Teeth (2008) Movie Review

"Teeth" is the story of a sexually repressed young woman who, over the course of the movie, becomes sexually awakened after some awkward early experiences, self-exploration, and a difficult visit to the gynaecologist. Thus it represents the sexual journey of many girls, for whom society makes them ashamed of their sexuality and fearful of predatory men. "Teeth" is also, it ought to be said, the story of a girl with razor-sharp teeth in her vagina; a vagina which doesn't respond well to being violated. Richard Pryor once suggested that in an ideal world, a woman's genitals should be able to clamp up, so the victim of rape could drag the rapist to the police. "Teeth" goes one step further.

At its centre is Dawn (a superb turn from newcomer Jess Weixler), who, when we meet her, gives talks to the younger students at her school about the dangers of sex, sexuality, and anything even relating to sex; she promotes the 'save yourself for marriage' approach. Her mother and stepdad praise her for it - while suggesting that they didn't exactly subscribe to that advice themselves - while her step-brother, a sexist moron, sits in his room trying, not very well, to deal with his attraction to Dawn.

During the course of the movie she experiences the best and worst - well, mainly the worst - of the boys at her school, mature as they are in body, but not in mind. After one tries to rape her she discovers her genitals' unusual talent. If girls take their boyfriends to see this movie, this scene along should make them go out of their way to behave themselves thenceforth. Not that the movie makes light of rape; rather it explores it by reversing traditional gender roles, allowing the woman to become more active, more dangerous - not a predator, but equipped to deal with any predators that come knocking.

Naturally, aside from providing some gore that has male audience members reclining in their seats, the teeth take on a symbolic role. When she discovers them, Dawn is terrified; she is scared, ultimately, of her own sexuality. No wonder: at school, the diagram of the vagina in the anatomy books is covered up, lest women (or men) should actually learn something about it. There's a few digs at Bible-Belt education; another scene brings up evolution, paralleling Dawn's mutation with the rattle of a rattlesnake. The hint seems to be: God isn't doing this, evolution is allowing a response to a natural enviroment. Dawn's enviroment is one of sexual insecurities and repression; the type of repression that can bring out the darkest side of sexuality in people (men). For the most part, Dawn has to find out about her sexuality on her own; an internet search provides her with the 'ancient Greek myth' of what it calls 'vagina dentatis' which, she learns, stems from male fears about female sexuality. She goes to visit a (male) gynaecologist for confirmation, in a scene that had me laughing and squirming at the same time.

I was reminded, watching "Teeth," of another little-seen movie that highlighted sexual insecurities and dilemmas with another fantastical idea: "Zerophilia," the film about people who switch genders when they have an orgasm. Both are comic, but both are attempting to make a serious point. "Teeth," the first feature-length movie from Mitchell Lichtenstein (son of Roy), is a dark comedy (or should that be light horror?) with a real purpose. In a late scene, we see Dawn hitching a lift with a suspicious character. We tend to worry about lone women taking chances, but in this movie we know she's going to be fine. Her bite is much, much worse than her bark.