Dogtooth 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Dogtooth 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 22, 2025

Yorgos Lanthimos' "Dogtooth" (2009) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by critic Adam Nayman; archival audio commentary by actors Angeliki Papoulia and Hristos Passalis; archival program with Yorgos Lanthimos; deleted scenes; and more. In Greek, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The provider

The text below was initially used for our review of the first Blu-ray release of Dogtooth, which British label Verve Pictures produced in 2010. You can access the review here. You can also read Casey Broadwater's review of Kino Lorber's first U.S. release of the film here.

Dogtooth is a controversial Greek film that was screened at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, where it won the prestigious Un Certain Regard Prize, and more recently selected to represent Greece at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards. In the United States, Kino International are set to release it on DVD in 2011.

What takes place in it is impossible to describe accurately with simple words. At best, a writer would likely point out how shocking parts of it are. Also, more than two-thirds of it can be easily rearranged without impacting the precision and efficacy of its message.

Dogtooth follows closely several members of a wealthy family living in a large suburban house somewhere in Greece. The head of the family is a slightly overweight man (Christos Stergioglou, Chariton's Choir) in his late forties, possibly early fifties, who has a well-paying job in a nearby factory. His wife (Michele Valley, Birthday Town), son (Hristos Passalis), and two daughters (Mary Tsoni, Angeliki Papoulia) spend all of their time in the house, without ever leaving. No names are given for any of them.

Recognized as the undisputed provider, the man takes care of everything the family needs -- food, clothes, porn. When he is in a good mood, the family knows it. When he is in a bad mood, the family feels it. Because things are the way they should be, no one ever attempts to question his authority.

The man’s son is in his early twenties, which is why he occasionally pays Christina (Anna Kalaitzidou), a security guard from the factory, to visit the house and have sex with him. The man is convinced that it is good for the boy. Christina does not mind either. She is single and needs the extra money the man pays her.

During a regular visit, Christina asks one of the girls to lick her. If she does, Christina will give her a present. The girl agrees, and later tells her sister about Christina’s unusual request. Then she tells her father. Soon after, the two girls begin licking everyone’s fingers, elbows, and arms.

Meanwhile, the man announces that there will be a new addition to the family because Mom is pregnant. Everyone is happy, even Christina. They take a picture together. Then they laugh and have a good time.

But an odd accident changes everything -- one of the girls decides to explore the world outside the house and makes a bold move. The man fails to react accordingly and, much to his annoyance, all hell breaks loose.

Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, Dogtooth is a minimalistic, extremely polarizing film, which Michael Haneke would have loved to direct. It hits hard where it hurts the most. One cannot possibly like it, but one should certainly be able to appreciate it. It is bold and brutally uncompromising, to the point of being offensive, but also illuminating.

The message of Dogtooth is simple -- parents could be as dangerous as those that they are supposedly trying to protect their children from. This message is impossible to reject. In the United States, Jerry Springer made a fortune welcoming some of the worst of these parents to his popular show, producing thousands of hours of shocking content that proves its validity.

*In 1990, Michele Valley, who plays the submissive mother in Dogtooth, also appeared in another very controversial Greek film, Singapore Sling, which won multiple awards at the Thessaloniki Film Festival.

Dogtooth 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Kino Lorber's release of Dogtooth is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-A "locked". Please note that some of the screencaptures included with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc.

Screencaptures #1-25 are taken from Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #29-39 are taken from the 4K Blu-ray.

In America, Dogtooth made its high-definition debut with this Blu-ray release, also produced by Kino Lorber, in 2019. I have it in my library. I also have in my library this Region-B release, produced by British label Verve Pictures in 2010. Both releases are sourced from the same old master.

This upcoming combo pack release introduces a brand new 4K makeover of Dogtooth on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray. In native 4K, the 4K makeover can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I chose to view it with HDR. Later, I spent time with its 1080p presentation on the Blu-ray.

The new 4K makeover is an all-around winner. It gives Dogtooth the stable and very attractive contemporary appearance that it always should have had. I was very impressed with the upgrade in quality because the improvements I saw on my system were tremendous. In some darker indoor areas that looked quite shaky on the previous presentation, for instance, there is now consistency that makes a huge difference. Also, the dynamic range of the visuals is vastly improved, in native 4K and 1080p, and on a big screen, massive sections of the film look significantly better. Color reproduction and balance are better, too. All primaries look lusher, and all supporting nuances are better balanced. I compared several areas of the older presentation, and to be honest, these areas now look almost like video content. The HDR grade is effective. It expands the dynamic range of the visuals very well and preserves existing nuances in even the most challenging darker areas. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

The 1080p presentation of the 4K makeover is equally satisfying. It offers the same significant improvements in delineation, clarity, and depth, and as you can tell from the screencaptures we have included with this article, the dynamic range of the visuals in 1080p is also dramatically better. Color reproduction and balance are similarly great.

Dogtooth 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: Greek DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Greek DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

I revisited Dogtooth with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. I thought that the music during the party sounded fuller and thicker, not as it does on the other Blu-ray release of Dogtooth that I have. Also, I must mention that the Region-B release of Dogtooth I have has the audio pitched slightly higher. The dialogue was very clear, and the English translation is excellent.

Dogtooth 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - this archival audio commentary was recorded by actors Angeliki Papoulia and Hristos Passalis. The bulk of the information that is shared in it addresses the shooting of various sequences from Dogtooth, many of which were apparently completely improvised. The commentary is in English.

• Commentary Two - in this audio commentary, critic Adam Nayman deconstructs Dogtooth and explains how it revitalized the Greek film industry. Nayman also addresses the career and work of its creator, Yorgos Lanthimos.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - this archival audio commentary was recorded by actors Angeliki Papoulia and Hristos Passalis. The bulk of the information that is shared in it addresses the shooting of various sequences from Dogtooth, many of which were apparently completely improvised. The commentary is in English.

• Commentary Two - in this audio commentary, critic Adam Nayman deconstructs Dogtooth and explains how it revitalized the Greek film industry. Nayman also addresses the career and work of its creator, Yorgos Lanthimos.

• Interview with Yorgos Lanthimos - in this archival program, Yorgos Lanthimos remembers how the original idea for Dogtooth emerged and discusses some of the key themes and conflicts that are present in the film. In English, not subtitled. 13 min).

• Yorgos Lanthimos in Conversation - in this archival interview, Yorgos Lanthimos discusses his latest film, The Favourite and his working methods with critic and director of the NYFF Kent Jones. In English, not subtitled. (45 min).

• Deleted Scenes - three deleted scenes:
  
  1. Father Sings
  2. Fly Me to the Moon
  3. Bathroom Dance

• Trailer One - presented here is an original theatrical trailer for Dogtooth. In Greek, with imposed English subtitles. (2 min).

• Trailer Two - presented here is an original trailer for the recent 4K restoration of Dogtooth. In Greek, with English subtitles. (2 min).

ADDITIONAL CONTENT

• Booklet - a 10-page illustrated booklet featuring a reprinted interview with Yorgos Lanthimos and techncial credits.

Dogtooth 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Dogtooth hits very hard, almost as hard as Irreversible. However, some of its biggest fans, like the late David Lynch, have described it as a comedy, which is quite bizarre. I do not find it funny at all. It carries a chilling message about the destruction of the nuclear family in the West, which Yorgos Lanthimos correctly predicted would become a massive problem. Kino Lorber's upcoming combo pack brings an outstanding new 4K makeover of Dogtooth, supervised and approved by Lanthimos. I think that it is an all-around winner on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray. A standalone Blu-ray release streets on the same date. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.