Denti

Just caught this flick at the Seattle International Film Festival 2001. I was very impressed. Excellent use of music, color, locations. Vivid presentation of a somewhat confused (therefore, human) mental state. Some haunting, even disturbing images. Filmmakers use the inherent fear most people have of dentists to make a statement about emotional pain and loneliness. Reminded me somewhat of "Cemetery Man" - both Italian films, of course, but moreover, detailed journeys inside the mind and world of one character, a separate reality from everyone else.

Be warned - this is a somewhat surreal film, with some graphic images. It will stay with you afterwards.

To be honest, this movie took me completely by surprise. From the dubious theme of a man perturbed by his big ugly teeth and who goes to see a dentist to take them out, has sprung a collection of reflection on life, presented in an engaging tale, that left me leaving the theater spellbound. The main character, Antonio, is charming and very well portrayed by Sergio Rubini. His merging of childhood and adulthood, fantasy and reality, makes you see an insecure man searching for happiness in the midst of perceived failure. Writer/Director Gabriele Salvatores skillfully brings to the screen a visual representation of this man's psychological struggles with the help of surrealistic elements, rarely used as efficiently as in this feature. His techniques are way beyond competent, and rather blend in so smoothly that you believe that you have just hallucinated yourself. For this alone, this movie is well worth watching.

The screenplay is very clever, as it freshly explores themes like jealousy, self-acceptance and the difficult transition between phases of our lives, while probing other deeper existential questions through lyrical prose interspread throughout the movie.

The result is a very well-made film with a lot of content and exceptional use of visual elements. The pace and mood will make you plunge into the picture head first and surface at the end wondering where the time went. Highly recommended.

U remember when my friend told me to go to the cinema to see a "a new Italian vampire flick". We were studying the same class of the bilingual Italian-Slovakian school and the film was an Italian one and whole in Italian.That was also why I liked it so much, I don't like the dubbed films. This film has everything, U can laugh, You can cry, little bit of blood and lotsa stunning life dramas and of course acting,I personally loved (once again) Paolo Villagio as the old dentist, the character suited him well. The music is absolutely stunning (Deep Purple right in the beginning) and U will like it through all the film. There are lotsa good dreamlike sequences like when Antonio is speaking with the deaf guy. This is about life and death, and about the life of every of us. If U seen Nirvana or Mediterraneo from G. Salvatores U will also love this one.

Wow.

'Teeth' is visually stunning. The next time I hear the term "magic realism", this film will leap to mind. That's only a vague categorization, of course. 'Teeth' defies classification. Perhaps it is Cronenberg-esque, but with a fundamentally positive outlook. No, I don't mean to suggest that this film is upbeat - but it gives you the impression that all of the extremes and strangeness have served a purpose. This is also considerably more artistic than anything Cronenberg has created so far.

Wistful, hilarious, horrifying, and contemplative by turns. Wow! Oh, and if you were expecting a quiet, amusing story like Mediterraneo... be prepared for a surprise.