Dogtooth (2009)
Kernel Score: 78% · 2,560 ratings · Rated NR
Genres: Drama
Released: 2009-10-22
Runtime: 98 minutes
Is Dogtooth worth watching?
Depends on your taste. A parent-controlled family raises adult children in total isolation with invented words and rules. It's darkly funny, disturbing and utterly original, but it is deliberately cold and some scenes are hard to watch.
Watch it if you
- like strange, uncomfortable art-house cinema
- enjoy deadpan dark comedy
- want something you'll still be thinking about days later
Skip it if you
- can't take disturbing sexual or violent content
- want warmth or a conventional story
Best for: Adventurous solo night
Fresh Kernels verdict, AI-assisted from our scores, audience reviews and the official rating.
Where to watch Dogtooth
- Stream: Kino Film Collection
- Free with ads: Kanopy
- Rent: Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube
- Buy: Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube
US availability, updated 2026-10-23.
Overview
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.
Dogtooth parents' guide: ages 16+
Parents need to know that Dogtooth is a disturbing NR Greek drama about parents isolating and psychologically controlling their adult children, including incest and dysfunctional family abuse.
- Violence & scariness: Moderate — Depicts psychological abuse, control, and disturbing acts of self-harm within the isolated family.
- Sex, romance & nudity: Intense — Contains explicit incestuous content between siblings as part of the family's disturbing isolation.
Fresh Kernels AI-assessed from the official NR rating, publicly documented content. A guide for families, not an official rating.
Movies like Dogtooth
If you liked Dogtooth, these are the movies we'd watch next.
- The Lobster (2015) — 79%: Same director, deadpan dystopian dark comedy
- The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017) — 77%: Same director, cold and unnerving family nightmare
- Poor Things (2023) — 85%: Same director, wilder and more colorful strangeness
- The Favourite (2018) — 83%: Same director, sharp, cruel period comedy
- Bugonia (2025) — 83%: Same director, paranoid and darkly funny
- Lost Highway (1997) — 85%: Dreamlike, unsettling film that rejects normal logic
Director
Cast
- Christos Stergioglou as Father
- Michele Valley as Mother
- Hristos Passalis as Son
- Angeliki Papoulia as Older Daughter
- Mary Tsoni as Younger Daughter
- Anna Kalaitzidou as Christina
- Steve Krikris as Colleague
- Sissi Petropoulou as Secretary
- Alexander Voulgaris as Dog Trainer
Dogtooth FAQ
Is Dogtooth worth watching?
Depends on your taste. A parent-controlled family raises adult children in total isolation with invented words and rules. It's darkly funny, disturbing and utterly original, but it is deliberately cold and some scenes are hard to watch.
Where can I watch Dogtooth?
In the US you can stream Dogtooth on Kino Film Collection, watch it free with ads on Kanopy and rent it from Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play and YouTube.
Is Dogtooth OK for kids?
Dogtooth is rated NR. Fresh Kernels suggests ages 16+. Parents need to know that Dogtooth is a disturbing NR Greek drama about parents isolating and psychologically controlling their adult children, including incest and dysfunctional family abuse.
What movies are like Dogtooth?
If you liked Dogtooth, try The Lobster, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Poor Things and The Favourite.