Babyteeth ★★★★

IT’S every parent’s worst nightmare.

Your teenage daughter brings a guy home for dinner and you know he is potentially wrong in every aspect.

But Henry and Anna Finlay are in a quandary; their daughter Milla is not well and her new friend Moses seems to make her happy.

Consequently, they are forced to deal with the fact that Moses is in his 20s, homeless, unemployed and possibly a drug addict/dealer.

At the same time Henry and Anna are dealing with their own personal struggles and the usual issues that arise from having been together for a long time.

This is the basic set-up for the beautifully made and acted Australian comedy-drama Babyteeth.

It’s the first feature from Shannon Murphy who has previously been predominantly a television director-for-hire, and based on a screenplay by Rita Kalnejais from her stage play of the same name.

The women have combined to give us a touching, funny, intimate and intelligent story that transcends its stage origins with a simple yet effective visual style.

It also helps that the film feature four, well-rounded and complex characters performance exceptionally well by great actors.

Eliza Scanlen is a revelation as Milla, the young woman whose is facing a potentially terminal illness with bravery and grace but insists on her independence and freedom to experience.

Toby Wallace was awarded at the 76th Venice International Film Festival for his portrayal of Moses, a very difficult role that requires nuance and balance enabling the audience to accept who Eliza is drawn to him, despite his shortcomings, and how he may be good for her.

The great Ben Mendelsohn, returning to Australia for a role for the first time in a decade, and the versatile Essie Davis play Henry and Anna like they have known each other all their adult lives.

Mendelsohn is always terrific, one of my favourite actors, while Davis shows why she is currently one of our best, little-known actresses. Her recurring Miss Fisher role has its fans but her best roles are her most recent ones, here and in The Babadook. It reminds me that I must see Justin Kruzel’s True History of the Kelly Gang in which Davis plays the family matriarch.

Babyteeth builds slowly to a climax that befits the film – devastating, emotional and perfectly natural. It a film that will stay with you long after the end credits.