Movies…with a little bit of obscure culture and sports mixed in
So here I am, a year later, pressing play ready to get scared. And you know what? I was very scared. Director and writer Parker Finn puts an outstanding premise on The Ring (2022) formula and feathers Smile with accents of natural uneasiness and deep-rooted grasps at mental health stigmas.
“After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, a psychiatrist becomes increasingly convinced she is being threatened by an uncanny entity.”
Director: Parker Finn
Writer: Parker Finn
Staring: Sosie Bacon, Jessie T. Usher, Kyle Gallner, Kal Penn
Release Date: September 30, 2022
IMDB
Here I am, sticking to my classic “year later” tendencies. Last year Smile (2022) was the breakout spooky season hit with a surprising 105 million dollar box office breakthrough. An outstanding trailer, followed by a unique marketing campaign, helped Smile break through into the fear seeking Zeitgeist.
So here I am, a year later, pressing play ready to get scared. And you know what? I was very scared. Director and writer Parker Finn puts an outstanding premise on The Ring (2022) formula and feathers Smile with accents of natural uneasiness and deep-rooted grasps at mental health stigmas.
As a man who uses and needs therapy, Smile embraces the idea of hiding your emotions with a veneer or normalcy. Deep down, you are really fucked up, but what you are showing the world is a pretty smile and a relaxed exterior. Smile takes the idea of happiness and a smile and makes it a terrifying monster. It is the veil of happiness that drives one to madness, a madness that eventually goes too far.
I know, it’s dark. But let’s sit in the darkness for a while.
Smile does not have a happy ending. Smile does not care about a soothing resolution. The manic behavior of those infected, and the main character Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) festers like a zit on all relationships it touches, eventually resulting in an explosion that covers someone with its poisonous ooze.
Smile again hits the nail square on the head with its message that mental madness and mental health problems are passed down. Whether or be genetically or through personal relationships, an energy vampire can suck the life out of someone they love without even knowing they are doing it. The majority of the people who are infected with this maleficent mood don’t know where they got it from, much like how those who have never experienced extremely low mental health moments don’t know how to handle or cope with it.
There is also this really random dark fact that kept popping into my head when I was watching Smile. Now, to be fair, I am not sure that this fact is actually true…this is a thing I have heard and it makes all the sense in the world and so I think it’s true but I have been too scared to look it up.
When someone kills themselves by jumping off of something small, the inevitable and twisted reality is that they are smiling as they are falling. It is the wind literally rushing against your face as gravity does the work. Or it is the last bit of satisfaction before life’s end, the feel of a breeze on your face is something nobody can dislike even in your saddest moment.
I know, it’s really dark. I warned you. It’s twisted. Moving on.
There are visuals in Smile that stick in your mind like a piece of broccoli in your teeth. The poster itself, which features the first victim we see smiling, is magnetically uninviting. The classic I want to look away but I can’t feel.
Then there is the ending. The evil spirit brought to life reminded of the Netflix original The Ritual that was released back in 2017. It is another movie about existential dread (to a degree) that features a rather ghastly final sequence with a monster one doesn’t expect.
Side note, The Ritual is another example of how a deep wooded setting can be absolutely terrifying. I am referencing yesterday’s review of Significant Other (2021).
Back on track.
One of the most exciting things about Smile is that it is directed by a man doing his first full length feature. Parker Finn had just two short films underneath his belt before Smile broke through. With one movie, Finn has put himself in the exciting conversation of new horror movie makers that includes Zach Cregger and Ti West. Barbarian (2022), X (2022) and Pearl (2022) are all different takes on tried-and-true story arcs, and it’s these directors who are able to pull the right strings and create something engrossing.
Smile won’t leave you with a smile on your face, and that’s alright. Not every movie should result in a cathartic sigh of relief. Sometimes it should make you hold your breath and stepback for a minute.
Smile is streaming on both Amazon Prime and Paramount+.
STANKO RATING: A-
Stanko Excel Lists | Movies, Books, Podcasts. TV Shows
Stanko Letterdbox Account
There is a lot happening in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning. One could argue that there is too much going on.
Much maligned as the worst of the Mission: Impossible franchise, Mission: Impossible II doesn’t do itself any favors upon rewatch.
MaXXXine (2024) “In 1980s Hollywood, adult film star and aspiring actress Maxine Minx finally gets her big break. But as a mysterious killer stalks the starlets of Hollywood, a trail of blood threatens to reveal her sinister past.” Director: Ti WestWriter: Ti WestCast: Mia Goth, Elizabeth Debicki, Halsey, Lily Collins, Kevin Bacon, Bob Cannavale, Michelle…
Stanko's Stance 