Eastside Messenger - June 28th, 2020

PAGE 8 - EASTSIDE MESSENGER - June 28, 2020
While there are no real positives to be
found with the temporary closure of movie
theaters, a small beacon of light has been
the increased access to independent films
through on-demand or streaming services.
Living in a smaller media market often
means their release plays second, or third,
fiddle to big studio releases so having them
come right to your computer or television
screen has been a pleasant revelation for
fans of indie cinema.
One of the indie films making a lot of
noise late last year was “Babyteeth,” an
Australian stage adaptation that explores
teen romance and terminal illness.
Drawing praise for its acting and nonmanipulative
storytelling, it was set to
open at small and locally owned theaters
and then expand to the larger chains
through word of mouth.
Then the global pandemic hit and
scrapped those plans.
Knowing it could get a decent audience
through on-demand and virtual screenings,
it was released this past weekend and generated
decent buzz online. And, as someone
who ordered it for rent, I can attest it lives
up to its shortened hype.
In the film, Eliza Scanlen (“Sharp
Objects”) plays Milla Finlay, a teenager
who experiences her first brush with love
near what could be
the end of her life.
While dazedly
waiting for a train
home from school one
day, she is drawn
away from her
melancholia by the
presence of a strange
boy named Moses
entertainment
(newcomer Toby
Wallace) who seems
to have a complete disregard for his physical
safety.
Compelled to speak to the boy who
almost got hit by the train, she strikes up a
conversation about hair (hers is still long;
his is unevenly shorn and features a rat
tail/mullet combo) and remains oblivious to
his desire to score some cash from her.
When the alarm bells do start to ring in
her head, Milla ignores the sound in favor
of more time with the odd, hyperactive fellow
who has scars and facial tattoos and no
qualms about wearing shirts spotted with
nasal blood.
While the pair bond through haircuts
(he takes her back to his mother’s house to
give her a buzz with shears meant for
Bichons Frises), we meet the second couple
in this movie —Milla’s mother and father,
Anna and Henry (Essie Davis and Ben
Mendelsohn, respectively).
Though a psychiatrist, Henry has trouble
talking about the grief he feels over his
daughter’s terminal illness and has been
“lightly” self-medicating as a way to cope.
His wife, too, has been self-medicating
though only with pills prescribed by Henry.
While slightly high from the medication,
the married duo meet the potential new
couple at dinner that night.
Henry, having a bit more awareness of
the situation, is trying to figure out why his
daughter is attracted to Moses while Anna
is trying to determine whether she is having
a stroke.
Moses, who seems to come from a family
of dysfunction, is delighted by this dynamic.
When Anna really comes to, she is horrified
that a 23-year-old is hanging around
her teenaged daughter and demands he
stay away. That goes about as well as
expected and eventually they come around
to his presence as he makes Milla feel
alive.
“This is the worst possible parenting I
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“Babyteeth” an offbeat story about terminally ill teen
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Dedra
Cordle
can imagine,” Anna admits as they allow
Moses temporary quarters in their home.
But the “love story” between Milla and
Moses isn’t the kind that is often depicted
in similar films; for the most part, Moses
only hangs around Milla to steal drugs to
sell and Milla, well, her motives might be
deeper than attraction to a “bad boy” with
a zest for living life as it comes.
Though the elements featured in this
film are more serious minded, it is not
devoid of humor.
There are some absurd observations and
scenes that will have you laughing out loud
and then wondering if you should be having
as great of a time watching as you are.
While “Babyteeth” occasionally stumbles
into a sense of disjointedness through
director Shannon Murphy’s use of jump
transitioning with title cards, the script
(written by Rita Kalnejais and adapted
from her play) is sharp and the acting raw
enough to propel it past the occasional missteps
in telling this offbeat and original
story.
Grade: B
Dedra Cordle is a Messenger staff writer
and columnist.