Directed by:
Parker FinnScreenplay:
Parker FinnCinematography:
Charlie SarroffComposer:
Cristobal Tapia de VeerCast:
Sosie Bacon, Kyle Gallner, Jessie T. Usher, Rob Morgan, Kal Penn, Caitlin Stasey, Judy Reyes, Robin Weigert, Gillian Zinser, Nick Arapoglou, Setty Brosevelt (more)VOD (1)
Plots(1)
After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) 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. (Finnkino)
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Reviews (8)
That it would be a psychological horror was clear to me the moment it turned out that more than one psychologist appeared in it. That it would be an interesting horror became clear during the course of the plot. There was a great atmosphere and tension. The jump scares didn't look as dumb as they usually do. Even though it was sometimes quite gory, gore didn't function as the main instrument of fear. However, the movie also has its drawbacks. The first one is more of a pet peeve of mine because I don't like the actress in the leading role. What was worse was that, although the story tried to look original, I have seen something similar a couple of times. It was like Fallen (1998); only whistling was replaced with smiling. I also don't get why filmmakers don't consult advisors for scenes involving knives. All that stabbing in the sternum and ribs as if it were soft butter is pathetic. Despite all my reservations, I enjoyed myself throughout the movie, which unfortunately doesn't happen to me often with horror movies. P.S. A very nice attempt at a Schrödinger's cat:-) / Lesson learned: If you tend to be jumpy, just use plastic dishes. If you also care about the environment, go for wood.
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A weaker reheating of It Follows and Drag Me to Hell mixed together. Excellent sound design and a couple of well executed jump scares pull it up slightly above average in the end. The craftsmanship is very solid, and the few scripting missteps thankfully don't feel particularly distracting. As a horror one-off, it's actually quite good. If you don't expect any deeper themes from horror movies and are content with simple (but well presented) entertainment and a few jump scares, this material is just for you. [65%]
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Those horror smiles were very scary. Brrr. Good stuff this was. The premise is original, the jump-scares are good (one is absolutely sumptuous), I trusted the little-known Sosie Bacon with every stressed-out twitch of her face, and what I'd particularly highlight was the soundtrack, both the perfectly pitched nervous music and the sound design, which flawlessly supports the anxious atmosphere. And I liked the cinematography, which was interestingly rolling around, or shooting the image upside down. Simply, to conclude, this might not be the horror event of the year, but it is a fine one-off with pizzazz.
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In screenwriting terms, Smile is a lesser variation on It Follows, but only where innovativeness is concerned. Psychologically, it is carefully constructed, almost in the manner of a procedural, without a single weakness. It is also excellently filmed and very intense in its suspense and scares, with brilliant sound design. And the newcomer Sosie Bacon is great in the lead role. Director Parker Finn surprises us again.
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A surprisingly good little mainstream horror film from a debutant that could be an asset to the genre in the future. I was expecting a flop from Smile after the trailers, one that would end up in the 40-50% range, so the result is very satisfying. It's a combination of It Follows and Truth or Dare, but it takes only the best of both and even surpasses them both in quality. It's got a fine mystery around mysterious suicides and I enjoyed a lot the gradual discovery of what's behind it. The main character slowly starts to get paranoid, ugly things happen to her and her life slowly falls apart. The film has a slower pace at times, especially in the middle, but when it comes to the scares it's honest and effective. There are only a few scares but they work well, the atmosphere can be chilling and I liked the finale where there is a decent amount of creepy shots, and there was actually a bit of violence which I wasn't expecting here at all (when the entity rips the skin off its face I was thrilled). So all in all, a nice surprise, but it won't be quite for teenage girls as it seemed at first glance, they will be laughing most of the time in the cinema. 7/10
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