Dogtooth
“The nature of reality is entirely up to those who control it.”
Three teenagers are confined to an isolated country estate that could very well be on another planet. The trio spend their days listening to endless homemade tapes that teach them a whole new vocabulary. Any word that comes from beyond their family abode is instantly assigned a new meaning. Hence 'the sea' refers to a large armchair and 'zombies' are little yellow flowers. Having invented a brother whom they claim to have ostracized for his disobedience, the uber-controlling parents terrorize their offspring into submission.
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Cast
9 people
Christos Stergioglou
Father
Known for
Stath Lets Flats
Adults in the Room
Michele Valley
Mother
Known for
Singapore Sling
Hristos Passalis
Son
Also in
Black Field
The Miracle of the Sargasso Sea
Angeliki Papoulia
Older Daughter
Known for
The Lobster
Alps
Mary Tsoni
Younger Daughter
Also in
Evil
Artherapy
Anna Kalaitzidou
Christina
Known for
Apples
The Other Me
Steve Krikris
Colleague
Known for
Kinetta
Sissi Petropoulou
Secretary
No other roles listed
Alexander Voulgaris
Dog Trainer
Also in
Milky Way
The Field Guide to Evil
Yorgos Lanthimos Director · Efthimis Filippou Screenplay Grégoire Hetzel Composer
Worldwide gross $110K · Budget $275K · United States release June 25, 2010
Box office
Budget
$275,000
Worldwide gross
$110,248
Gross vs. budget
0.4×
Production
Greek Film Centre
Production
Boo Productions
Production
Horsefly Productions
Production
Greece
Produced in
Languages
Original title
Κυνόδοντας
Original language
Greek
Spoken on screen
Greek
Release dates
France · May 18, 2009
Premiere · Cannes Film Festival
Greece · October 22, 2009
Theatrical
United States · June 25, 2010
Limited theatrical
United States
March 12, 2010 · Premiere · South by Southwest Film Festival
March 30, 2010 · Premiere · New Directors/New Films
June 20, 2025 · Limited theatrical · 4K rerelease
Australia
August 3, 2009 · Premiere · Melbourne International Film Festival
February 16, 2011 · Physical · DVD
Belgium
March 11, 2010 · Theatrical
Brazil
November 11, 2009 · Theatrical
Canada
September 11, 2009 · Premiere · Toronto International Film Festival
Czechia
July 3, 2011 · Digital
Denmark
October 22, 2009 · Limited theatrical
France
December 3, 2009 · Theatrical
Germany
April 15, 2011 · Physical
Greece
September 23, 2009 · Premiere · Athens Film Festival
September 22, 2010 · Physical · DVD
Hungary
September 6, 2021 · Digital
Indonesia
October 2, 2025 · Premiere · Jakarta World Cinema
Ireland
April 23, 2010 · Theatrical
Italy
August 27, 2020 · Theatrical
Japan
August 18, 2012 · Digital
January 24, 2025 · Limited theatrical · 4K Rerelease
Netherlands
February 18, 2010 · Theatrical
Norway
March 5, 2010 · Theatrical
Philippines
November 15, 2024 · Theatrical · QCinema International Film Festival
Portugal
July 29, 2010 · Theatrical
Russia
April 9, 2010 · Theatrical
South Africa
July 23, 2010 · Premiere · Durban International Film Festival
South Korea
January 5, 2012 · Theatrical
Spain
May 14, 2010 · Theatrical
Sweden
October 22, 2009 · Limited theatrical
Thailand
August 22, 2024 · Limited theatrical · House Samyan exclusive
Türkiye
August 17, 2018 · Limited theatrical
March 27, 2024 · Limited theatrical
United Kingdom
April 23, 2010 · Theatrical
September 13, 2010 · Physical · Blu-ray / DVD
June 13, 2025 · Theatrical · 15th Anniversary Re-Release
February 23, 2026 · Physical · Visions Home Video 4k Ultra HD Blu-ray / Blu-ray
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Some details come from TheTVDB.