"Babyteeth" Isn't Like Those Other Cancer Dramas, Director Shannon Murphy Tells Us

Australian filmmaker Shannon Murphy has quickly established herself as a director to watch. Having already racked up an impressive list of television credits, including Love Child, Offspring, On The Ropes, Sisters and Killing Eve, her acclaimed feature debut Babyteeth is heading to local cinemas this week.

The dramedy, which first premiered at the Venice International Film Festival last year, follows Milla (Eliza Scanlen), a cancer-stricken teenager who falls for small-town drug dealer, Moses (Toby Wallace).

As Murphy tells Student Edge, the movie is about the messiness and complexity that comes along with being alive.

"It’s a story about how good it is not to be dead yet," she says.

While the film’s plot might remind you of other cancer dramas like The Fault in Our Stars and A Walk to Remember, Murphy explains that Babyteeth is tonally different.

"It’s interesting because I never felt like it was in the category of those films, but now that it’s made and people are talking about it, I’m like, 'Oh yeah of course,'" she says.

"But it didn’t read like that ever, and so that for me was the drawcard. I’m not into stories that over-sentimentalise things, and for me it was so important to capture the teenage experience authentically.

"I knew that I wanted to get that right, and I spent a lot of time in my life working with teenagers because I taught acting to that age bracket, and I just believe that they’re so intelligent and are the forefront of interesting ideas."

Based on Rita Kalnejais’ stage play of the same name, the movie boasts a stellar cast including Essie Davis, Ben Mendelsohn, Wallace and Scanlen.

Murphy says working with Scanlen, who also went on to appear in Greta Gerwig’s Little Women, was an empowering process.

"I love Eliza because she’s very creative, and she made an Instagram account for Milla that only I could see," she says.

"She would dance to different songs and put them up, so we could work out how Milla danced. We did fun things like that to find the character."

Despite Babyteeth receiving critical acclaim, Murphy holds that she hasn’t always been given the same opportunities as her male contemporaries. However, she believes it has made her even more determined.

"It kind of made me more resilient and bust my chops all the time to get the work that I wanted out there," she says.

"Even though it was frustrating, I believe I am a better artist now because of it, because I had to work so much harder to prove myself."

While Murphy points out that change is happening, she highlights the importance of persistence.

"I think, like any industry, it’s about endurance. It’s hard at times, but you’ve just got to stick with it and stick to your gut," she says.

"Keep making the kind of work you really want to make, because that’s what makes it original compared to whatever anyone else is doing."

Murphy’s own original style hasn’t gone unnoticed by other creatives. After the Killing Eve producers watched Babyteeth, they asked her to be a director on the hit show’s third season.

"I absolutely had the most hilarious, wonderful time working in the United Kingdom, on a show with such brilliant people, and with a story and characters that are so completely bonkers," she says.

"Tonally, it’s different to Babyteeth, but it’s also a very unique tone, and I think I always gravitate towards that kind of work. Working with brilliant people like Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer was a dream come true."

As Murphy explains, one of her favourite things about directing is letting the audience decide what message they want to take away from her work.

"They get to decide what the message is. People are drawn to different family members [in Babyteeth], and I want everyone to have their own unique experience," she says.

"But I do hope that whatever impression has been left by the film stays with them for longer than just the moment they’re in the cinema."

Babyteeth lands in Australian cinemas on Thursday 23 July. It’s rated M for mature themes, sex scenes and coarse language.

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