By Eliza Scanlen leads this touching Australian drama about a terminally ill teenage girl, who goes against her parents best wishes to pursue a relationship with an older small time drug dealer.
There are many pitfalls that a drama following a terminally ill teen can fall into. For the most part, they are often overly sweet, mawkish things that often feel a bit too manipulative when it comes to provoking tears in their audiences. But with Babyteeth, Shannon Murphy has made a film that has more of a raw edge to it, that manages to keep it from bumping into the same clichés that so many indie dramas of a similar makeup can’t help but steer into.
Scanlen plays Milla, whose terminal illness is slowly taking away every normal aspect of her life. When she strikes a chord with 23 year-old Moses (Toby Wallace), she begins to develop feelings and a desire to make the most of the relationship while she can. For her Mum and Dad (Essie Davies and Ben Mendelsohn), it’s not an easy thing to get used to, but for their daughter they’ll try and find a way.
Full review over at THN, originally published August 13th 2019.
Andrew Gaudion 