Mitchell Lichtenstein
Teeth - Denti

THE REVIEW

Dawn (Jess Weixler) is a high school student who spends most of her time suppressing her sexual instincts. Her solid principles are constantly challenged by her classmates as well as by her stepbrother Brad, an ambiguous, crude, and yet charming guy. But one day, following a rape attempt by a classmate, Dawn discovers she possesses the legendary "vagina dentata," until then considered just a legend with ancient origins...

 Sigmund Freud, when discussing the Oedipus complex, often mentions the male feeling known as "castration anxiety," a psychological condition concerning the child and his relationship with the parent, with growth, and sexuality. This theme subtly contributes to the foundations of Lichtenstein's film (son of the famous Roy, a Pop Art artist). The director shuffles the cards, blends genres, and surprises the viewer. Is this "Teeth" a teen movie or a deeply philosophical film? Is it a splatter or a work of reflection? << Neither and both>> is the answer.

This film is a surprising cauldron of pulp, dark comedy, splatter, absurdity, and genuine terror. The male audience will be profoundly disturbed, touching themselves multiple times during the screening "to see if everything is still in place"; the female audience will witness what seems like a kind of gender revenge. Many scenes will be hard to erase from the mind; one stands out, the gynecological visit, constructed with masterful tension and remarkable intensity (the wicked ending is also grandiose).

Vaguely inspired by "Killer Pussy" by Takeo Nakano, this western version is decidedly better: unlike its Japanese counterpart, based solely on trash, sex, and the crudest splatter, Lichtenstein's work is decidedly more refined, more philosophical, softer, and at the same time more incisive, as well as superior in the technical department. Here it plays on the tension of what is never shown, on the seen and unseen, on the creation of purely imaginary tension and therefore more morbid and unsettling.

Awarded at the Sundance Film Festival, "Teeth" is a film full of surprises: a pop fairy tale, a "pink" splatter, an inverse slasher movie.

Not recommended to watch if you're going home with your girlfriend after the cinema.