Gabriele Salvatore's Denti is a surreal black-comedy-cum-drama-romance, where love pain and obsession create an altered reality.

Antonio (Sergio Rubini), has borne his self-consciousness about his generous dental endowments, since kids taunted him with names like Bugs Beaver and Bucky. in an early scene, a young Antonio tries to smash his front teeth on the ruins of Pompeii, only to be stopped by his beautiful French mother. Her death when Antonio is only 12, leaves him with a fixation that endures into adulthood. Pathologically jealous. Antonio's relationship with his lover Mara also borders on obsessive. During an argument (arising from Antonio's accusation that Mara is being unfaithful to her dentist). Mara slams an ashtray into Antonio's face, shattering his incisors. Thus begins a harrowing odyssey from one dentist to another to cap his front teeth.

Salvatore is a filmmaker who doesn't shy away from gory extremes in showing the links between love and pain, emotional and physical suffering and the need to free oneself from the past. Shot in Naples, the film provides constant visual stimulation with its rich, deep colours Indian-flavoured transcendental music and occasional use of old standards by Deep Purple add to the hazy-reality aspect of this film. Venice Film Festival Prize Winner.