Mitchell Lichtenstein

 
The fable of a young abstinence-advocating teen who discovers teeth in her vagina—to the detriment of the boys who try to force themselves upon her—offers one window into gay men’s psyches. “It can be seen as a gay man’s nightmare [but] there is a real myth throughout the world. I don’t think we gay men [can claim] vagina dentata,” says out director Mitchell Lichtenstein of his first film, Teeth. Son of the famous pop artist Roy Lichtenstein, Mitchell garnered success acting in films like Robert Altman’s Streamers before taking on directing.
 
One cannot deny the queer undertones in Lichtenstein’s films, especially his newest, Happy Tears (opening February 19), perhaps because it stars indie and gay film icon Parker Posey. “When I finished [the script] I knew I wanted to attempt to interest Parker and luckily she responded to it,” he says. Posey stars alongside Demi Moore, the two playing sisters who must abandon their seemingly happy lives to care for their vulgar father (Rip Torn) and his crack-whore girlfriend (a scene-stealing Ellen Barkin).
 
Much like Teeth, Happy Tears is neither comedy nor drama, and includes both fantasy and surrealism thrown in for good measure, a refreshing breath of air  in the  growing mumblecore landscape of independent film. “I like that [the genres] clash,” he explains. “It’s tricky to pull off. Either you go along with it or you don’t. [But] it’s more interesting than that kind of one-note existence.”