One should view this movie cold. That’s what I did. I knew nothing about the movie other than it’s name before I sat down to watch it at JDIFF. In fact, I thought it was another Korean horror movie, such was my ignorance. You can imagine my surprise when it became apparent that what I was actually watching was a Greek movie based around a family who detach their children from the outside world.
You see, the parents of this family want full control of their children. They want no outside influences and full control of how their children see the world. Their boy and two girls are in their early twenties, yet the world they know is completely confined to the immediate surroundings of their home. Only their father can leave the house, and the only person that enters the house is a girl called Cristina whose job is to fulfill the male son’s sexual needs. The Patriarch states that the children can only leave when their right or left dog tooth has fallen.
This is no ordinary family. In fact, this is not a family at all. It’s an experiment. An experiment that mirrors the insular, nanny states of eastern Europe, giving us an insight into the problems that come with censorship, neo-socialism and benign, yet violent semi-dictatorships.
What unfolds over the 90 minutes or so is profoundly dark, and surprisingly humorous. Both shocking, yet strangely familiar. This movie understands people. It understands the inherent need to break free from our captor. It understands that no matter how strict our rules are and how heavy our censorship is, the outside world will find it’s way in. In these strange times, nobody can be completely self-sufficient. Not without some sacrifice or other.
I urge you to watch this film. I’m not going to go into any more detail, as I feel that it will detract from the impact. It’s an important piece of contemporary commentary and has affected the way I think about the world. It’s also very, very entertaining in the most sadistic and voyeuristic way possible and will tell you more about yourself than any shrink ever could.
Verdict: Hugely important cinema – 10/10
