The film “Fang” by Yorgos Lantimos received the Grand Prix of the Cannes Film Festival in the nomination “Special Look”.
That is how the jury appreciated the problem of the institution of the family raised by the Greek director. Indeed, in the film of Yorgos Lantimos in 94 minutes, close people go from touching love to amazing cruelty.
What is the movie about?
The film “Fang” (2009) presents the story of one family to the audience. Here, parents developed and implement very unusual pedagogical methods. They do not allow their already grown-up children to leave the territory of the house and garden, by any means isolating them from the outside world. At the same time, mother and father, ignoring the existing laws of life, create their own. They tell their children that they will only be allowed to leave the house when they have a fang that is a symbol of maturity. In other words, never.
Confession
The film “Fang” directed by Jorgos Lantimos is the owner of 19 awards and 17 nominations. Among them:
- 2009 - Cannes Film Festival. Special Look Award.
- 2009 - Catalan IFF, which was held in Sitges. The film was awarded the prize for the best directorial revelation. At the same IFF, the film received the award of the jury Carnet Jove.
- 2009 Montreal New Film Festival. The film "Fang" (2009) became the winner in two categories at once. He was noted as the best feature film. In addition, Yorgos Lantimos received an award as the best director of a feature film.
- 2009 Film Festival in Mar Del Plata. Here the film “Fang” became the best film and won the prize “Bronze Horse”.
- 2009. Estoril and Lisbon Film Festival. Here, Fang won the Best Film Award.
- 2009 - CF in Sarajevo. At this film festival, the ribbon was awarded a special prize, which the jury awarded him as the best feature film. And the two actresses who played the main roles - Angeliki Papulia (eldest daughter) and Marie Zoni (youngest daughter), received a prize for the best female role - “The Heart of Sarajevo”.
- 2010. At the IFF in Dublin, director Jorgos Lantimos received the Film Critics Award.
- 2010 “Fang” received an award for independent British cinema, participating in the nomination “Best film not in English”.
- 2010. The film receives the Treasure Prize, becoming the winner among the applicants for the Chlotrudis Prize.
- 2010 According to the decision of the Greek Film Academy, “Fang” became the winner in several categories at once. He was noted as the best film. Yorgos Lantimos was recognized as the best director. Also, Yorgos Lantimos and Eftimis Filippou received a prize as the best screenwriters. Christ Passalis became the best supporting actor. The installation of Jorgos Mavropsaridis was recognized as the best. Christ Sterioglu received the award for Best Actor. Of course, she succeeded him superbly. Angelica Papulia was awarded the prize for Best Actress.
- 2011 - Oscar. Nominated among the best films in a foreign language.
- 2011 - The international community of moviegoers decided that the film "Fang" is the nominee for the best film not in English. As a result, she took 8th place.
- In 2011, the Internet Association of Television and Cinema named Fang the best foreign language film.
- In 2011, the London Film Critics' Association celebrated the film, placing it in the nomination of the best works in a foreign language.
- In 2011, the Society of Online Film Critics was nominated for the best non-English film.
- 2012 "The Golden Beetle". The film became the best foreign film.
Genre and cast
The film “Fang” directed by Georgos Lantimos is a drama. It is definitely worth our attention.
The main characters of the movie "Fang" are as follows:
- Father. His role was perfectly played by Christ Sterioglu.
- Mother. The woman-housewife raising children is Michelle Valley.
- Eldest daughter. The role of this girl went to the beautiful actress, whose name is Angelica Papulia.
- The youngest daughter. She was played by Marie Tsoni.
- Son. The role of this guy went to Christ Passalis.
The only representative of the outside world in this picture is the girl Christina. Her role was played by Anna Kalaytsidu.
Plot
What does the movie “Fang” tell the audience? The plot of this film is a small 94-minute study of the family, which is a closed cell of society. Among the main characters of this surreal story are elderly parents - a mother and father, as well as their two daughters and a son who are already 18 years old. A family with their over-age children lives in a house surrounded by a high fence. Moreover, this territory, which has a garden and a swimming pool, is in absolute isolation from the entire outside world.
That was exactly what the parents' decision was at one time. Their blind love for their children takes the form of pathology. In an attempt to protect children from the influence of the outside world, they inspire their offspring from childhood that going outside the garden is life-threatening. The house is banned from any sources of information that could tell about what is happening behind the fence, including television and radio. The only movie allowed is a family video, which was shot with a hand-held camera. There is a telephone in the house. However, his mother hides him in her room.
Children grew up without any outside influence. Moreover, they are absolutely sure that the most important thing in life is obedience and self-preservation. The guy and girls grow up athletic and beautiful. However, because of their isolation artificially created by their parents, they have a lot of deviations in spiritual and mental development.
Mother and father create a special world for their children. If they accidentally heard any words, then they immediately find their own explanation. The sea for these children is nothing more than a comfortable leather chair, and a zombie is nothing more than a yellow flower. And even when the daughter tells her mother that she needs a phone, the woman holds out the usual salt shaker. In addition, the children were impressed that the most bloodthirsty beast in this world was a cat.
From time to time, planes fly over the house in the sky. However, children taught by their parents believe that they are toys. Sometimes they even argue over who will get such an airplane if it accidentally falls into their garden.
The games of a guy and girls are very far from ordinary children's fun. For example, they like to compete in who will be able to hold their finger longer under a stream of boiling water or who will quickly regain consciousness after receiving a dose of chloroform.
Only the father is allowed to leave the house. At the same time, he goes on a journey by car, as this allows you to feel safe. Only the father is busy acquiring products for the family. But before you bring them into the house, he cuts off labels from all packages.
Children are well aware that they can leave this enclosed area. However, they need to wait until the day when they lose a molar tooth-fang, and a new one grows in its place. However, the guy and the girl do not even suspect that this will never happen.
And then everything has changed ...
Such a life, quite possibly, would go on for many years. However, the son entered adulthood. And the parents decided that he needs to have sex in order to maintain his health. That is why the house made an exception to the accepted rules. A girl Christina was admitted to its territory. This is one of the employees of the factory where his father works. She was hired by him to satisfy the sexual needs of her son.
For the time being, the girl did everything without asking any unnecessary questions. However, she soon became the main distributor of “evil” and temptations among over-aged children.
As you know, any community, being closed (this can include a group of people or a biocenosis that has developed over the years), is less resistant to external influences than those that have access for free entry and living of new individuals, seeds and genetic information. The fact is that a closed ecosystem is deprived of immunity, which could protect it from the changing conditions of existence, the influence of external forces and new species. As such forces in the film "Fang" made sex and cinema. They made a breach in the wall, which parents surrounded the whole family.
Despite the fact that Christina was invited to the house only for the sake of communicating with a young man, she offered sexual contact to her eldest daughter. In exchange for this, Christine gave the girl to watch two video tapes on which the films “Jaws” and “Rocky” were recorded. These films made a great impression on the eldest daughter. She gained new knowledge in such a way that she was simply not able to hide. For the sake of watching new spectacles and the opportunity to become part of them, the girl was ready for anything.
However, the father, having learned about the videotapes, beat his daughter. Christine was then banned from visiting their home. The father decides that it is no longer possible to allow strangers into their world. And how then can the sexual needs of the son be satisfied? He ordered one of his daughters to do this. The son at the same time chose the eldest of the sisters. After that, they entered into an intimate relationship.
After some time, the eldest daughter decides to escape. Before that, she knocked out her fang. Having run out into the street, the girl hid in the trunk of her father's car. In the morning he discovered a tooth and blood in the bathroom. Realizing what was happening, he tried to find a daughter. However, the search for his father was unsuccessful. He got into the car and went to work. At the same time, the man had absolutely no idea that the girl was in the trunk of a car.
Story Reviews
The whole story told by the director is different in that it develops in a confined space. The events taking place in the film revolve only around one single family, which consists of parents and their over-age children. Mother and father at first glance seem intelligent people. However, they turn from loving parents throughout the film into cruel despots. What could a similar pedagogical method give their children? How could life of young people in a confined space be otherwise? How could they entertain themselves, occupy and get new emotions?
The film has shocking walls. These include sexual contacts, self-mutilation and beatings. This can explain the limited rental film. However, reviews of the movie “Fang” indicate that he is unusually good. In one of his interviews, Yorgos Lantimos said that he tried to make this eerie story beautiful, despite its inner ugliness.
Education issue
Reviews for the movie "Fang" contain statements about parental love. Most dads and mothers dream of seeing their sequels in their children and grandchildren. Why did the unfortunate parents shown by director Yorgos Lantimos close the world to their daughters and son? Yes, there is a lot of injustice in the world. However, such a method cannot be called a solution to problems. And this is confirmed by the story that the viewer saw. At the very beginning of the plot, it seems that in a confined space, happiness is quite possible. In the relationship of parents, harmony is visible. Their children are obedient and obedient to the will of their elders. However, unnoticed by the audience, they begin to notice some oddities. And as the plot develops, there are more and more of them.
Judging by the reviews of the movie "Fang", at first everything seems quite calm to the audience. A rainbow-colored atmosphere even touches. However, a little later, this house begins to seem somewhat unusual. So far, all the oddities in this family are not manifest.
And only after some time has passed, the viewer begins to analyze the behavior of young people. Reviews of the movie "Fang" say that awareness is gradually coming: the heroes seem to play a certain game, where everything is vice versa. Moreover, not everyone likes it, and its meaning is also sometimes incomprehensible.
Loving parents in this film have not yet decided on who their own children are for them. Some viewers in their reviews compare them with three fish phlegmatically swimming in the pool just for beauty, or with dogs that are on training courses. And it is not for nothing that there is a canine in the film. He trains a real dog for this family and tells his father that each dog expects a person to show her how to behave. Parents in the movie "Fang" believe that any person can be trained. It is enough to create your own monopoly on the training. Children can also be pets. And any, but not cats. After all, those are always on your mind. That is why the only cat in the film is buried.
However, Lantimos, using sarcasm, reminds his viewer that the children must leave home sooner or later. And time after time, mankind loses the biblical story that tells of the prodigal son. But at the same time, this is not at all evil requiring confrontation, because it is nothing more than the initiation of personality.
Acting
The name of the movie "Fang" is a kind of metaphor. It was behind her that the director hid the problem of the harmful custody of parents over adult children, which comes to a real madness.
Judging by the reviews of the movie "Fang", the actors played their roles just brilliantly. The grayness of the life of the main characters emphasizes their emotionlessness, and not moving frames are as limited as the children themselves.
The play of the actors in the film is quite realistic. This is confirmed by the reviews of the audience. They indicate that the actors did an excellent job with their specific task.
Director Recognition
In one of his interviews, Yorgos Lantimos says that, creating his film, he sought to figure out how people are influenced by educating them in a special way. The director also wanted to show his viewer how one person can influence a group of people, society, a country, or even the whole planet, if he starts to hide something.
The characters in the film are similar to ordinary Greeks. However, the director was not going to shoot a plot about the Greek family. He points out that this can happen in any country. And the father shown to him in the film is not necessarily the head of the family. He can embody the image of a leader. That is why the film remains open to various interpretations.
The movie "Fang" is also about how people sometimes deceive each other. During its creation, Yorgos Lantimos argued how much a person hides from the rest, how much he receives half-truths or outright lies from the stories of others and from media reports.
The director believes that his film will certainly appeal to the viewer who is dissatisfied with the fact that his attention is put to sleep, who decided to rebel and figure out what is happening around. So first of all, this is a movie for young people.
Conclusion
The inner world is conceived by the main characters of the film as ideal. However, its existence cannot last forever. This world will certainly become a grave for its creators and founders. Who will be the children raised in artificially created, sterile and bleached reality? In a world in which the younger generation is completely unsustainable, and therefore doomed?
The director of the film “Fang” left the final. He gave his viewer the opportunity to supplement the plot himself and draw a picture that would seem to him the most believable.