Smile movie review & film summary (2022)
This is able to unsettle anybody, however it particularly bothers Rose on condition that Rose’s personal mom died by suicide a few years earlier. That lingering trauma, and the fears and stigma that encompass it, kind the movie’s most clever thematic thread: Rose’s fiance Trevor (Jessie T. Usher) admits that he’s researched inherited psychological sickness on-line, and harsh phrases like “nutjobs,” “crazies,” and “head circumstances” are used to explain mentally unwell folks all through the movie. The concept that she may not truly be stricken by the identical entity that killed Laura, and that her hallucinations, misplaced time, and emotional volatility might need an inside trigger, appears to trouble Rose greater than the idea of being cursed. The folks round Rose, together with Trevor, her therapist Dr. Northcott (Robin Weigert), her boss Dr. Desai (Kal Penn), and her sister Holly (Gillian Zinzer), actually appear to suppose the issue is extra neurochemical than supernatural—that’s, till it’s approach too late.
The one one who believes Rose is her ex, Joel (Kyle Gallner), a cop who’s been assigned to Laura’s case. Their tentative reunion opens the door to the movie’s thriller ingredient, which makes up a lot of “Smile’s” lengthy, however not overly lengthy, 115-minute run time. The movie’s storyline follows a lot of your typical beats of a supernatural horror-mystery, escalating from a fast Google (the internet-age equal of a very good old style library scene) to an in-person interview with a traumatized, incarcerated survivor of no matter this malevolent entity truly is. Temporary reference is made to a cluster of comparable occasions in Brazil, opening up the door to a sequel.
“Smile’s” biggest asset is its relentless, oppressive grimness: This can be a movie the place kids and pets are as susceptible as adults, and the horror components are bloody and disturbing to match the darkish themes. This unsparing sensibility is enhanced by Bacon’s shaky, susceptible efficiency as Rose: At one level, she screams at Trevor, “I’m not loopy!,” then mumbles an apology and appears down at her sneakers in disgrace. At one other, her wan smile at her nephew’s party stands as each a bleak counterpoint to the sick grin the entity’s victims see earlier than they die (thus the movie’s title), in addition to a relatable second for viewers who’ve reluctantly muddled their approach by way of related gatherings within the midst of a depressive episode.
