When seriously ill teenager Milla falls madly in love with smalltime drug dealer Moses, it’s her parents’ worst nightmare. But as Milla’s first brush with love brings her a new lust for life, things get messy and traditional morals go out the window.
Filmmaker Shannon Murphy isn’t afraid to glare right into the gaping maw of grief. Her drama “Babyteeth” delves into the minute detail of what it feels like to anticipate the inevitable. Dread permeates every frame of the narrative, even in the moments of respite — perhaps especially then. The film does stumble tone-wise and doesn’t really say anything new about terminal illness (my faithful readers will know how I feel about cinematic depictions of said afflictions). What it has going for it is a quartet of tremendous actors, and several sequences that are so powerful, it makes one wish Murphy took a stab at a less inherently mawkish subject.
Eliza Scanlen plays Milla, our doomed protagonist, who lives with her dad Henry (Ben Mendelsohn), a psychiatrist whose own mental state is gradually deteriorating, and mom Anna (Essie Davis), who similarly attempts to grasp the last semblance of sanity. But how can one remain sane, in a world where your daughter’s days are limited? How can you fathom enjoying everyday routines, like breakfast, or a walk in the park, without overwhelming despair basking everything in murk?
One day, Milla has a meet-cute with Moses (Toby Wallace) at a train station. Moses happens to be a drug addict in his early 20s, his face covered in tattoos, “evicted” from his house by his own mother… Milla’s instantly smitten. She asks him to shave her hair, which quickly leads to a disastrous introduction to Anna and Henry. Despite her parents’ disapproval, Milla finds salvation in Moses, forming a special, symbiotic bond with him: while he sets her free, she reawakens a sense of responsibility, of humanity, in him. Seeing no other way out, desperate to keep their daughter happy during her last days, Anna and Henry host the drug-addicted young man, even going as far as inviting him to stay in (“This is the worst parenting I can imagine,” Anna comments). The predictable finale still manages to punch you in the gut, thanks to Murphy’s subtlety and clear affection for her characters.
In fact, Murphy proves so adept at handling scenes that could have easily slipped into clichéd cheese, it’s remarkable that “Babyteeth” marks her first directorial feature. There’s the hilarious introduction to Anna and Henry, wherein they engage in coitus in Henry’s office, right after he finishes his sandwich. Moses’s mother reports a break-in upon seeing her son in her house. Mother and daughter play piano and violin, to a table full of stunned guests. The film’s not without its moments of humor: “He’s just a perfectionist,” Milla states about Moses’ frustration at his own inability to play the piano. The highlight, among many, may be the sequence in which Milla and Moses going to an otherworldly party; he kisses her and she goes nuts; it’s all images and sound, leading to a karaoke bar, and then a desolate and romantic rooftop.
The filmmaker is less confident at maintaining a consistent tone; the quirkiness jars with the horrific drama and the comedy. This awkward handling is evident in scenes like Moses’ first dinner with Milla’s folks, wherein Anna is high on Zoloft (that Henry gave her) and acts like a fool. Milla looks into the camera from time to time, breaking the fourth wall: the intention’s cute, but that cheeky note takes you out of the narrative and is not followed through. Scenes are announced via colorful titles, which will grate or charm, depending on your tolerance for such things. No matter how hard she tries, Murphy simply cannot pull her film out of the dreaded “cancer drama” schmaltz (see the recent, well-directed but similarly lunkheaded (and vastly inferior “Here Awhile”).
Toby Wallace is unrecognizable as Moses: skinny, tatted up, eyes red-rimmed, sporting a rat tail to shame all rat tails, the actor exudes spontaneity. Essie Davis — so powerful in “The Babadook” — mesmerizes once again here, proving she is one of the most charismatic actors working today. Ben Mendelsohn switches gears from playing villains in blockbuster franchises, reminding us what a great character actor he is. Davis and Mendelsohn share a moment involving morphine in his office that will shatter your heart. And then there’s Scanlen, who forms the heart of the film — vulnerable and strong, resolute and frightened. The young actress effortlessly projects a spectrum of emotion.
Murphy’s debut feature is vibrant, alive, skillfully made, brave. It’s also somewhat misguided and a bit of a slog, at two hours. Murphy announces herself as a brilliant filmmaker… I just wish she did so with a different film.
In Theaters and On-Demand Friday, June 19th
