Babyteeth (2019)

Director: Shannon Murphy

Stars: Eliza Scanlen, Toby Wallace, Ben Mendelsohn
Runtime: 118 minutes

Synopsis: Milla, a seriously ill teenager falls in love with a drug dealer, Moses, her parents' worst nightmare.

Performances: 8/10
Screenplay: 7/10
Editing: 6/10
Cinematography: 6/10
Score/Soundtrack: 7/10

Verdict: When I randomly put on "Babyteeth" on a calm, peaceful evening, I had no idea what to expect from it. Shannon Murphy's directorial debut had a nice poster and an intriguing cast that includes names such as Eliza Scanlen, Essie Davis, or Ben Mendelsohn. And that's pretty much what convinced me to check it out. What I was not expecting, however, was to stumble on a little gem of a dramedy that takes a concept we've seen a bunch of times before and injects it with so much personality and humanity.

Eliza Scanlen stars as Milla, a severely ill teenager who falls for a drug addict to the extreme discomfort of her parents. On the surface, it makes for a comedy à la "Meet the Parents", where that relationship is tested on every turn leading to standoffs between all the parties involved. But the beauty of the movie comes from the fact that this is only the tip of a much more complex iceberg that uses that relationship as sort of an exploration of what it's like to live knowing that you don't have much time to experience life one step at a time. It reminded me of last year's "Paddleton", which also had an overall comedic atmosphere that never distracted from the depressing nature of its narrative, which served as the movie's very core. My issues with "Babyteeth" are minimal and include for example some title cards that didn't work, some pacing issues, or a couple of odd editing decisions, but I can't really think of anything about it that truly diminished my experience. It definitely could've been more effective overall, but more importantly, it could've been much, much worse.

"Babyteeth" is a movie that is both light and heavy at the same time, which makes it one that can be enjoyed at any given moment. It solidifies Eliza Scanlen's promising career following the success of "Little Women", and gives us a new filmmaker to keep an eye on in Shannon Murphy. Check it out if it seems interesting to you.

FINAL GRADE: 7/10