I’ve developed something of a habit. Before watching a film, any film, I make it a point to watch the trailer first. Now I know there is a small debate as to whether or not you should (especially when certain vampiric trailers reveal the whole damn movie), but I do it because I want at least a hint of what I’m getting myself into. When I watched the trailer for Smile, I was fairly terrified at the notion that this was what I was going to be watching first thing in the morning. But, being the professional that I am, I pushed back my fears and just jumped straight in. And I’m glad I did. I left the cinema thrilled, horrified, unnerved, and exhausted. This is exactly what a horror film should be.
Adapted from director Parker Finn’s own short film Laura Hasn’t Slept, Smile follows the story of hospital psychiatrist, Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon), who, after witnessing her patient take her own life in front of her (complete with creepy smile no less), begins to start experiencing the same “hallucinations” that her patient was. Suddenly bearing witness to creepy smiling entities herself, Cotter decides to try and investigate what’s happening and figure out a way to stop it. If she can. While the story itself does follow a familiar paranormal horror formula, Parker Finn does just about enough to shake things up.
Smile Though Your Heart is Aching
Watching this, the one film that I kept coming back to was Ari Aster’s brilliant masterpiece, Herditary. As Finn too managed to pull off a feeling that’s very rare in a horror film: discomfort. Sure, the big box office horror hits like The Conjuring have given us terrifying, but there is an even deeper emotion that horror films can tap into, if they do it right. Smile hits all the right buttons. And even before the opening credits roll, Parker knows exactly the type of tone he’s going for. He lets us have it right from the start.
The ingenious use of sound, or lack thereof, is what really amps up the uneasiness of this experience. I would say perhaps 60 percent of Smile is without any background music. It is a choice that makes us edge deeper and deeper into our seats in fear that something may happen at any moment. And most of the time, nothing does. And that’s the genius of it. It’s similar to what Aster does. Parker too utilizes that horror stereotype of silence followed by a jump scare. He builds and builds on that tension. It’s a dick move, but I love it. It’s what makes for a good horror film. When you just can’t tell when the next scare is coming from.
Another aspect as to why this film works so well is Parker’s masterful use of empty space. Nearly every frame of this film has been angled in such a way to make you look at every corner. You’re constantly expecting something to pop out and just yell at us. But again, similar to his use of sound, nothing ever does. He just wants us to think that way. He just wants us to be uncomfortable. And it works so well.
Smile Even Though It’s Breaking
Lead actress Sosie Bacon (13 Reasons Why, Mare of Eastown) is a joy to watch. Watching her slow descent into madness was just exhilarating. Of course, being the daughter of actors Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick, comes with some pretty high expectations, but Sosie knocks all of them out of the park. We feel all of her pain and tiredness. The way she weaves through every one of her emotions is masterful. Honestly, if you needed a reason to watch this film, it would be her.
That said, there is one aspect that stops this from being a near perfect horror experience. Yes, Smile is a good movie, but it could have been a lot tighter. The pacing of the movie does feel a little flabby. Remember that this is based on an 11 minute short. And while it’s impressive that Parker Finn has managed to flesh that out into a nearly two hour movie, you can’t help but feel that some of it should have stayed on the cutting room floor. All of the stuff with Rose playing paranormal investigator could have done with a fewer scenes. We get it, let’s move on with the action and scary noises shall we?
Smile is one of those gems of a horror film that come around every so often. Sure, it may be terrifying at points, but what truly engages you is the story which, at the end of the day, should always be the focus of a good film. You could have all the terrifying and horrific moments you want, but a shitty story will cause everything to fall flat. (Have I mentioned a certain vampire film yet?) Smile executes that on all levels. You will be left horrified, intrigued, and terrified. You will be left thinking about how a smile can be the most disturbing emotion you could ever witness.
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