Character Relationship Map: Teeth

Characters

• Antonio (played by Sergio Rubini) — protagonist

  The central protagonist, consumed by memories of childhood, grief, jealousy, bodily fears, and anxieties about love, family, and emotional neglect. He visits several dentists and undergoes the extract...

• Antonio's mother (played by Anouk Grinberg) — protagonist

  Antonio's mother is associated with his childhood memories, including eating with him in Pompeii. Her death when Antonio was thirteen becomes a lasting source of grief and connects his teeth with chil...

• Luca (played by Tom Novembre) — supporting

  A dentist whom Antonio suspects of having an involvement with Mara. Luca becomes a focus of Antonio's obsessive jealousy, and Mara mentions Luca's birthday party near the end.

• Mara (played by Anita Caprioli) — supporting

  Mara is closely connected to Antonio's adult emotional turmoil and jealousy. Antonio gives her the two extracted teeth, while she asks about his condition and mentions Luca's birthday party.

• Cinzia (played by Alessandra D'Elia) — supporting

  Cinzia participates in conversations that expose Antonio's loneliness and his fear that he has failed to build a stable life.

• Michela (played by Alice Pepe) — minor
• Dr. De Rosa's assistant (played by Elisabetta Pellini) — minor
• Uncle Nino (played by Fabrizio Bentivoglio) — supporting

  Uncle Nino is associated with bizarre stories and collections that intensify Antonio's connection between love, desire, and possession.

• Ciuta (played by Angela Goodwin) — minor
• Antonio's father (played by Massimo De Lorenzo) — supporting

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Antonio's father → Antonio (father)
• Antonio's mother → Antonio (mother)
• Antonio → Dr. De Rosa's assistant (Professional Referral Contact) — The assistant helps Antonio continue his search for an explanation.

  When Antonio searches for dental answers, Dr. De Rosa's assistant directs him to the office.

• Antonio → Uncle Nino (Family Nephew And Uncle) — Uncle Nino deepens Antonio's association between love, desire, and possession.

  The plot explicitly identifies Nino as Antonio's uncle and describes Antonio encountering his bizarre stories and collections.

• Mara → Luca (Suspected Romantic Connection) — The plot presents their connection through Antonio's suspicion rather than confirmed mutual romance.

  Antonio suspects that Mara is involved with Luca and later hears Mara mention Luca's birthday party.

• Antonio → Mara (Romantic Partner) — Their intimate relationship is strained by Antonio's jealousy and emotional instability.

  Antonio and Mara are involved in domestic arguments, and Mara asks about his condition after his dental procedure.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Antonio → Ciuta (Narrative Childhood Association) — Ciuta links Antonio's adult jealousy to unresolved childhood memories.

  Antonio recalls an earlier visit involving Ciuta and his mother's suspicion that she had cast a spell.

• Antonio's mother → Ciuta (Conflict Suspicious Accuser) — Their remembered connection is defined by suspicion and supernatural interpretation.

  Antonio recalls that his mother suspected Ciuta, a beautiful maid, of casting a spell on the dentist's son.

• Antonio → Michela (Social Acquaintance) — Michela is part of Antonio's conversations about his inability to create a stable life.

  Antonio's conversations with Michela expose his loneliness and concerns about family, children, and emotional neglect.

• Antonio → Cinzia (Social Acquaintance) — Cinzia provides a social context in which Antonio reveals his personal anxieties.

  Antonio's conversations with Cinzia expose his loneliness and fear that he has failed to build a stable life.

• Antonio → Luca (Conflict Suspected Rival) — Luca functions as the suspected rival driving Antonio's jealousy.

  Antonio suspects that Mara is involved with Luca, a dentist, and becomes consumed by jealousy.

Story Analysis

Antonio's dental fears become a symbolic passage through childhood loss, jealousy, memory, and the frightening secrets of the body.

Plot Progression

1. Teeth of Childhood — Antonio connects his oversized teeth with childhood shame, Pompeii, and his mother's presence. Her death leaves the teeth as lasting reminders of loss and fear.
2. Jealousy Takes Root — Adult domestic conflict exposes Antonio's emotional instability and suspicion of Mara and Luca. Conversations with Cinzia and Michela reveal his loneliness and fear of family failure.
3. Memories Become Evidence — Antonio searches through dental offices and encounters memories involving Uncle Nino, Ciuta, and his mother's suspicions. Past and present begin to merge around his obsessive fears.
4. The Hidden Set — At Dr. Lotto's office, Antonio undergoes a procedure in darkness and loses two teeth. The odontoma revelation makes him fear that another secret life exists inside his body.
5. Letting Go — Antonio gives the extracted teeth to Mara while reflecting on birth, death, and repeated separation. Mara's question and mention of Luca's party leave him isolated and uncertain.