Milla (Eliza Scanlen) is from the first view, an innocent appearing girl going through the usual changes and challenges that face all schoolgirls of her young age. When she meets Moses (Toby Wallace), she is mysteriously seduced by his bad-boy demeanor but obvious intelligence.

At first, looking all the world like a crackhead with his shrunken eyes and manic energy, his wisdom and insight as it unfolds are unanticipated. As the story expands, we meet Milla’s surprisingly dysfunctional family, psychiatrist father Henry (Ben Mendelsohn), and drugged-out mother, Anna (Essie Davis).

As the motivations for their idiosyncrasies become apparent, you get to see beneath the obvious and grow to care about them. Deeply sad and effecting, Babyteeth is an examination of the impact grief makes on one family and how some of their actions while seeming misguided at first show true care and feeling in the end.

Rob Hudson
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When seriously ill teenager Milla (Eliza Scanlon – Little Women) falls madly in love with a smalltime drug dealer, Moses (Toby Wallace – Romper Stomper), it’s her protective parents’ (Ben Mendelsohn – Captain Marvel / Essie Davis – The Babadook) worst nightmare. Things get messy and morals go out the window as the lives of those around the family: a sensitive music teacher, a budding child violinist, a disarmingly honest pregnant neighbour become intertwined and Milla shows those in her orbit how to live like you have nothing to lose.

In a story about life, grief and the chaos of family, Babyteeth joyously explores how far we will go for love and how good it is to be alive.

Babyteeth will be released in Australian cinemas 23 July!
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Gerwig gives the film a contemporary feel with the liberal use of different timelines, yet offers few visual cues so it necessitates the need of the audience to pay close attention. She also plays on the actors strong points and minimises their lesser strengths. Although allowing Emma Watson’s occasional reversion to her English accent is an odd oversight.

Often considered the American equivalent of what Jane Austin offered the British readers, minus the sharp wit, Little Women highlights the frustrations and limitations that women faced on both sides of the pond. That in the time frame over fifty years after Austin’s stories were based still saw the same restrictions in the New World only spoke to the frustratingly slow progress that women of that period faced.

Life in the eighteen hundreds, especially during the US Civil War was much harsher than this version illustrates but its presentation of female empowerment is a timeless positive. It’s unrealistically idilic ending not withstanding, the ideas in the original book planted the seeds to fight for a more enlightened and necessary mindset. Unfortunately it’s a struggle that still exists today. Meaningful popular culture can shine a light on changes that need to be made and Little Women is illuminating.

Rob Hudson
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Variety has said: “The Venice competition gets a bracing blast of air from Shannon Murphy’s freshman feature, a dynamic, devastatingly curtailed coming-of-age dramady…that marks an arresting feature debut from…director Shannon Murphy”

IndieWire says: “Ben Mendelsohn, Eliza Scanlen, and “Babadook” star Essie Davis bring heartbreaking truth and realness to a film with shades of Jane Campion”

FirstShowing offers: “The film exceeds on numerous levels, from the performances and focused storytelling, to the song selection and uplifting vibe throughout. Murphy balances levity and genuine humanity with fresh filmmaking, delivering a smart film that is completely satisfying in every sense”

The Playlist: “Babyteeth is a gentle, affecting tearjerker from director Shannon Murphy”

Babyteeth will be released in Australian cinemas next year.

About Babyteeth:
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. Milla soon shows everyone in her orbit – her parents, Moses, a sensitive music teacher, a budding child violinist, and a disarmingly honest, pregnant neighbour – how to live like you have nothing to lose. What might have been a disaster for the Finlay family instead leads to letting go and finding grace in the glorious chaos of life. Babyteeth joyously explores how good it is not to be dead yet and how far we will go for love.
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Coming to Australian theatres in 2020, Babyteeth will have its world premiere in official competition at the prestigious Venice Film Festival on Wednesday 4th September.

Having previously directed television dramas including Offspring, Love Child and Sisters, director Shannon Murphy is one of only two female directors who have features in this year’s official competition.

A warm-hearted and bittersweet comedy about love, loss and family, BABYTEETH was shot on location in and around Sydney, and the film is an adaptation of the successful Belvoir Theatre play by Rita Kalnejais.

About Babyteeth
What might have been a disaster for the Finlay family leads to letting go and finding grace in the glorious chaos of life. When seriously ill teenager Milla (Eliza Scanlon – HBO’s Sharp Objects, the upcoming Little Women) falls madly in love with a smalltime drug dealer, Moses (Toby Wallace – Romper Stomper), it’s her protective parents’ (Ben Mendelsohn – Captain Marvel / Essie Davis – The Babadook) worst nightmare. Things get messy and morals go out the window as the lives of those around the family: a sensitive music teacher, a budding child violinist, a disarmingly honest pregnant neighbour become intertwined and Milla shows those in her orbit how to live like you have nothing to lose. In a story about life, grief and the chaos of family, Babyteeth joyously explores how far we will go for love and how good it is to be alive.

Babyteeth is coming to Australian cinemas in 2020!
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In Gerwig’s take, the beloved story of the March sisters – four young women each determined to live life on her own terms – is both timeless and timely. Portraying Jo, Meg, Amy, and Beth March, the film stars Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, with Timothee Chalamet as their neighbour Laurie, Laura Dern as Marmee, and Meryl Streep as Aunt March.

Directed by Greta Gerwig, Little Women stars Timothée Chalamet, Chris Cooper, Laura Dern, Louis Garrel, Tracy Letts, James Norton, Bob Odenkirk, Florence Pugh, Saoirse Ronan, Eliza Scanlen, Meryl Streep and Emma Watson, and is in Australian Cinemas New Years Day!
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A warm-hearted and bittersweet comedy about love, loss and family, BABYTEETH is being shot on location in and around Sydney. The film is an adaptation of the successful Belvoir Theatre play by Rita Kalnejais.

Sydney-born Eliza Scanlen is best known for her role as Amma Crellin in HBO’s award-winning miniseries Sharp Objects, in which she starred alongside Amy Adams and Patricia Clarkson. Scanlen will also feature as Beth March in Greta Gerwig’s Little Women with Emma Watson, Saoirse Ronan and Timothée Chalamet.

Toby Wallace broke onto Australian screens as a young Michael Hutchence in the telemovie Never Tear Us Apart: The Untold Story of INXS, before starring in the lead role of Kane in Romper Stomper, streaming service Stan’s sequel to the classic Australian crime drama. Next, Wallace will be seen inAcute Misfortune, a film adaptation of Erik Jensen’s award-winning biography of Adam Cullen and Netflix’s new YA 10-episode drama The Society.

BABYTEETH is a bittersweet comedy about learning to let go and finding grace in the glorious chaos of life. Milla is a supernova about to explode. When the seriously ill teenager falls madly in love with a small-time drug dealer, it’s her protective parents’ worst nightmare. But Milla is teaching those in her orbit how to live like you have nothing to lose.

Building on a string of successful television credits, Shannon Murphy (On the Ropes, Offspring, Rake) makes her feature film directorial debut, with Alex White at the helm as producer and Jan Chapman (The Piano, Lantana, The Daughter) as executive producer.

Producer Alex White said, “It’s been a true joy to watch our incredible crew bring this story to life. Eliza Scanlen and Toby Wallace give breakout performances alongside the electrifying duo of Essie Davis and Ben Mendelsohn, who returned home to make this film with us. BABYTEETH is about family and how far you go to protect the people that you love, and we’re thrilled to share this story with audiences.”

Said director Shannon Murphy: “I have loved every minute of directing this shoot with our glorious cast and dedicated crew. It has been a journey of discovering the comedic and dramatic tension within the Finlay family as they are forced to accept Moses, an intruder, into their already dysfunctional home.”

BABYTEETH is a Whitefalk Films production with major production investment from Screen Australia in association with Create NSW, and was financed with the support of WeirAnderson.com, Whitefalk Films, Jan Chapman Films and Spectrum Films. It was developed by Whitefalk Films in association with Katherine Slattery and Jan Chapman with the assistance of Screen Australia, Create NSW and Waking Dream Productions.

BABYTEETH will release in Australia via Universal Pictures on behalf of Entertainment One, with international sales by Celluloid Dreams.
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