David Lynch Called This Surprising Modern Film a “Fantastic Comedy”

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David Lynch once surprised fans by naming a very dark film as one of his favorite modern comedies.

Director David Lynch once called Yorgos Lanthimos’ 2009 film Dogtooth a “fantastic comedy” in an interview with the LA Times. Though the film is known for its unsettling plot, this comment showcases Lynch’s distinctive and unconventional taste in movies.

Okay, so “Dogtooth” is this really strange, but fascinating movie. It’s about a dad who basically keeps his grown-up kids locked away from everything, controlling what they know and believe. It’s super unsettling how the parents create this totally fake reality for them, using rewards and punishments to keep them in line. Honestly, it’s a bizarre film, but it’s the one that really put the director, Yorgos Lanthimos, on the map – it was his breakthrough, and you can totally see his unique style starting to develop here.

The critically acclaimed film, co-written by Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthymis Filippou, received the Prix Un Certain Regard award at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival and an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. Greek film critic Dimitris Danikas lauded Dogtooth as a “black, surreal, nightmarish” work, and considered it a standout achievement in contemporary Greek cinema, even calling it “perfect” for its blend of surreal imagery and biting social critique.

Dogtooth also received praise from critics around the world. It has a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 72 out of 100 on Metacritic. Reviewers particularly noted director Yorgos Lanthimos’s unique visual approach and the film’s disturbing story. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian described the film as beautifully filmed, with striking and deliberately off-kilter camera angles. Roger Ebert praised Lanthimos’s mastery of both visuals and performances, highlighting the film’s unusual look and dialogue.

Though the film Dogtooth deals with unsettling themes, it’s highly praised for being remarkably original. A.O. Scott, writing for The New York Times, described it as dreamlike, with images that are both memorable and deeply affecting. Critics have noted similarities to the work of pioneering filmmakers like Luis Buñuel and Michael Haneke, known for their surreal and challenging films.

David Lynch’s praise for Dogtooth highlights his fondness for films that break the rules and blend unsettling topics with understated humor. Describing it as a “fantastic comedy” likely acknowledges the film’s bizarre nature and how emotionally distant its characters are.

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2025-11-01 13:44