“Babyteeth” follows a terminally ill teenager who falls in love with a local drug dealer, and although it’s centered on adolescents, it’s not necessarily targeted to them, director Shannon Murphy said on the Variety Critics Corner presented by Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

“I definitely didn’t want to be making a teen film,” she said. “I mean, my goal was that teenagers would watch it and feel so well-represented in many ways. The key, though, is that when you’re a teenager, you’re not watching teen films, you’re watching adult films. Like, that’s the whole point of being a teenager.”

“So that’s the thing: I do feel like, in many ways, it’s the perfect teenage film, because it isn’t catered to you, it’s catered to people older.,” she concluded. “And that’s what you’re aiming for.”

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