de1a4f7
type
Improvised Weapon
 Dogtooth / int_4de1a4f7
comment
Improvised Weapon: VHS tapes, taped to a hand, as well as a whole VCR later on.
 Dogtooth / int_4de1a4f7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dogtooth / int_4de1a4f7
featureConfidence
1.0
 Dogtooth
hasFeature
Dogtooth / int_4de1a4f7
 Dogtooth / int_50b05d30
type
Disproportionate Retribution
 Dogtooth / int_50b05d30
comment
Disproportionate Retribution: The eldest daughter slashes her brother's arm with a knife after they squabble over a toy airplane.
 Dogtooth / int_50b05d30
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dogtooth / int_50b05d30
featureConfidence
1.0
 Dogtooth
hasFeature
Dogtooth / int_50b05d30
 Dogtooth / int_51df5ca1
type
Animal Metaphor
 Dogtooth / int_51df5ca1
comment
Animal Metaphor: When the father has the process of training a dog explained to him, it is exactly what he is doing to his children. To hammer the point home, he even starts training his family to get down on all fours and bark at cats.
 Dogtooth / int_51df5ca1
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dogtooth / int_51df5ca1
featureConfidence
1.0
 Dogtooth
hasFeature
Dogtooth / int_51df5ca1
 Dogtooth / int_6b35bdff
type
Serious Business
 Dogtooth / int_6b35bdff
comment
Serious Business: The family treats its childish customs and games with grave seriousness. The father awards stickers to the winners of challenges, which are treated as an important measure of self-worth and accomplishment.
 Dogtooth / int_6b35bdff
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dogtooth / int_6b35bdff
featureConfidence
1.0
 Dogtooth
hasFeature
Dogtooth / int_6b35bdff
 Dogtooth / int_771f6307
type
Brother–Sister Incest
 Dogtooth / int_771f6307
comment
Brother–Sister Incest: Various examples crop up throughout the film, although the extent to which the kids recognize the significance of incest is zigzagged.
 Dogtooth / int_771f6307
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dogtooth / int_771f6307
featureConfidence
1.0
 Dogtooth
hasFeature
Dogtooth / int_771f6307
 Dogtooth / int_8c41d6e9
type
Nameless Narrative
 Dogtooth / int_8c41d6e9
comment
Nameless Narrative: Christina is the only named character. Everyone in the family and all other supporting characters are billed by a description. The closest we get is the eldest daughter asking to be called "Bruce." It's not even clear whether the children were ever given names.
 Dogtooth / int_8c41d6e9
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dogtooth / int_8c41d6e9
featureConfidence
1.0
 Dogtooth
hasFeature
Dogtooth / int_8c41d6e9
 Dogtooth / int_931fecec
type
Enclosed Space
 Dogtooth / int_931fecec
comment
Enclosed Space: The estate.
 Dogtooth / int_931fecec
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dogtooth / int_931fecec
featureConfidence
1.0
 Dogtooth
hasFeature
Dogtooth / int_931fecec
 Dogtooth / int_935b90b6
type
Sabotutor
 Dogtooth / int_935b90b6
comment
Sabotutor: The parents fill their children's heads with lies about the outside world to control them. Even their perspective of language is twisted to prevent them from understanding concepts that would clash with the parents' teachings.
 Dogtooth / int_935b90b6
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dogtooth / int_935b90b6
featureConfidence
1.0
 Dogtooth
hasFeature
Dogtooth / int_935b90b6
 Dogtooth / int_9ec60b8b
type
White Shirt of Death
 Dogtooth / int_9ec60b8b
comment
White Shirt of Death: Played with. To convince the children of the dangers of cats, the father splatters red paint on his white shirt and tears it, implying that a cat mauled him.
 Dogtooth / int_9ec60b8b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dogtooth / int_9ec60b8b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Dogtooth
hasFeature
Dogtooth / int_9ec60b8b
 Dogtooth / int_a4c37cbe
type
Mood Whiplash
 Dogtooth / int_a4c37cbe
comment
Mood Whiplash: Zigzags between drama, horror, and comedy. One example is after the cat's death and the funeral for a departed brother, the father instruct the kids to get down on their knees and bark like dogs, which is pretty funny. It's startling to be laughing when you've just witnessed such a downer scene.
 Dogtooth / int_a4c37cbe
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dogtooth / int_a4c37cbe
featureConfidence
1.0
 Dogtooth
hasFeature
Dogtooth / int_a4c37cbe
 Dogtooth / int_b11ac9f5
type
Abusive Parents
 Dogtooth / int_b11ac9f5
comment
Abusive Parents: The parents have brought up their children in a vacuum, restricting their contact with the outside world and molding their understanding of reality to control them. It's unclear why they do this, other than the implied desire to have children that are more like pets than people.
 Dogtooth / int_b11ac9f5
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dogtooth / int_b11ac9f5
featureConfidence
1.0
 Dogtooth
hasFeature
Dogtooth / int_b11ac9f5
 Dogtooth / int_bd0230fb
type
Ambiguously Bi
 Dogtooth / int_bd0230fb
comment
Ambiguously Bi: Christina is brought in to have sex with the son, which she endures with mechanical stoicism. She also bribes the eldest daughter to perform cunnilingus for presents. It's unclear whether she's bisexual or is a lesbian who is simply willing to have sex with men for cash.
 Dogtooth / int_bd0230fb
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dogtooth / int_bd0230fb
featureConfidence
1.0
 Dogtooth
hasFeature
Dogtooth / int_bd0230fb
 Dogtooth / int_c660bc15
type
Fan Disservice
 Dogtooth / int_c660bc15
comment
Fan Disservice: The sex scenes - the ones between Christina and the son are joyless and clinical, while the other ones are squicky because of the incest and the innocence of the children, who don't understand the significance of the action.
 Dogtooth / int_c660bc15
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dogtooth / int_c660bc15
featureConfidence
1.0
 Dogtooth
hasFeature
Dogtooth / int_c660bc15
 Dogtooth / int_c75df49a
type
Shout-Out
 Dogtooth / int_c75df49a
comment
Shout-Out: After watching tapes Christina gave her, the elder daughter constantly quotes and reenacts scenes from Rocky and Jaws.
 Dogtooth / int_c75df49a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dogtooth / int_c75df49a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Dogtooth
hasFeature
Dogtooth / int_c75df49a
 Dogtooth / int_cef91828
type
SteadiCam
 Dogtooth / int_cef91828
comment
SteadiCam: Most of the shots are rock-solid, to the point where characters' heads may be cut off because they don't happen to be in the frame. Switches to Shaky Cam for a few scenes and for most of the ending.
 Dogtooth / int_cef91828
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dogtooth / int_cef91828
featureConfidence
1.0
 Dogtooth
hasFeature
Dogtooth / int_cef91828
 Dogtooth / int_d5139ac
type
Reality Has No Soundtrack
 Dogtooth / int_d5139ac
comment
Reality Has No Soundtrack: There's no non-diegetic music in this movie.
 Dogtooth / int_d5139ac
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dogtooth / int_d5139ac
featureConfidence
1.0
 Dogtooth
hasFeature
Dogtooth / int_d5139ac
 Dogtooth / int_d934b1c7
type
Small, Secluded World
 Dogtooth / int_d934b1c7
comment
Small, Secluded World: The family estate is insular due to family rules forbidding anyone but the father from leaving.
 Dogtooth / int_d934b1c7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dogtooth / int_d934b1c7
featureConfidence
1.0
 Dogtooth
hasFeature
Dogtooth / int_d934b1c7
 Dogtooth / int_df24d8fa
type
Platonic Cave
 Dogtooth / int_df24d8fa
comment
Platonic Cave: The kids have no understanding of the outside world except the twisted version provided by their parents.
 Dogtooth / int_df24d8fa
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dogtooth / int_df24d8fa
featureConfidence
1.0
 Dogtooth
hasFeature
Dogtooth / int_df24d8fa
 Dogtooth / int_e150c4c7
type
Manchild
 Dogtooth / int_e150c4c7
comment
Manchild: Played for drama with the children. All are sexually mature, in their late teens to early twenties, yet they act like children since they haven't been exposed to enough of the world to grow up. They invent games to pass the long days at home and wrestle like little kids over toys. This trope is used to demonstrate the paralyzing effects of isolation from the real world.
 Dogtooth / int_e150c4c7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dogtooth / int_e150c4c7
featureConfidence
1.0
 Dogtooth
hasFeature
Dogtooth / int_e150c4c7
 Dogtooth / int_name
type
ItemName
 Dogtooth / int_name
comment
 Dogtooth / int_name
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dogtooth / int_name
featureConfidence
1.0
 Dogtooth
hasFeature
Dogtooth / int_name
 Dogtooth / int_name
itemName
Dogtooth

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Dogtooth
hasFeature
Ambiguous Ending / int_981dec86
 Dogtooth
hasFeature
Knight Templar Parent / int_981dec86
 Dogtooth
hasFeature
Le Film Artistique / int_981dec86
 Dogtooth
hasFeature
Platonic Cave / int_981dec86
 Dogtooth
hasFeature
Sabotutor / int_981dec86
 Dogtooth
hasFeature
Small, Secluded World / int_981dec86
 Dogtooth
hasFeature
Utopia Justifies the Means / int_981dec86