I was just saying to a mate the other day, we do sad and horrific movies well in Australia, but not much else. I’m prepared for another heart-wrenching movie with Babyteeth, but with talents like Eliza Scanlen and Ben Mendelsohn, I should have a soothed experience. Having said that, I really need to see more localised content when I get the chance. Babyteeth has been on my radar since prior to COVID-19 lockdowns; it’s now available in cinemas and VOD.
Adapted by Rita Kalnejais from her own source material, and directed by Shannon Murphy in her directorial debut, Babyteeth follows a family getting back on track after a period of life-altering medical complications. Milla (Eliza Scanlen) is waiting for the train to go to school when she meets Moses (Toby Wallace), a rough-looking lad asking for money, but who is kind to her. Milla instantly takes a liking to Moses, and invites him home for dinner. Her parents, Henry (Ben Mendelsohn) and Anna (Essie Davis), are less impressed, but keen to keep their daughter happy, even if they favour different methods – Henry is a psychiatrist who has an easier time riding emotional waves, whilst Anna aims to maintain Milla with a sturdy routine. Over the course of the movie, we spend time with each of these characters, to find out more on how they operate.
I’ve been working with the idea that ‘babyteeth’ is a metaphor for adolescent relationships we experiment with while we’re still figuring ourselves out, but I’m afraid that’s too simplistic. What I do see is that both Milla and her father are looking for an escape from the all-encompassing pressure of their lives and seek adventure through extreme and sometimes counter-productive means. It’s hard to pass Milla’s romance off as preteen daffiness, when her father has his temptations too, and I’m glad the movie shows us that. I won’t say the movie is an ‘emotional rollercoaster’ because it isn’t, but there are some unexpected jolts that make your guts churn like a fair ride on a drop. A couple of times, I was left surprised, but I think, by the end, the movie understands that we might have caught up on that, and will be aware of the potential tragedy before us, expressed on Henry’s face.
The entire cast is exemplary; I’d love to see Ben Mendelsohn in conversations for award season, playing a rare good guy after a long stint of recognisable villains. Essie Davis is also fantastic, and I already have her earmarked for awards for True History of the Kelly Gang, so a fantastic year she is having. It’s stifling to see Eliza Scanlen act so young, as a middle-teened school girl, after the more mature performances she has given about town. But she continues to be excellent, there’s no doubt about it. The movie is filled with fourth-wall breaks, where Scanlen, as Milla, will take a cheeky look at the camera just to relay what she’s feeling at any given moment. There’s one such occasion late in the piece that is devastating, and I think all the fourth-wall breaks build to that. Despite coming across as inexperienced in life, I also think Scanlen’s main goal is to be notably subdued, and the drama comes out in most scenes from the surrounding characters reacting to her, or trying to figure her out; much of that affect may be naturally embedded in the script. Scanlen also gets to dance and pull faces, and I’m sure it was an experience to shave her head bald.
The last main performance comes from Toby Wallace, and I don’t know how many people saw the series I’m about to mention, but he reminded me most of Cook in seasons 3 and 4 of the TV show Skins. It’s hard to realise how well he’s playing his part because it’s too hard to look passed that he’s a dick. Like Cook, there’s certainly tragedy underneath, but you’ve got to look deeply through his rambunctious attitude to feel empathy for him. I wouldn’t want to be in his position, nor would I be so inclined to help him out of it – writing that makes me feel horrible. Milla’s parents are then stuck between a rock and a hard place; Moses is the boy their daughter has chosen, and it’s not like it’s overly important to lose time arguing about it.
In the beginning, admittedly before being privy to vital information, there seems to be a desire to break out of responsibilities without knowing how; this is shown everywhere, right down to the young Asian boy who is also skipping school. By the end, all our blighted characters are celebrating a birthday dinner, and a bout of impromptu music makes this dysfunctional collective feel like a perfect family; if only for a moment. I wonder how much theme is deliberately translated into method, through camera work; often, the camera dips in and out of focus, and resides in a space that’s neither traditionally third-person or first. It’s a weird choice, and it bothered me at first, but it may be part of the experience; these shots, like the group assembled, are mushed together, and seem to make a go of it on impulse alone, as if there was ever any other option. Conversely, the movie also holds titles from scene to scene, that string the scenes together, like a photo album, and helps us anticipate what is to come.
Babyteeth is excellent work, and a wonderful cinematic experience. There’s something intangible holding me back from giving it full marks for now; but a very grand 4.5 will do instead. Go Aussie, go!
4.5
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