Page 6 December 13, 2018 EL SEGUNDO HERALD
Reviewed by Jeff Huttinger, Library
Assistant, El Segundo Public Library
The best work of fiction I have read in
some time is a debut novel from a very
talented first-time author, Zoje Stage. Baby
Teeth is the story of a seemingly idyllic
family slowly coming to grips with a horrifying
realization: their 7-year-old daughter
is a psychopath. Although this description
may conjure up images of B-movie schlock,
Stage’s tale unwinds through alternating
chapter perspectives of mother and daughter
with earnestness and heartfelt candor,
even if it does occasionally dip its toe into
campy water.
After seven years of being a parent,
Suzette is still not completely comfortable
with this identity. Forced to be a stay-at-home
mom due to her child’s numerous expulsions,
she coolly attends to troubled young daughter
Hanna’s daily needs with an exhausted
longing to be anywhere else. Hanna,
angry at her mother’s increasing detachment,
spends her time looking for ways to
Entertainment
Check It Out
Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage.
Jeff Huttington
Film Review
Ben is Back: Returning Home,
Avoiding Relapse
Morgan Rojas.
By Morgan Rojas
for www.cinemacy.com
Perhaps the perfect unintentional follow
up to this year’s family drama Beautiful Boy,
starring Timothée Chalamet and Steve Carell,
is the Lucas Hedges and Julia Roberts-fronted
drama, Ben is Back. While both films tell the
story of a boy dealing with the damaging
effects of substance abuse and a supportive
family member doing whatever they can to
keep him sober, that is where the similarities
between the two films end. Ben is Back,
directed by Lucas’s father Peter Hedges, takes
place after the addiction has been acknowledged
and instead focuses on a young man
trying to stay sober. In this touching portrait
of the PTSD of a recovering addict, Ben is
Back is a beautiful and heartbreaking story
that showcases the special, undeniable bond
between a mother and son.
In a small, gloomy suburb of New York
City, Ben (Hedges) surprises his family by
leaving his sober living facility and showing
up unexpectedly on Christmas Eve to
spend the holidays at home with his loved
ones -- including his beloved dog Ponce. To
his mother Holly (Roberts), Ben is her prodigal
son and all her attention immediately shifts
towards him and his needs. Holly’s husband
(Courtney B. Vance) and daughter (Kathryn
Newton) worry that she is blinded by this
motherly love and remain skeptical of Ben’s
true intentions. Being newly sober with some
60-odd days under his belt, there is concern
that the triggers at home may be too much for
Ben, causing him to relapse. But Ben gives no
outward appearance of slipping up, as he assures
them he has turned a corner for good.
Promising to return to the sober living facility
the next day, Ben agrees to stay by Holly’s
side so she can monitor his every move. The
stakes become high for both Ben and Holly
over this 24-hour trial period. For Ben, it is
to keep the temptation of the real world at
bay; and for Holly, it is driven by her ego in
believing that she can keep Ben safe on her
own. In the beginning, it seems as if everything
will be okay until an unexpected break-in and
subsequent theft of the family dog sparks a
downward spiral that sees Ben pushed to his
limit. As he sets out to confront the people
from his past that he believes stole Ponce,
Holly risks everything to desperately hold
on to him and keep him safe no matter what.
Fueled by love and ego, Holly’s hunt to
find Ben is riddled with emotional turmoil as
she learns the harrowing details of his former
life as an addict. Watching her stark denial
turn into a harsh reality is heartbreaking
as she tries to digest details that no mother
should ever have to learn about her own flesh
and blood. Ben’s intentions are genuine and
solely based on protecting his family, but
what he doesn’t understand is that in order
to save his family, he must unintentionally
hurt them first.
There are many elements that make Ben is
Back a standout film in a year of exceptional
films. One aspect is how the film takes place
over a 24-hour time period, keeping the
story tight and concise. Another is the phenomenal
meditative soundtrack by composer
Dickon Hinchliffe, whose previous works
include Leave No Trace and Locke. The
film ends on a sobering note that is perfectly
supported by a chilling musical score, making
it one of my favorite moments in a film this
year. It may not be a lighthearted watch, but
Ben is Back is a must-see.
Ben is Back is rated R for language
throughout and some drug use. Now playing
at ArcLight Hollywood and The Landmark. •
Ben is Back, Courtesy of Roadside Attractions.
Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage
emotionally punish and psychologically torment
her bewildered caregiver. Vying for the
support of an oblivious and skeptical patriarch,
Suzette and Hanna gradually expand the
rules of engagement in their ongoing war,
resulting in an escalating series of violent
acts and upsetting truths.
Written with confidence and unapologetic
honesty, Stage crafts an uncomfortable story
of revenge, obsession, disappointment and
fear as characters find themselves desperately
trying to convince each other (and
the reader) of their best intentions and
seemingly justified behavior. With dueling
narratives shifting between Suzette and
Hannah, I found my heart breaking over
Hannah’s desire for her daughter’s removal
in one chapter, while squirming at the young
girl’s Electra-like affection for her father,
Alex, in the next.
Although some of Hanna’s erratic efforts
to disturb Suzette tend to border on
the unbelievable at times, Stage keeps the
story grounded instead of letting it spin off
into the absurd. This book is an experience,
difficult to put down and equally hard
to shake.
To check out Baby Teeth or browse any
of our other fiction titles, please visit the
library to apply for your free library card. •
Burkley Brandlin
Swatik & Keesey LLP
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