Baby Teeth
Genre: Thriller/Horror
Director: Olivia Wilde
Writer: Rosie JoLove
Based on the novel by Zoje Stage
Cast: Margot Robbie, Vivien Lyra Blair, Jack O'Connell, Julia Stiles, Giancarlo Esposito, Glenn Close, Jessica Raine
Plot: Suzette walks her daughter Hanna through the hospital to her next appointment. The doctor greets them. Hanna’s scan had been clear. He advises that they begin to search for a psychological, rather than a physical, reason for Hanna’s mutism. He recommends a child psychologist named Dr. Beatrix Yamamoto. Since Hanna’s been kicked out of preschools and kindergartens for strange, aggressive behavior, Suzette leaps at the prospect of controlling her daughter’s bizarre outbursts.
Hanna sees her mother’s disapproval. Mommy thinks Hanna’s defective. In Hanna’s eyes, schools and babysitters were ways for Mommy to get rid of her.
While Mommy’s getting ready for a party, Hanna puts on her own dress, hoping to join. When Mommy says no, Hanna steals a pair of diamond earrings, hiding them in her toy. Then Abha, a young college student, arrives. Mommy acts nervous, leaving her but then flees out the door. From the stairs, Hanna stares intensely.
Abha comes into the bathroom to the sound of shrieks finding a pile of Hanna’s feces on the floor. Abha puts her to bed and then reads her a story. As she got up, Hanna pulled hard on her long black hair. Abha managed to pull away but quickly left, disturbed. Abha was the last babysitter.
The next day, Suzette decides to take Hanna with her to Trader Joe’s. Hanna ricochets through the aisles in search of chocolate. They passed a mother comforting a crying toddler. Hanna stops to look at the child, who lashes out. Before Suzette can intervene, Hanna wallops the toddler. Apologetic and deeply ashamed, Suzette hurries her daughter through the checkout aisle. Hanna hums happily over her blueberries, returning to the angelic face she puts on in front of Alex.
Hanna wants to play in the sizeable walled-in garden, but Mommy tells her it’s time for school. When Mommy asks her to spell love, Hanna writes hate. When she asks for summer, Hanna spells bitch. Mommy’s smile melted as Hanna wrote, “Fuck Mommy. She’s weak and stupid”.
Horrified, Mommy orders her to read by herself. Hanna likes reading about the ancient Egyptians. It reminds her of the medieval witches she’d researched on Daddy’s computer. Hanna especially liked Marie-Anne Dufosset, the girl who’d been the last witch in France.
Suzette loves to clean the pristine bathroom in their beautiful house. Suzette had met her husband Alex when Suzette worked as an interior designer. On their second date, she’d told him about the health problems that had plagued her since she was young. Her depressive mother had ignored her symptoms until her intense pain forced them to go to the ER. After emergency bowel surgery, she’d develop a fistula. She’d lived with the open intestinal wound for four years, becoming ashamed and reclusive. Alex saw strength in her survival, and they were soon engaged. Suzette quit working when she became pregnant. The pregnancy aggravated her Crohn’s, spending nine months in pain. She wondered if her resentment towards her baby had somehow hurt Hanna.
Hanna knocked on the bathroom door over and over. When Suzette finally answered, annoyed, Hanna whispered, “I’m not Hanna,” rolling her eyes until only the whites showed. To her surprise, her mother swung the door closed in her face. Hanna retreated to her father’s office until he came home. He hugged her, calling her “squirrely girl.” Hanna wanted to marry him when she grew up, and Mommy went away.
Suzette couldn’t wait to talk to Alex alone as they ate their pasta dinner. Yet as he talked about his architecture firm’s newest project, she realized she couldn’t hold it in. “Hanna talked.” As she described the episode, Alex’s joy turned to confusion, but he comforted her when Hanna mutely denied everything. Later, with Hanna in bed, exhausted, Suzette explained how Hanna behaved differently from her. Alex agreed that a psychologist might help and suggested they try one more school, Sunnybridge. Hanna had already been expelled after five weeks from expensive Green Hill Academy for behaving aggressively with the other children. Not long after, Suzette had been forced to withdraw from the Frick School. Suzette thought longingly of how she could spend her days without Hanna gardening or developing new skills.
In her cozy room, Hanna’s father read her a bedtime story. Her favorite was about an “UnderSlumberBumbleBeast” that lived amongst the detritus under children’s beds. She had tried to attract it with barrettes and socks, but her mother always cleaned everything up. In the night, she heard strange grunts from her parent’s room. She decided it was time for a new project. She crept into their room in the morning and took a photo of her mother as she lay naked. When Mommy woke startled, she whispered, “My name. Is Marie-Anne. Dufosset. Don’t forget”.
Over coffee, Suzette tried to put Hanna’s newest words aside and focus on the day. She decided they would visit Sunnybridge that afternoon. Suzette wanted to enroll her as soon as possible. When Alex asked her to wait until after the summer, she broke down, asking him if he knew who Marie-Anne Dufosset was, feeling tired. She googled the name in the shower, and when she read that she was a 17th-century French witch, Suzette realized she was in a game of “Scare Mommy.” Alex offered to stay home, but she told him she’d cope.
Hanna hated preschool. They’d promised it’d be fun, but the other children were annoying. She particularly disliked one girl she nicknamed Sunshine for her long blond hair. Sunshine liked fruit punch, so she gave her a cup of water mixed with red paint. She loathed her squeaky teacher at the next school and pretended to faint. Now she was older though, she might have fun at this new school.
Suzette was unimpressed by the dingy, underfunded school hallways. Forced to wear thrift store clothes, her mother had prevented her from doing any normal teenage activities. When her fistula developed, she had spent years alone in her room, only going to the Art Institute after her wound had healed. She struggled to be the parent she hadn’t had, and the memory of her mother’s early death from sepsis haunted her. She contemplated her ragged school years as they waited to speak to the principal.
The principal Mrs. Wade appeared and welcomed them. After exchanging some pleasantries, Mrs. Wade asked Hanna how she felt about starting first grade. In response, Hanna barked like a vicious dog. Suzette prepares to flee in embarrassment. Mrs. Wade gently tells her that she believes Hanna might do better at Tisdale School, a place for children whose needs aren’t addressed. Relieved, Suzette promised to call the principal, Dr. Gutierrez, as soon as possible.
When they got home, Hanna wondered why her mother was so happy. When she agreed to let Hanna work in her room, Hanna decided to implement her plan. Hanna printed out Mommy’s naked photo that morning and photos of women in coffins and dead children that Hanna had found online. Cutting and gluing, she collaged them together, with Mommy’s photo in the middle. When Mommy came in, she was horrified. Mommy warned her to tell her father. When she left, Hanna began to twist her own arm, smirking.
Suzette waited in the tub for Alex to return. Realizing she needed to act as an adult, she rose to get her phone and dialed her husband. She described the college and told him to come home. Hanna emerged from her room as Suzette did the washing. Suzette tried to compose herself and tell Hanna things would improve when she went to school. Still, Hanna began to bark again and even tried to bite Suzette. She held her back, eventually pushing her into the backyard, where she locked her outside. She was disturbed to feel sudden hatred for her daughter. When Alex came home, he let Hanna back in. She showed him the bruise on her arm. Horrified, he took Hanna upstairs, ignoring her apologies and pleas.
Dinner’s tense. Hanna’s mother told Daddy she had barked at the Sunnybridge principal and wanted to send her somewhere called the Tisdale School. Daddy looked shocked as Mommy said that Hanna scares her sometimes. That night, she shows Daddy how she had been building a nest for the UnderSlumberBumbleBeast. He told her he would tell Mommy not to clean it up. Later that night, she heard her parents arguing. Soon, however, their voices turned to grunts and moans. She crept into the living room and saw them entwined together. She began to wonder if she could get rid of Mommy by making her ugly.
Suzette woke refreshed in the morning. Then she saw her hair on the pillow. In the night, Hanna had cut off several chunks. Frustrated and wondering how to salvage the hair she had left, Suzette does her morning medicine injection, then sternly tells Hanna that they’re going to school. Tisdale was an ordinary enough school. When they met Dr. Gutierrez, Hanna growled, but he told her that he liked dogs. They toured the school, and Hanna enjoyed the garden and Bouncy Room. Feeling optimistic, Suzette enrolled Hanna immediately, and then they headed to the hairdresser.
Hanna thought she had been two when it happened. It was lunchtime, and Mommy was feeding her. She played a game where she threw the grapes and cheese across the room. Mommy scolded her, so Hanna took some food, chewed it into a glob, and then spit it in her face. Mommy took the mush and shoved it in her mouth, holding her hand over Hanna’s mouth so she couldn’t breathe. When she realized what she was doing, she took her hand away, horrified and apologized. But Hanna never forgot.
They both took naps after their long day. Suzette woke to the sounds of sexual moaning coming from Hanna’s room. Disturbed, she rushed in. Hanna was naked on the bed, writhing as if having sex. She shouted that the devil was visiting her, putting his thing in her to give her power. Horrified beyond words, Suzette ran to the bathroom to vomit. It was time to call Dr. Yamamoto. When she answered, she asked for an emergency appointment. Dr. Yamamoto told her she could see her that Monday and asked what the matter was. When Suzette described the most recent events, she asked whether sexual abuse could happen. Suzette said she wasn’t sure. Suzette spent the rest of the day cleaning.
Mommy showed Daddy her new short hair at dinner and explained how Hanna had cut it off. Then they talked about her new school. Hanna liked it, but she thought the other children seemed weird. She wished that she could turn into a giant tree and kill them to have school to herself.
That night, Daddy brought her a potato to be her UnderSlumberBumbleBeast. Hanna was thrilled. Before bed, she set her alarm to wake her at three a.m. It was time for the third phase of her plan. After some difficulty, she went to the kitchen and opened one of Mommy’s pill bottles. With great care, she opened each capsule and replaced the insides with flour. The next day, they went school shopping, and when Mommy said no to a new bathing suit, Hanna grinned, knowing what she had done.
The pain Suzette felt when during her pregnancy was extreme. Her Crohn’s spread to her throat when she stopped her injections, which had threatened the baby. Now, Suzette started to feel a flare-up starts. She took extra Imodium pills, but with no effect. Mommy tried to get Hanna excited on the way to school but ignored her. After she dropped her off with her teacher Mrs. Atwood, Suzette bought easy-to-digest food and went home to clean. Alex had told her to leave Hanna’s room alone for a while, but the temptation was too great. When she found the detritus under her bed, she swept it all up. Mommy found a strange potato and, in horror, thought it might be a voodoo doll. She threw it away, telling herself to remain calm.
All the adults at Tisdale talked to Hanna like she was stupid. She was surrounded by weird kids all the time. Mommy looked happy when she picked her up, so she told her that Hanna would cast a spell to kill the other kids if she was sent back. Mommy ignored her and drove her to the house of a strange, skinny woman named Beatrix. She was left alone in a room full of toys.
Suzette found Dr. Beatrix Yamamoto’s office cozy. Beatrix was calm and friendly as she explained Hanna’s silence and her new invisible friend Marie-Anne. Beatrix left to talk to Hanna on her own, and Alex arrived and joined Suzette. Though the psychiatrist had been kind, Suzette felt she was on trial as a wife and mother. When Beatrix returns, Suzette explains believing Hanna has adopted Marie-Anne’s alter-ego. She has started speaking, but she is still not ready to communicate. When they got home, Hanna fled to her room. She emerged in tears, holding the crushed potato creature in her hands. Alex, furious with Suzette, explained that it had been the UnderSlumberBumbleBeast. Suzette apologized, feeling genuinely guilty, as Alex comforted their sobbing daughter.
Daddy let Hanna watch Star Trek on the sofa bed, and Mommy came in later with sorbet. She and Daddy talked about how her Imodium pills weren’t working and how Mommy lost patience with Hanna. Daddy seemed angry at Mommy, which made Hanna happy. Hanna spent the next week at school miserable, except when she was sent to the Quiet Room for misbehaving. Mommy went to the doctor and got new pills. Hanna started thinking of new ways to hurt Mommy. At school, she was sent to the Quiet Room to research poison. A kid named Ian, who wore a red helmet, was already there. He interested her, and when the aid left them alone briefly, she took off his helmet and began barking at him like a dog. Incredibly upset, the boy smashed his head repeatedly on the wall. He was bleeding by the time the aid returned.
Alex and Suzette were called in for a meeting with Mr. G. After explaining what had happened, he told them they’d need to withdraw Hanna. Alex was outraged, though Suzette was apologetic. On the way home, Alex told Suzette that he thought Hanna had learned to be violent from the other children. Still, Suzette told him Alex was in denial. Alex left for the gym in a huff, and Suzette told Hanna that he was mad and she was becoming a disappointment. When Alex returned, they all had dinner, and he apologized for being unsupportive.
In the morning, Hanna woke up early to get her revenge. Part one was easy, but she worried she would not be strong enough to hit Mommy with the hammer for part two. She positioned herself outside her parents’ bedroom and screamed.
At the sound of screaming, Suzette leaped out of bed. In an instant, pain filled her vision, and she fell back onto the mattress. Tiny, colored dots covered her feet. Thumbtacks. Hanna entered, clutching a hammer. Suzette screamed that she would call the police, and Hanna ran. Alex was in an interview when Hanna called him in hysterics. She had pulled out the tacks when he arrived home and helped bandage her feet. They called Beatrix. She told them that they could always take Hanna to a hospital if Suzette was in danger and that she would try to give them a diagnosis on Monday. Suzette wondered once again where she had gone wrong with Hanna. She asked Alex to take care of Hanna, but he apologized for how oblivious he had been. He promised to work with her from then on.
Daddy came downstairs, looking as sad as Mommy usually did. But when Hanna came over to him, he brightened. As they ate pancakes, Daddy asked why she had hurt Mommy. He told her that this Sunday was Walpurgis, the Swedish bonfire night and that if she drew a picture of Marie-Anne, they could throw it into the fire and make her disappear. Hanna agreed but was not sure how to draw Marie-Anne. Then, she thought of the picture of Mommy that she had. If she threw it into the fire, torn into little pieces, maybe she could make Mommy disappear.
Alex came into the bedroom to tell Suzette he was leaving to pick up supplies for Walpurgis. Suzette initially protested, but she eventually agreed when he explained the idea of exorcising Marie-Anne.
In the morning, Hanna hated how affectionate he was with Mommy. Daddy felt distant when he read her a story that night. Mommy apologized for pushing her too fast to go to school, but Hanna knew that was not enough. Then she offered to help Hanna draw the picture of Marie-Anne. Hanna had been having trouble, so she agreed. Mommy sketched the outline of a girl and let Hanna fill her in with color. Despite herself, Hanna was impressed by how talented Mommy was. The finished product felt real, and she was proud.
On Sunday morning, Suzette sat at the table and sketched ideas for a book. She sipped from a goblet of champagne. Outside, Alex prepared for the bonfire. As it got dark, he made open-faced sandwiches for them all. Suzette hobbled out on her crutches and sat by the fire, finally feeling relaxed as she watched her family celebrate. As she watched the fire, she remembered a strange dream from the night before. In it, she had been entrusted with the care of a girl named Greta, a strange, emaciated young woman covered in old burns. It had unnerved her, and now that it was time to burn Marie-Anne’s image, she felt frightened. Alex put on a great show of condemning Marie-Anne as Hanna tossed the picture into the flames. Hanna then also threw in what looked like a handful of confetti. Suzette spilled wine on herself a moment later, and Alex rushed inside to grab a towel. Then, Hanna stepped in front of her and began mouthing silent words. Marie-Anne was not gone yet.
Hanna knew that alcohol was an accelerant. Prodding the flames with a stick, she threw burning coals on Mommy. She screamed as Hanna hurled more and more. Then suddenly, Hanna was in the air and coming down hard with a bump. Daddy had thrown her, and now he was asking Mommy, who had a big red hole on her cheek, if she wanted to go to urgent care. Hanna’s wrist hurt when she fell on it. They all went in the car to the hospital. The doctor bandaged her wrist and said it was sprained.
The next day was the therapist’s appointment. Suzette’s doctor told her she might have a slight scar after the wound healed. When she asked about all of Suzette’s injuries, pressing whether someone was hurting her at home, Suzette reluctantly explained about Hanna’s violence.
Hanna liked Beatrix, who didn’t speak down to her like the other adults. When Beatrix asked how Hanna saw Mommy, she drew a picture of an ugly witch casting a Daddy spell. Beatrix asked whether she wanted Mommy gone or dead, and Hanna nodded enthusiastically.
In Beatrix’s office, Alex and Suzette explained the Walpurgis celebration gone wrong. Alex began to panic as he talked, but Beatrix silenced him. She told them that the situation had become too unstable, and they should consider a facility for Hanna. They were both shocked, and Alex asked whether Beatrix thought Hanna was a psychopath. She carefully explained that she could only give a preliminary diagnosis; still, she thinks it’s likely they’re dealing with either psychopathy or sociopathy. The prior was genetic and “marked by more-aggressive, remorseless traits.” Simultaneously, the latter was acquired by brain injury or abuse and was characterized by manipulation. She suggested that Marshes, a nearby, state-of-the-art mental health facility for children, might be the right option for them. There were horses and 24/7 care. Alex initially resisted, brokenhearted at the idea of sending Hanna away for months or even years. Still, Suzette insisted they treat her mental illness like any other medical issue. Hanna needed care, and this was the only option. She suggested that they pack her things, take her on Wednesday, and make up a story so Hanna wouldn’t resist.
Mommy and Daddy were weirdly nice to Hanna when they got home. On Tuesday, Mommy helped her make a new UnderSlumberBumbleBeast out of felt, cotton, and buttons. When he was finished, Hanna immediately fell in love and named him Skog, the Swedish word for forest. On Wednesday, they went for a drive. Mommy dressed her in her best clothes and fell asleep as the car meandered through the countryside. They finally arrived at some official-looking buildings at the top of a hill. Hanna hated it on sight, but her parents took her inside, where they were greeted by two old women, one with bright white teeth and the other with dingy brown. Brown Teeth, whose name was Audrey, offered to show Hanna around, and she said goodbye to her parents. Brown Teeth took her to a bedroom and began to unpack bags of Hanna’s things, explaining that this was Hanna’s new home. Horrified, Hanna ran outside in time to watch her parents’ car pull down the driveway. She screamed, clutching Skog, as Brown Teeth finally caught up to her and brought her back inside.
Suzette met with Beatrix later that week to discuss Hanna’s progress and her own feelings. She told her that she felt guilty, and her daughter’s absence felt like a missing limb. But after the first week, Suzette and Alex’s anguish softened into relief. Suzette began baking for them both, and Alex shaved off his beard. They felt relaxed with one another. One day, Suzette found an empty Imodium capsule in the flour jar and realized what Hanna had done. Things were getting better, though, and Suzette had been diagnosed with a vitamin deficiency and felt her old energy returning.
Hanna had to protect Skog at Marshes. She clutched him close at night when she couldn’t sleep. The adults spent days asking her questions about herself and her family. Hanna believes she is being punished for not fitting in. One afternoon, when an older girl punched her shoulder on the playground, Hanna ran inside for comfort from Skog. At that moment, she decided she’d do anything to leave Marshes.
Alex and Suzette were eating ice cream when the call from Marshes came. The voice on the other end, small and fragile, was Hanna. They were both shocked as she apologized and asked to come home. They explained carefully that she needed to be there for her own good. Alex nearly gave in, but Suzette told him to stay healthy. She knew she couldn’t face Hanna coming home, though she kept this unforgivable thought to herself. When Hanna asked if Suzette loved her, she told her not enough and hung up the phone.
Hanna had thought her voice would be enough. They didn’t want her anymore. Crying, she realized that Mommy had finally bewitched Daddy. She whispered to Skog that it was time for a new plan. They would have to be very good, so Hanna could go home and save Daddy. She would pretend to be the best girl ever. And then she would have revenge.
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