BABYTEETH : An Interview with Shannon Murphy
After months of watching, dancing, crying and then re-watching, we got the chance to sit down with Australian director Shannon Murphy who took the time out of her schedule to talk to us about her beautiful Bafta-nominated debut film, BABYTEETH.
Since watching it for the first time at the start of this year, I’ve recommended Babyteeth to pretty much everyone I know. I find myself getting worked up and frustrated when trying to describe the movie as I pathetically struggle to find the words to do it justice, so usually resort to this : it’s the only film that I watched for the first time and as the credits started to roll, replayed again from the beginning. Every component makes sense. From the perfectly fine-tuned casting and the wonderfully woven-in soundtrack to the cinematography that elevates the project to another level, the film is a triumph…
SHANNON MURPHY AT VENICE FILM FESTIVAL
Adapted from Rita Kalnejais’s play, Babyteeth follows sixteen-year-old Milla (Eliza Scanlen), who is finding her feet as a young woman while battling with a terminal illness. Instead of through doctor appointments and crying spells, we see her sickness develop through her parents’ (Ben Mendelsohn & Essie Davis) increasing protectiveness, or an excited school friend asking to try on her wig; it’s a part of her, but it is doesn’t define her. Much to her parent’s displeasure, Milla befriends an older boy, Moses (Toby Wallace), after literally colliding with him at a train station. Charismatic and spontaneous, Mo is the drawing pin she craves to pop her bubblewrap life, even if he comes with the baggage of a drug addiction.
Don’t be thrown off by that first sentence. If you think that this is another coming-of-age / teen cancer movie... it’s not. Shannon handles Milla’s illness perfectly with a refreshing lack of melodrama and allows Eliza to deliver her performance with total sincerity so that there’s no sign of audience hand-holding or manipulation. “Rita and I aren't interested in sentimental work that hasn't been fully earned.”
We spoke to the wonderful Shannon about her approach to film-making, her background in theatre and what she’s been watching and listening to in lockdown.
To start with, what song would you like to be the backing track?
Probably my new favourite song, This is How We Walk on The Moon by Arthur Russell.
You've been working in the industry since you were seventeen but Babyteeth is your debut movie. Why this one? What drew you towards the play?
Wow you really have done your research! This story was so messy, full of reckless characters making really bad decisions in a time of crisis and I fell in love with them on my first read. I wept on my couch for about 40 mins with such a deep longing to make a joyful story about how important it is to face death head on and how we have so much to learn from the way teenagers experience the world. I taught acting to teenagers for years at Belvoir St Theatre and NIDA and these classes were always an incredibly profound experience for me because I learnt so much from their gutsy approach to art and life. I'm drawn to renegade attitudes, and Milla has an inner punk she's desperately wanting to let loose. The writer (Rita Kalnejais) and myself grew our careers in the theatre and we both were always drawn to work that was more experimental and we have a similar approach to filmmaking - we want it to feel like a unique cinematic experience.
The way that you both handled Milla's illness in the film was so refreshing. Why did you decide to approach her illness in this way?
It was all about rooting it in authenticity and giving credit to this age group who are so impressive to me. People who are dying are extraordinary, they are full of extreme sensations and emotions that only they can feel. And they are not wanting to be only defined by what is happening to them. It's the complexities of how everyone else around them handles it that is often the greatest obstacle for them. Even medical professionals don't want to stop treatment when it's the best thing for a young patient, we don't let the person at the centre of it all have enough of a voice and this film gives them a voice. Rita and I aren't interested in sentimental work that hasn't been fully earnt. I used the Verfremdungseffekt to stop the audience feeling too much too fast, I wanted it to be a slow build so that it didn't overwhelm the storytelling. I loved Brecht as a theatre director and really admired his techniques. I used them often in my theatre work so once I moved into film it only felt natural to build on these principles I've been exploring for years. Rita's instincts were the same.
A stand out scene for us was Milla dancing with the performance artist at the art house party. Can you tell us a bit more about this scene?
I wanted to create a night Milla didn't expect. One of those amazing sprawling evenings that just go on and on and keep getting more fantastic as the night goes on. I spent several years working in collaboration with performance artists Sarah Enright & Simon Corfield (Sandsthroughthehourglass) and it was that intimate audience interactive work that gave me the idea for Milla to have that kind of powerful creative human encounter. Sandsthroughthehourglass made work that explored the sublime and sadistic and I still feel like so much of the time I spent with those two artists has informed my subversive tone, which was always there but became bolder through them always pushing the boundaries of what was possible. There is a sense of the sacred in the interaction between Milla and the performance artist played by Shannon Dooley. In real life Shannon has alopecia and there is such beauty and power in her baldness and how she uses it in her own art. Shannon is also someone, like Milla, who vibrates on a higher frequency to everyone else. I wanted this moment to involve Milla finding strength again through this connection with a stranger after the rejection she's just experienced with Moses. She is going to survive with or without him. It's a spiritual awakening in that she sees her beauty reflected back at her, she is radiant in all stages of this disease and she's going to remain present to the experience.
What drew you towards each of the actors during the casting process?
Ben - his vulnerability
Essie - her precision
Toby - his heart
Eliza - her bravery
Something I was floored by was the actors' physicality. There seemed to be such a powerful emphasis on their bodies and how they moved in them. A stand-out scene for me, in this regard, is the one where Milla is dancing to 'Come Meh Way'. Now I spend most mornings dancing in my bathroom to it! So thank you for that.
I love that you dance to that in your bathroom! I remember at drama school I read The Frantic Assembly Book of Devising Theatre, in there they talked about how with all their shows, if you removed every word, their aim was that you would still understand all the nuances of the story through how the actors were physically communicating. I have always seen this as the ultimate challenge as it's such an important element to focus on in filmmaking where bodies can sometimes feel disconnected.
What advice would you give to young directors/screenwriters?
Make exactly what you want to make, don't worry about what's trending. You have to be ahead of the zeitgeist anyway and that can only truly happen by staying intune with your instincts and not worrying about it. You also have to have good taste, so know artists in all disciplines: art, dance, music, theatre etc. Being an informed artist is key. That was the mantra at NIDA and they were hard on us about making sure we saw every exhibition and performance and knew all that was being made around us. Learn from those who have come before you. I was a professional theatre director when I went back to school to study film. I then did an internship at a TV company and got lots of coffees for people and spent a lot of time observing and learning via osmosis. Never assume you still don't have a lot to learn, never be too arrogant to start from the bottom up again, it's a wonderful opportunity to learn about the kind of artist you do or don't want to be.
What have you been watching over lockdown?
I loved Normal People, Unorthodox, I May Destroy You, Rocks & Ratchett.
You're on the Last Bus home. What are you listening to?
Hahaha! I love yacht rock... But it would have to be ‘Nantes’ - Beirut
NB : 14 years on and this is still the greatest video on YouTube. And a perfect bus tune too.
[WATCH BABYTEETH ON NETFLIX]