Babyteeth

Babyteeth

Year: 2019

Runtime: 118 mins

Language: English

Director: Shannon Murphy

Echo Score: 81
DramaRomanceComedy

A terminally ill teen upsets her parents when she falls in love with a small-time drug dealer.

Babyteeth (2019) – Spoiler-Free Movie Summary & Plot Overview

Get a spoiler-free look at Babyteeth (2019) with a clear plot overview that covers the setting, main characters, and story premise—without revealing key twists or the ending. Perfect for deciding if this film is your next watch.

In a sun‑drenched coastal suburb, the everyday rhythm of school, therapy sessions, and family meals is gently unsettled by the quiet urgency of a young life drawing to an end. The film follows Milla Finlay, a bright, artistic teenager whose diagnosis forces her to confront mortality with a mixture of defiant humor and fragile hope. Against this backdrop of ordinary life tinged with the extraordinary weight of illness, the story balances tender moments with an undercurrent of restless energy, inviting the audience into a world where love and loss intertwine like the sea breezes that drift through the neighborhood.

Moses, a charismatic but marginalized young man who makes a living on the fringe of legality, drifts into Milla’s orbit, offering a kind of reckless freedom that both intrigues and unsettles her. Their connection is immediate and charged, suggesting a romance that feels both improbable and vital for a girl whose days are increasingly measured by medical appointments. At the same time, Milla’s parents—Henry, a therapist whose professional composure masks personal anxieties, and Anna, a mother coping through medication—navigate their own strained intimacy while trying to protect their daughter. The family dynamic crackles with love, fatigue, and unspoken fears, creating a tension that bubbles beneath polite conversations.

The film’s tone is simultaneously lyrical and gritty, capturing the bright colors of adolescence alongside the shadowed corners of hardship. It paints a portrait of a household where ordinary concerns—school, work, neighborhood gossip—are juxtaposed with the extraordinary challenge of a child’s looming farewell. Through intimate dialogue and lingering visual motifs, the story hints at the transformative power of unexpected companionship, while also acknowledging the inevitable friction it causes within a family already stretched thin by grief.

As the narrative unfolds, the audience is invited to linger in the moments where laughter and sorrow coexist, and to wonder how far a young heart will go when the promise of love feels like a fleeting lifeline in an otherwise fragile existence.

Last Updated: August 10, 2025 at 01:41

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Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Bittersweet love stories shadowed by mortality like Babyteeth

Romantic connections that burn brightly against the looming darkness of terminal illness.If you liked Babyteeth, this collection features movies about intense, life-affirming romances set against the backdrop of terminal illness. These stories explore how love blooms in the face of mortality, offering similar feelings of raw tenderness, heartbreaking joy, and profound sadness.

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Narrative Summary

These narratives follow characters who, facing a shortened life, pursue a deep romantic connection that defies their circumstances. The story arc typically balances moments of pure, stolen happiness with the ever-present reality of grief, leading to a conclusion that emphasizes the beauty and pain of their time together.

Why These Movies?

Movies are grouped here for their shared exploration of love's power to provide meaning and light in the darkest of times. They share a specific tonal mix of romance and sadness, a focus on emotional authenticity, and a journey that is both uplifting and devastating.

Movies about families fracturing under grief like Babyteeth

Stories where a family's foundation cracks as each member copes with a shared tragedy.For viewers who appreciated the family dynamics in Babyteeth, this section highlights similar dramas about parents and children coping with immense loss. These movies explore the different, often conflicting, ways family members grieve, leading to strain, tension, and a search for new footing.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern involves a family unit already under stress confronted by a unifying crisis. Instead of bringing them together, the pressure causes them to splinter, with subplots following each character's isolated coping mechanisms—be it denial, anger, or escapism—while the family home becomes a backdrop for silent suffering and miscommunication.

Why These Movies?

These films are connected by their central theme of a family in collapse due to shared grief. They share a raw, introspective mood, a steady pacing that allows for deep character study, and a portrayal of domestic life that is filled with tension, love, and profound sadness.

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Babyteeth Summary

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Babyteeth Summary

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Characters, Settings & Themes in Babyteeth

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Characters, Settings & Themes in Babyteeth

More About Babyteeth

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