DANCES WITH FILMS 2025 REVIEW! Paul X Sanchez IV’s art horror short film Babyteeth is a fever dream suffered by a trans child who feels rejected by everyone in their life. 11-year-old Toni (David Mattle) is terrified of the monster they know is under the bed, and invites bestie Marcus (Coleman Simmons) for a sleepover to see. Marcus agrees to come just to show Toni that it’s not real. Marcus is then dragged under the bed, and Toni must reach out to their alcoholic mother, Rose (Susana Sierra and Wendy Gutierrez), for help. There are monsters in the house and in Toni’s head.
“…a fever dream of a young trans child who feels abandoned…”
The film is less about cohesive narrative action than it is about atmosphere. Toni is paralyzed with fear and is systematically abandoned by the people they trust. The production is top-notch in this brief blast of terror, with cinematography, editing, pacing, and soundtrack all blended perfectly to weave a tapestry of trauma. It is like waking from a nightmare and trying to remember the worst parts, piecing together the images to find a logical narrative, but the logic slips away, leaving only sick fear and dread.
Sanchez is quoted by EIN Presswire as saying he based the film on his own life, “I wanted to make a film that feels like a trauma memory — surreal, terrifying, but true — from the perspective of a child like I was: a queer outsider of color left to face monsters alone. Babyteeth is about what happens when the people meant to protect you disappear… and something darker takes their place.”
Babyteeth will play at DANCES WITH FILMS: LA festival on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
"…like waking from a nightmare and trying to remember the worst parts"
