Babyteeth

Ten Second Review: A film with so much promise in its beauty, quality acting and gripping story, squandered by a lack of editing. 

I’m an ardent defender of the long film. My partner and many of my friends believe that a film shouldn’t exceed 100 minutes and I can understand why, but I think some stories take more than that to be told properly. The problem is that too many films drag themselves towards a heavy runtime with wasteful time usage. 

Milla (Eliza Scanlen) is ill. Her parents are doing everything to keep the world at her feet in any way possible, but when Milla brings home a boy several years her senior, they’ll be challenged more than ever. Moses (Toby Wallace), a drug addict who was thrown out of his own house, is the only thing making Milla happy, but is he good for her?

To be clear, I don’t believe that beauty for beauty’s sake is wasteful. If a film takes the time to look as good as its story is then I’m all for it, what I’m questioning is superfluous secondary plots and scenes that only serve to dilute the storytelling rather than enhance the film. Unfortunately Babyteeth slips into this mode a little too much.

There are whole secondary plots that go nowhere and even the most generous argument could only suggest that some of them were to mark the passing of time through the narrative. In a film that clearly has so much to say, the self indulgence of the wider world building really hampers the overall experience. When I was enjoying the film I was really gripped, but by the end, and realising how much time had been needlessly spent with stories that had no conclusion or effect on the main narrative, a bitter taste was left in my mouth.

Is it beautiful? Yes! Is the acting great? Yes! Was the cinematography interesting and effective? Yes! Did the lack of tact and ability to edit leave it feeling like a student film project? Definitely!

I am an ardent defender of long films but that does not mean I can or will defend all long films. It is down to the filmmakers to recognise when their final edit is serving their own interest rather than that of their characters and story.