Smile is a recent horror/thriller film that stars Sosie Bacon, Caitlin Stasey, Jessie T. Usher, Kyle Gallner, Rob Morgan, Nick Arapoglou, Dora Kiss, Robin Weigert, Gillian Zinser, Judy Reyes, Bob Leszczak and Scot Teller. The film is written and directed by Parker Finn. The premise of the film is actually extremely unique, “After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter starts experiencing frightening occurrences that she can’t explain. As an overwhelming terror begins taking over her life, Rose must confront her troubling past in order to survive and escape her horrifying new reality.” The film had its premiere at Fantastic Fest on 22nd September 2022.
The film was very well received. Usually I wouldn’t have watched this film but the premise always stuck in my mind as the entire film intended to terrify us with smiles. The didn’t get a release in India but I was waiting for it to come on Digital and now that it is here let’s see what all the buzz is about.
Smile Review – Is it Effective?
Rating – ★★★1/2
The story of Smile is exactly as it was mentioned in the premise. There is no deviation from that or any huge surprises. However, I would still say the film works quite well as the script is thematically rich, well acted and extraordinarily directed. This is the classic case where a story becomes more interesting because of the storyteller. Let me explain, generally a good story or a great story doesn’t need a great storyteller, sure having a good one would elevate the quality but a great story will always be a great story.
However, Smile is not a great story so it is extremely important for it to have a great storyteller and thankfully it does. Director Parker Finn knows how to tell this story and therefore makes it better. In Hollywood, this phenomenon is seen in Tarantino films. His films don’t have a good or great story but he knows how to tell them and that is what makes them better. This film is a breathing example of how a good director can elevate a film’s quality.
Be it the camera work, production design or acting, kudos really as the entire combination of all these elements results in a powerful film. I love the frames of this film, they’re so good. Credit to Charlie Sarroff, the DOP of the film. The frames look astounding especially for a film to be so well shot. Not to mention, Lester Cohen who has done a fantastic job when it comes to the production design of the film. The colors he has chosen really light up and make the frames palpable.
The psychiatric ward looks gorgeous with the beautiful blue walls with blue chairs but to contrast it just enough the pink drapes. When it comes to the acting then full marks to Caitlin Stasey as in her very limited role of 7-8 minutes she makes her character memorable and certainly something you can’t get out of your head. Sosie Bacon is however a hit or miss for me. At times she is really compelling but then falls short in some of the more demanding situations. Overall, I’d say she does well but nothing extraordinary.
The film also has some disturbing imagery, not gore but just disturbing in the context of the film. I love few sequences as they genuinely surprise you and create a sense of dread and mystery. Especially the phone call scenes. What really lifts the film up is the theme. As it is tackling mental health we realize that the theme is extremely strong and it is not a surface level entity horror. The filmmaker uses horror as a medium to tell a deep story of a woman who is losing her mind due to a past trauma.
However, instead of making it a drama he has chosen to tell the story in a horrifying way. I like plot points in the film especially when the chains of the entity is found and then the only way to defeat is to kill someone. I mean that was truly brilliant. I could feel my body enjoying that. The end is definitely powerful especially because unlike other horror films there is no triumph, it is true to its theme and it continues to do so. How a person can’t escape her own past is shown very well. The CGI in the last 5 minutes was weak but it is ignorable.
The last shot of Joel seeing Rose burn herself as she smiles was terrifying. The film ends on an extremely dark and unsettling note that none of us are going to escape this entity and the chain will continue forever. The trauma keeps passing on. The filmmaker’s worldwide view is pessimistic but impactful. I thoroughly liked Smile as it did most things right, if I’m not wrong then this was adapted from a short film. Great job by Finn for that as he’d have to create so much more material.
Verdict
Smile is one of the better horror films released this year. It is a good film that at times feel slow and I understand it is because it is adapted from a short. One terrifying image can’t sustain an entire feature film. So yes in the middle there are moments where you’ll feel it is moving very slowly but if you could look past that then you’ll one of the best elevated horror films of 2022. The film had a compelling character who was not dumb. There is good backstory to the character where they seem real.
The movie is filled with tension but not so much of scares but I think what’s more important is the residue that the film leaves you with. It didn’t scare me while I was watching it, I was tensed sure, but not scared. However, after finishing the movie I have this fear of seeing smiling faces and what hell lies beyond them. I feel the dread of constantly being haunted by someone. If a film can do that to you then it is a good film. For the same reason and many more check out Smile this week it is clearly a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Smile is available for purchase on Digital.
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