BABYTEETH REVIEW

 *MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

I think that the past year has seen a lot of great films directed by women. From Lulu Wang’s touching drama, The Farewell, to Cathy Yan’s empowering sequel to Suicide Squad, Birds of Prey, both 2019 and this year have proven that there are a lot of talented female filmmakers and their work deserves to be recognised. 

Shannon Murphy is not a director I’m familiar with, however, her latest feature, Babyteeth, was one I was really looking forward to as it starred Eliza Scanlen, who previously appeared in Greta Gerwig’s Little Women last year, and looked like a heartfelt coming of age film. 

Babyteeth focuses on Milla (Scanlen), who is a seriously ill teenager who falls in love with a smalltime drug dealer, Moses (Toby Wallace), her parents' worst nightmare.

Following on from her impressive performance in Little Women last year, Scanlen further establishes herself as a talented actress and delivers a moving portrayal of Milla. The entirety of Babyteeth is worth watching just for her performance.

Despite her cancer diagnosis, Milla doesn’t let it hold her back from living her life. After a chance meeting with Moses at a train station, Milla quickly develops feelings for him and the pair become close. Because of his age and because he’s a drug dealer, Milla’s parents, Anna (Essie Davis) and Henry (Ben Mendelsohn) don’t approve, however, they want Milla to be happy so they reluctantly accept their daughter’s new relationship. Babyteeth is at its best when it’s focusing on Milla and Moses and their developing relationship. Both Scanlen and Wallace share chemistry, with the latter delivering a charming performance.

A lot of films, that feature a character who’s been diagnosed with cancer, make it the main focus of their story and a lot of them feel predictable and cliche. Fortunately, that’s not the case with Babyteeth, which focuses on the relationship between Milla and Moses and her parents. There’s a small subplot involving a pregnant neighbour, Toby (Emily Barclay), however, I think that this was unnecessary. We see Milla struggling with her illness, however, those looking for a film that provides a deep insight into what it’s like living with cancer will be disappointed. 

Since its premiere at the Venice film festival in September last year, Babyteeth has received a positive critical reception, with many of the praise being aimed at Scanlen’s performance and Murphy’s direction. With Babyteeth, Murphy has created a heartfelt and touching drama about love. A lot of films about cancer feel depressing and are difficult to watch, however, despite its heartbreaking ending, the tone for Babyteeth is uplifting and, for the majority of its 118 minute runtime, is enjoyable to watch. As a character, I really admired Milla as she doesn’t let her illness hold her back from doing the things she enjoys, including playing the violin and having her first relationship with Moses.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected a lot of the release dates of many films and forced cinemas to lose for several months, however, cinemas in the UK have recently reopened. Many people may not want to bother visiting the cinema as they may think that there isn’t on that is worth seeing, however, Babyteeth is a good enough reason to return to the cinema as it’s an original and moving drama that features a impressive leading performance from Eliza Scanlen.

7/10