Experiencing Interruptions?

Teething Problems

Jude grapples with loneliness after losing his wife, Ellie. One night, an intriguing advert for New Life Services catches his eye, promising to resurrect the dead. A desperate call allows Jude to meet the enigmatic Frank, who demands one of Ellie’s teeth for the resurrection procedure.

With the help of his teenage neighbor, Jude embarks on a quest to retrieve Ellie’s teeth, even resorting to asking her mother for her baby teeth. Jude ultimately confronts the grim reality when he exhumes Ellie’s body, realizing that some things are better left undisturbed.

  • Felix Bamborough
    Director
  • Larry Wilson
    Writer
    Beetlejuice, The Addams Family (1991)
  • Felix Bamborough
    Writer
  • Castor Sprado
    Producer
    Zero Altitude
  • Sam Haygarth
    Key Cast
    "Jude"
    JoJo Rabbit, The French Dispatch
  • Eileen Davies
    Key Cast
    "Maureen"
    Coronation Street, Sightseeers
  • Alex Bullen
    Key Cast
    "Ben"
  • Kellie Shirley
    Key Cast
    "Tooth Fairy"
    Eastenders
  • James Payton
    Key Cast
    "Frank"
  • Ciaran O'Brien
    Director of Photography
    Reflections
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Comedy, fantasy, supernatural
  • Runtime:
    27 minutes 53 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 10, 2025
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Love your shorts film festival
    Orlando
    United States
    February 15, 2025
    World Premiere
    WON: Best Directing
Director Biography - Felix Bamborough

Felix is a British screenwriter and director, based in London. He is known for his comical stories, often exploring themes such as grief, friendship, and the odd things in life. Notable screenplays are Peephole, Cuffing Season and most recently the short film Teething Problems (2024). The latter is Felix’s debut film as a director, shot last November, while simultaneously juggling his philosophy studies at King’s College.

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Director Statement

Horror and comedy work powerfully together because they exist to talk about what wider society aims to ignore, in Teething Problems we’ve used this to look at the pervasiveness of grief. Almost a month after his wife’s death Jude’s grief is no longer palatable. The key thing about grief is it never goes away, it just gets easier to manage – “I don’t know what to do with all the days that I have let without her”.

Jude’s life is off-kilter, isolated and the world I created aimed to reflect that. It is almost our world but not quite, giant snails roam the house and even the soundscape is hostile and unwelcoming. The world feels like an infection, with sickly greens and yellows highlighting the wide, nauseating lenses. When I’ve felt my worst it feels like even inanimate objects are alive, and full of sharp edges. I wanted to bring through that visceral panicked feeling in Jude, scared to sit down too long for fear of what might happen. When Frank’s letter arrives Jude grabs onto it like a life raft because it gives him something to do, it takes him away from the days stretching out ahead of him.

Through all this I still wanted to keep the film humorous, I think often fear or tragedy hits harder when the audience is laughing – it takes them off their guard. I’ve always loved the campiness of early horror films and I was eager to bring that in, most obviously in the tooth-creation montage but also in keeping the performances just slightly over the top, the appearance of the Tooth Fairy, Frank’s Vincent Price style moustache. I didn’t just want to walk the line between horror and comedy but embrace it as its own genre, with its own set of rules. Ultimately Teething Problems is about moving on, sitting with the sharp edges of the world, and letting them know it’s all okay.