“Do you have a crush on me?” “Obviously.” “But do you, like, like-like me?” “I don’t want to hurt your feelings.” “Then don’t.”
These lines are delivered with such tenderness that listeners will laugh and simultaneously feel a tinge of pain. Rita Kalnejais’ script for “Babyteeth” (based on her stage play) is full of such moments. It’s one of those scripts where each character has a unique rhythm, and no two people sound alike.
This is the reason why the film, despite having a well-known story, is filled with spontaneity, unanticipated surprises, and humor, great emotional and truthful moments. “Babyteeth” is director Shannon Murphy’s first feature film, and what an impressive debut it is. You might assume you know its direction, but the journey there is quite different.
“Babyteeth” seems to be about a teenage girl who is dying, falling in love for the first time, but that’s not really what it is about. What it is, is a tale about four people trying to cope with life’s unexpected twists, whether it’s cancer, bereavement, or love. At times, they navigate that unpredictability with grace; at others, not so much.
They outwardly panic, have meltdowns, shove one another, fumble over things, inadequately apologize, and either self-medicate or overmedicate. Throughout is the deep sense of people trying to deal with the intangibles of life: It’s so many fleeting moments; the interwoven lines weaving through existence’s beauty.
When Milla (Eliza Scanlen) encounters Moses (Toby Wallace) on a train platform, there is an inexplicable chemistry blooming instantaneously. Very few words are shared in-between the two, but even so, there is inexplicable chemistry: She sports a school uniform and a long blonde wig while he is a disheveled older fellow whose rat-tail hair and scabbed face make him look like a recluse.
His grip is deceptively gentle, however, placing her in an embrace that feels like the very opposite of danger. The moment she starts bleeding from her nose, she is pulled forward toward him, and he treats her injuries. This scene, shot by Murphy, was so inexplicably chaotic that I’m still in awe of how the actors decided to perform it.
Is Moses innocent, or is he up to something? He tries to ask for money first, yet when she brings out a note, he claims it’s too much. Milla skips school and wanders about with Moses, who, judging by his appearance, does not seem to have a place to live. He might be high on something. She’s captivated by him completely.
When the dinner bell rang, they brought Moses out to Milla’s. Milla is on a whole different level as she is a one-milk-tooth possessing girl that is heavily guarded. Her parents don’t know how to handle the case that is Milla. Henry (Ben Mendelsohn) used to be a psychiatrist, while Anna (Essie Davis) is an ex-classical pianist. The former is far more malleable compared to his wife. Bob dooms, though, “I feel sorry for everyone since I took two Xanax but did not remember Zoloft’s Fate.”
On the other end of the spectrum, Milla goes on to rebel against her parents over Moses in a more complex way. Being a child and still a school-goer, she exudes an alluring dread that sends her peers into a frenzy; cancer being her ultimate trump card. She’s never laid eyes on a boy in her life, and the juxtaposition of her youthful naivety paired with teenage rebellion is dizzying. “He’s not afraid of anything,” she boasts cheerfully while describing a certain Moses to her mother. Anna didn’t quite seem to share the same view: “That boy has problems.” The reply from Milla was unexpected: “So do I!” Milla fires back. From the moment she leaps into their home uninvited, fearless, and ready to rob, that’s where Milla chooses to stand her ground.
“Babyteeth” sidesteps nearly every possible cliché you might anticipate: Issues arise when Henry and Anna do not stop Milla from seeing Moses. Yes, Moses is her first love; however ridiculous that may be, Milla is not likely to live into adulthood, and they do not wish to rob her of that experience. There comes a point when Henry and Anna find themselves in the kitchen watching Milla grapple with Moses in the backyard, and Anna remarks, “This is the worst kind of parenting I can imagine,” letting out a resigned sigh.
This is where “Babyteeth” shifts focus; it’s an ensemble (there are a few supporting roles that feel like they’re added just for the heck of it). It’s not only Milla’s tale: The screen belongs as much to Henry, Anna, Milla, who, being so open, tends to dominate the limelight, and Moses. Mendelsohn’s character is equally kind, though the kindness feels tainted by some form of philosophical realism. Under the guise of realism is tenderness layer upon layer upon layer of tenderness.
Davis, who gave my favorite performance of 2014 in “The Babadook,” is equally hilarious and heart-wrenching. The truth is, she is addicted to pills; it’s her past she is trying to escape, her daughter-less future potentially haunting her. Together, with frayed nerves and exhausted resources, they create a powerfully realistic long-married couple in Mendelsohn and Davis.
The true winners are Eliza Scanlen, who has had a busy year with “Sharp Objects”, “Little Women”, and now “Emma.” She has demonstrated that she can indeed carry a storyline with the amazing performance in Milla. She has shown gratitude in “Emma” and “Little Women,” in which she played supporting roles, but with Eliza’s expression as Milla, she depicted so many feelings. It is a spectacular performance. Moses is indeed charming, and Wallace is so approachable and so captivating,” he said, “it’s not being calculated, get something returned, but that’s the rare gift, the personal charism, the real deal.”
It is astonishing what goes on behind the scenes in the realm of cinema. To begin with, it is astonishing where the idea for the combination of a young girl, cancer (which is the head illness), and the rest stemmed from: it is extremely debilitating and tiresome. Following “Love Story,” countless imitations have come in the form of “A Walk to Remember”, “Garden State”, “The Fault in Our Stars”, and “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl.”
That’s not the case when it comes to “Babyteeth. Each of the characters portrays their lives under the burden of cancer, which serves as a dark cloud. Spoiler alert! They are mourning their lives, not in the best way possible. Turns out Milla and Moses do change; not because Milla has cancer and is supposed to be some figure of inspiration, but true love does change people.
“Babyteeth” reminded me of Martha Coolidge’s 1983 movie “Valley Girl” two times, where a kid from the valley falls for a kid from Hollywood. This movie is packaged as a culture clash film, but in reality, it’s about the feeling when someone is head over heels for another person for the first time. This is a quote from Coolidge: “Old movies taught me that the most important thing you can do in a movie is to play wanting. It isn’t the getting of the person that is hot on the screen. It’s the wanting. That is, the electricity, the eye contact, reflecting. This is the theory of electricity and wanting.”
No one has been attentive to “Babyteeth” if they assume differently. The love depicted in the show does not feel miraculous; everyone else is wrong.
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