Babyteeth
2020 · Directed by Shannon Murphy
Original language: English
- drama
- comedy
- romance
The story
A terminally ill teen upsets her parents when she falls in love with a small-time drug dealer.
What it’s like
Warm, sun-bleached Sydney suburbs filmed with saturated colour and a restless handheld camera that stays close to faces, so every kitchen, bedroom and backyard feels overheated and lived-in. Wide-angle close-ups, tilted frames and sudden stillness give the picture a bruised, dreamy-but-sharp energy, while the score mixes bright pop and jittery electronic pulses with sudden silences that land hard. The vibe is tender and darkly funny, a sweet-sour mix of hope and grief, best suited to a late evening alone or a patient weekend watch when you want something emotionally raw without tipping into misery. The pacing is loose and impulsive, following a dying teenager who grabs at small rebellions and first love, while her parents struggle to keep the household together and drift into their own quiet crises. Intensity is moderate: drug use, sexual content and a few bruising emotional confrontations appear, with brief, sharp violence and no gore. It is for viewers who like character-driven family drama with a sharp streak of humour and who can sit with grief without needing it resolved neatly.
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