Babyteeth | Film Review

 

I had been meaning to watch this for a while, but it kept getting pushed to the back of my To Watch list because my desire to watch it was less to do with my own interest, and more to do with the way that people were talking about it. The reviews and word of mouth made me feel like the film would be amazing, so I knew that I'd either completely agree, or completely disagree.

Milla (Eliza Scanlen) is a seriously ill teenager who meets and falls for Moses (Toby Wallace), a drug dealer that her parents disapprove of. But soon, Milla's parents discover how good Moses is for her.

I found this one really hard to describe!

So as I said, I knew that I'd either love it, or dislike it (because I find that 'hate' is too strong for most movies), and unfortunately I didn't really like it.  

For a start, the film begins like a whirlwind. One second nothing is happening, and the next these characters know each other better than the audience do. We don't really have a moment to get to know them individually.

There is a big portion of the film, particularly after Milla and Moses meet, where not much happens. The film moves at a glacial pace, and it never really held my attention for longer than a few minutes, and I think that was because the things that were happening never felt particularly significant. The story never felt impactful.

To me, it felt like there was something off about the relationship between Milla and Moses. I never really 'got' them together. I saw a review that said that the film might have worked better as a coming-of-age story without a love interest, and I'd like to see that take for the character of Milla. I don't feel like the relationship was significant enough to carry the film.  

And in a similar vein, I felt like there were too many aspects of the story that were trying to take centre stage. If the film is Milla's coming out story, then it should be about that. Anything that doesn't support that, or move the plot along, feels unnecessary. 

I never felt connected to any of these characters, particularly Moses who so often seems like he has no redeeming qualities.

Even though I didn't connect with her, I still really liked the character of Milla, and I thought that all of the actors were amazing, particularly Eliza Scanlen who was undoubtedly the star of the film.

Overall, I can understand why some might love this film, but unfortunately it just wasn't for me.

4/10