Considering the somewhat dark times that we seemingly now live in, it’s understandable that parents are so protective over their offspring; the simple answer would be to micro-chip all newborns, as is the norm with all popular pets. Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos has taken parenting to the ultimate extreme however with his latest film.

A couple live with their three adult children – two daughters and a son – in their secluded family home. The father (Christos Stergioglou) and mother (Michelle Valley) have complete and utter respect from their youngsters, who do everything they’re told. And as you would expect, they believe everything their parents tell them. The problem is, the three of them have never left the family home; they have been conditioned in such a way, that as far as they’re all concerned, there’s nothing for them outside of their compound.

Within this bubble, their parents have created a truly insular environment for them all to exist in. They are educated to believe in the oddest things; planes that fly over their heads are merely toys than can occasionally land in their garden; and cats are the deadliest of foes that need to be avoided at all costs.

They are reaching a tricky stage in their development however, which doesn’t go unnoticed by their dad. In an attempt to counteract the emotions they’re feeling, he brings home a female security guard from where he works, paying her to interact in a sexual capacity with his son (Hristos Passalis).

Although her arrival strikes the right notes with his son, her presence has a considerable effect on all the siblings – particularly the daughters (Aggeliki Papoulia, Mary Tsoni) – leading to a huge disruption in this peculiar new family order.

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Dogtooth is like watching a really awful car crash, with the entire audience guilty of rubbernecking throughout; despite the emotive carnage that Lanthimos splatters on the screen, it’s difficult to stop gawking at what transpires in front of you. It continuously draws you in like a reluctant accomplice, and although you feel uncomfortable for taking part, there’s little you can do about it.

It’s certainly an intriguing and original premise. Its execution however, is one that makes it difficult for any viewer to admit to wholly enjoying. On occasion the director gives a little humour with one hand, and follows it with a whack to the head with something startling. He continues this vein of storytelling, culminating in a truly brutal scene that will shock the most hardened of audiences. It packs the kind of punch that will take some time to recover from.

It would have been interesting if it included some kind of reason for this truly odd couple’s parenting methods; it didn’t need to justify their actions exactly, but it would have been fascinating to have an insight into their curious background.

There’s something unsettling with its pacing too; as if some of the imagery wasn’t uncomfortable enough to digest, Lanthimos deliberately draws out many of them to add to the misery.

And yet the experience is overwhelmingly mesmerising from beginning to end. Dogtooth is a curiosity that is difficult to enjoy, and yet manages to be strangely enthralling and quietly intense throughout.