Below Her Mouth is a 2016 Canadian erotic romantic drama film directed by April Mullen and written by Stephanie Fabrizi. The film stars Erika Linder and Natalie Krill as two women who meet and engage in a passionate affair over a weekend in Toronto. The production gained significant media attention for its use of an all-female crew, a choice made by the filmmakers to prioritize a female perspective in the storytelling and depiction of intimacy.

When Below Her Mouth premiered at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival, it did so with a siren’s call of controversy. Billed as a raw, unapologetic lesbian romance, the film promised to break the mold of how queer female intimacy is typically depicted on screen—often through a male-gaze lens or with chaste discretion.

Cinematography

: The film features a distinct visual style, using handheld cameras and natural lighting to create an intimate, fly-on-the-wall atmosphere. Release and Reception

Here is the honest truth: Below Her Mouth is not universally beloved. Check its Rotten Tomatoes score (25% from critics) and you’ll see sharp division. Many reviewers took issue with the male-fiancé character, who is rendered as such a one-dimensional obstacle that he feels like a straw man. Others found the dialogue laughable.

The film had its world premiere at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in the Special Presentations section and was later released in theaters and on streaming platforms. Critical reception was varied; some reviewers commended the film for its focus on the "female gaze" and the performances of the lead duo, while others felt the screenplay was less developed than the visual elements.

But if you want to see what happens when a director hands the reins to women behind the camera and lets two actors commit fully to the physical truth of falling in lust, it’s essential viewing. The Wikipedia page will give you the cast list and the runtime (94 minutes). The film itself gives you something rarer: a reminder that in cinema, as in life, the most honest conversations sometimes happen without words.