When we see someone smiling at us, we have two choices: smile back (even if we wonder) or run away. In Parker Finn's Smile universe, running away is the best option, though it doesn't necessarily mean the best ending.
(This article may contain spoilers!)
Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) is a hard-working psychiatrist who has not been home for days because of taking care of patients. One day a patient came in hysterical after seeing a traumatic event: a lecturer committed suicide in front of him, hitting himself on the head with a hammer. After that, the woman named Laura (Caitlin Stasey) admitted that someone was following her. Something that only he could see by himself.
As a psychiatrist, Rose couldn't belittle every word of her patients. But he also couldn't completely believe it right away. Until he finally witnessed one of the most horrific things in his life: Laura stood before him, smiling horribly as she clutched the broken glass, then ripped the skin off her own face until she bled to death.
This incident led Rose to similar incidents which she inevitably had to try to find a common thread and a solution. Otherwise, his life would not be saved. Assisted by a police officer named Joel (Kyle Gallner), who is also his former crush, Rose begins to investigate a mysterious case that turns out to have claimed 19 of the 20 victims. The one remaining might be Rose's last hope for survival.
From the very first moment, Smile had presented a very uncomfortable atmosphere. Right up to the moment Laura rips her own face off (it's not a spoiler since it's in the trailer) we really don't know what's really going on. Slowly the audience is invited to enter Rose's life which is somewhat ironic: she tries to help people with mental problems while battling her own mental health problems.
Trauma is the main thread of this film, which is described slowly but very disturbing. There is a sense of uneasiness and insecurity that lingers throughout nearly three-quarters of the film because as viewers we don't know what really happened, who or what spread the terror, and how it all started. One theory that had appeared in the film was about cults.
In addition, Smile also invites us to dive deep into Rose's isolated life. As a doctor, it doesn't make sense for him to ask others for help because he feels that a demon is hunting him. Even his fiancé, Trevor (played by Jessie T. Usher), couldn't believe what he was telling him at all.
The same thing was experienced by Laura as a doctoral student. The people in this film are trapped in their logic about the astral world and the real world, thus making Rose's loneliness even more climax and making us as viewers even more uncomfortable. In addition, repeated squeaky music and back and forth camera movements add to the uncomfortable experience. But surprisingly it's very fun and entertaining!
Even though the jumpscare in this film is often guessed, it still screams because it is raised unmitigated. But more than that, what makes Smile so terrifying is the fact that it can turn out to be something as simple and easy as a smile.
Written and directed by Parker Finn, Smile is adapted from the director/screenwriter Laura Hasn't Slept short film. The film produced by Temple Hill Entertainment (which previously produced many dramas and fantasy films such as Twilight Saga to Maze Runner) and Paramount Players (previously produced Orphan: First Kill) distributed by Paramount Pictures will be released in Indonesian theaters starting September 28, 2022.
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