Tooth
Fed up with decades of flossing, whitening, and forced perfection of modern beauty standards, a vengeful Tooth sparks an all-out war against its oppressor.
Interview with Director Jillian Corsie
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
The summer of 2020 marked a significant change in my life as my parents decided to move out of my childhood home after 34 years, leading my mother to give me all of her possessions, including every tooth that had ever fallen out of my head. As someone who often has nightmares about losing my teeth, I couldn't help but wonder what would happen if they all fell out at once while I was brushing them. I posed this question to a writer friend of mine and her response was, "Well, they'd come to life and kill you, of course." And that's how the idea for Tooth was born.
Tooth is a film that explores the themes of female body issues and societal pressures to achieve physical perfection. It is a commentary on the physical and emotional harm that results from the constant pursuit of beauty in today's image-conscious society. It is a story about our bodies saying "enough is enough" and taking matters into their own hands. It is a horror-comedy film that pushes genre boundaries by using puppets made from actual teeth alongside 2D and 3D animation.
As a lover of horror and sci-fi since childhood, this is a film that I have always wanted to make. I worked with a talented team of artists to bring this dream to life and create a score and visual design that allows the audience to laugh, squirm, and wince. Although it is only 4 minutes in length, Tooth is the result of countless hours of dedication and hard work. It is a film that I am excited to share with audiences and leave them with a sense of wonder, intrigue, and disgust!
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Tooth's commentary on societal pressure to conform to unrealistic beauty standards, and the physical and psychological harm that can result from this, is relevant and thought-provoking. It's a unique and intriguing concept, that the right audience will find compelling.
Maybe you want to see your nightmare come true, or maybe you'd just like to laugh at tooth murder!
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Tooth may appear strange on the surface, but at its core lies a theme that pervades throughout my work: the detrimental impact of societal pressure on women to conform to an unrealistic standard of beauty. In the age of filters, procedures, and treatments, the harm we inflict on ourselves in pursuit of this standard is undeniable, both physically and mentally. When will we reach a point of enough? What if our bodies could make the decision for us?
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
Tooth began as a mere concept in my mind. I had the idea of having all of someone's teeth fall out, but I wasn't sure where to take it next. Luckily, my friend Katie, a talented writer, was able to quickly develop the idea further when I pitched it to her. Her immediate response was "they'd fall out and kill you, of course."
With her help, we were able to quickly turn this idea into a script, We only made one revision!
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The reaction to Tooth has been divided, some viewers have praised the film while others have found it to be quite unusual. I acknowledge that the film is not for everyone and it is definitely a unique concept.
The programmers at SXSW called it "perfectly gross nightmare fuel"
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I am yet to view Tooth with an audience, it will be interesting to see what people think!
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I hope more people discover Tooth! It would be wonderful to connect with people who have experience in the horror/comedy space, as I'm new to the scene.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
I am seeking connections with producers who can assist me in finding the right platform for Tooth.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I hope Tooth has a thought-provoking impact on audiences and sparks conversations about societal pressures on women to conform to unrealistic beauty standards and the physical and psychological harm that can result from that. I hope people are entertained by the unique horror and comedic elements. I want people to laugh as much as they grimace!
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
For a general audience: societal pressure on women to conform to an unrealistic standard of beauty has a detrimental impact. In the age of filters, procedures, and treatments, when will we reach a point of enough?
For filmmakers: what's your stance on VFX vs. practical effects?
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Katie, Tooth's writer, and I are currently developing two more dark narrative projects. Is anyone interested in funding our next projects?
Interview: January 2023
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
Tooth
Fed up with decades of flossing, whitening, and forced perfection of modern beauty standards, a vengeful Tooth sparks an all-out war against its oppressor.
Length: 4:30
Director: Jillian Corsie
Producer: Vincent DeLuca
Writer: Katie Gault
About the writer, director and producer:
JILLIAN CORSIE is an award-winning filmmaker and editor who loves telling character-driven stories with a social impact. She has directed both short and feature-length documentaries that have been featured in Huffington Post, Refinery29, ABC News, and ABC's 2020. Tooth, her first narrative film, premieres at the Slamdance Film Festival in January 2023. Jillian also edits commercials for major brands like Apple, Gatorade, Airbnb, Uniqlo, and Lexus. She is currently a film programmer at the Los Angeles-based Salute Your Shorts Film Festival.
KATIE GAULT is a writer of film, television, personal essays and terrible horoscopes. She worked her way up the ladder for six seasons at The Middle until landing in the writers’ room at Fuller House, where she wrote her first produced script. She has also worked in several other writers’ rooms, including Bunk’d, The Harper House and Digman. However, her most lucrative “writing” credit to date is naming the Marco Pollo Italian chicken sandwich at Red Robin and winning free food for a year.
VINCENT DELUCA is an award-winning director and producer who works in narrative and documentary films as well as commercials. Vincent directed the internationally acclaimed documentary, Mile 19. Vincent executive produced The Sleeping Negro, which premiered at Slamdance 2021 and won the FIPRESCI award at IFF Mannheim Heidelberg. Vincent's feature-length documentary Desert Angel is set to be released in 2023. Vincent teaches film production at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.
Key cast: Janine Peck
Looking for: distributors and buyers
Twitter: @JillianCorsie
Instagram: @jcorsie
Hashtags used: #TOOTH
Website: jilliancorsie.com/tooth
Other: IMDb
Funders: Self-funded
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?
Slamdance Film Festival/ Park City, UT - Jan 22nd and 25th at 5:30pm at the Treasure Mountain Inn