Vagina Dentata

I stumbled upon this movie, which apparently got rave reviews at Sundance, and I have a feeling it won't be playing anywhere within driving distance of the bible-belt that is the South.

I can't give an detailed synopsis of the movie without having seen it, but I can say with all certainty that this movie has within it a girl who has a nice set of sharp, pearly whites, erm, 'down there.' Yes, the vagina dentata myth which used to be told as a cautionary tale to ward us young saplings from becoming bewitched by you loose women out there! (Yes, many a mare have tried diverting me from the straight-n-narrow path...many a mare.) Sigh...

At any rate...

A review from Geoffrey Gilmore from the 2007 Sundance Film Guild stated:

Independent filmmaking is at its most exceptional when it defies categorization, and Teeth is jaw-droppingly undefinable. The story of a Christian high school girl caught up in her school's purity campaign--saving herself for marriage, as it were--is part horror film, part erotic/moral debate, and part outrageous assault on male vulnerability and fear.

Mitchell Lictenstein's extraordinary feature debut is galvanized by the vagina dentata mythology (if you don't know what that is, Teeth will forever imprint it on your psyche). The innocent teenager, Dawn---so innocent she's not even aware of her own basic bodily functions--discovers quite by accident that she is anatomically very unique, a state of being that is both victimizing and incredibly empowering. Her boyfriend is getting a little aggressive, and her bad brother is the poster child for immoral teenage conduct. Writer/director Lictenstein has created a deliciously enjoyable, yet symbolic, tale that will transform even the most resistant viewer into a rapt student of ancient taboos.

With a glowing, charged performance by Jess Weixler, Teeth is the kind of metaphorical work that keeps on satisfying, playing with our fears, fantasies, and phobias to created a potent, over-the-top fable that needs to be seen to be believed.

Sounds like some good ol' fashioned wholesome family fun to me.


Additional Info:

• Trailer on Youtube