Babyteeth

I started this movie thinking what am I actually watching here and was thinking it was gonna be a waste of time but it ended up surprising me greatly. It is very weird and a little slow to start with but as the story unfolds you start to warm to all the characters and feel their pain.

It's a great Australian movie that deserves more celebration

It's told from all the characters perspective as they deal with this journey of tragedy and loss with git and rawness.

This storyline has been told time and again but not like this. A great story told so differently that it was unexpected and raw and fantastic.

You could watch it thinking just another teenage drama all doomed with tragedy but wait till the end. It's not till the end the true goal is achieved and true characters are revealed. Truth is, this is story with obvious outcome but what makes it different is the characters and how they reach to reality of situation. The scene cut abruptly and goes back and forth from sad to jumpy to anger to romance and back to being sad. Even the mysterious reveal is so subtle that many of us won't notice. But it's all with good intentions that movie is wrapped up by the waves crashing beach which metaphorically symbolises that you live multiple lives of your parents and your friends and you lose all those lives when you die.

It takes guts to take a subject like this and not play it safe, to give every character flaws, every relationship twists and turns and many quirks to the story line. I knew that there would be tears from the off but didn't anticipate feeling as emotionally invested in every character. Superb directing too - cinematic in places and claustrophobic in others. A beautifully crafted film. Not soppy, just really believable characters.

Take any of the characters, they all behave legitimately from their perspective, a result of their personal and social circumstance.

A teenage girl on chemo befriends a rogue, much to her parents dismay and their own dysfunctional relationship. A film about how we interact, with ourselves and with others. Beautifully performed, written and directed.

The story is well told; especially good is that they SHOW you about various aspects of the story, and dont just TELL you key points. You are SHOWN that the parents have a complicated relationship, and as such hers is likely going to be. Characters are well fleshed out with interesting foibles, tics and characteristics. I don't know if this is the work of the scriptwriter? The director? Or if the book was just that good that it inspired everyone to great heights.

I dont like stories about teenagers very much typically, but I'm VERY glad I watched this. It's probably the best Australian movie I've seen in many years.