Random acts of violence, cold and detached characters, non-sensical dialogue and a general oppressive atmosphere of passive nihilism. These are the ingredients of the so-called "weird wave of Greek cinema" - a hipster and less guttural version of New French Extremism of the early '00s - that Dogtooth initiated.
The aesthetic influence of Haneke is also present, but here it lacks the Austrian director's historicity and coherence: his films usually take place in a specific time and place, while Lanthimos' films are set in a timeless, insulated world. This allows the director to remove any ethical accountably of his characters's actions - at least in relation to our contemporary society - while at the same time avoid making any risky social statements.
There is an abusive father in the film that locks his family in the house, for no apparent reason. The family members act "weird", again for no apparent reason or perhaps because they are locked up. But it matters little after all, since all we are given as an audience is a dragging into an inhuman and negatively-charged world where the logic of the rules make sense only in the director's self-indulgent head.
The aesthetic influence of Haneke is also present, but here it lacks the Austrian director's historicity and coherence: his films usually take place in a specific time and place, while Lanthimos' films are set in a timeless, insulated world. This allows the director to remove any ethical accountably of his characters's actions - at least in relation to our contemporary society - while at the same time avoid making any risky social statements.
There is an abusive father in the film that locks his family in the house, for no apparent reason. The family members act "weird", again for no apparent reason or perhaps because they are locked up. But it matters little after all, since all we are given as an audience is a dragging into an inhuman and negatively-charged world where the logic of the rules make sense only in the director's self-indulgent head.
