Smile is a 2022 American psychological supernatural horror film written and directed by Parker Finn (in his feature directorial debut), based on his 2020 short film Laura Hasn't Slept.
Based on Finn's short film Laura Hasn't Slept, the horror feature Smile serves as a metaphor for trauma and how it can become all-consuming. The movie borrows popular tropes from other horrors, such as The Ring and Truth or Dare, to tell its story yet also brings something entirely new and mysterious to the genre.
In Zagreb, 1898, the middle-aged Vlaho Bukovac is determined to leave his home because of envy and intrigues of environment, and move to his native Cavtat (near Dubrovnik) with his young wife Jelica and children.
The Smile Entity as it strangles Rose, and its most infamous quote. You can't escape your own mind, Rose. The Smile Entity, also called The Monstrosity or simply The Smile Demon, is the main antagonist of the 2020 horror short film Laura Hasn't Slept, as well as its 2022 film adaptation/sequel Smile.
Ok so the movie Smile is based around a curse/entity that feeds and spreads through trauma. The main character Rose gets the Trauma both from her mother's death when she is young and also seeing her patient who had the Trauma die violently.
Smile's messy treatment of mental illness and trauma throughout one hour fifty-five minutes seems to be intentional and is bound to leave you feeling uncomfortable. The theme of inheriting mental illness and walking down a path that you have lived dreading all your life is poignant.
CANNOT stress this enough - Massive trigger warning for suicide. There was way too much of it, and not enough warning. Every 15 minutes there was another graphic suicide scene, and/or some scene involving a psychotic break.
Rose doesn't and, ultimately, that patient takes her own life right in front of her. Soon after, Rose starts having visions of a smile entity herself. It's that simple; witness someone who's infected take their own life, and you wind up with the curse yourself.
Rose Cotter, who witnesses one of her patients die by suicide in front of her. The shocking death triggers a domino effect that passes a curse onto Rose, who begins having hallucinations of people with creepy smiles everywhere she looks.
Finn says the face at 1:48:20 is a “true look at the evil thing that's been hiding behind all the smiles.” They called the entity Lollipop — thus explaining the use of The Chordettes' “Lollipop” at the start of the end credits — and this is what happens at the end of every cycle as the beast physically enters the ...
There, the entity takes the form of her mother, revealing that, after overdosing, she asked a then 10-year-old Rose to call for help. Rose declined and her mother died. Rose forgives herself at that moment, but that doesn't deter the creature, which transforms into a monstrous version of Rose's mother.
Smile 2 has been confirmed by Paramount following the runaway success of the first Smile film, which was released back in September 2022. A sequel to Smile has been confirmed following the incredible success of the first movie.
This is an extremely scary, graphic horror movie that should not be taken lightly. I have seen my fair share of horror movies over the years but this one definitely has a different feel to it. It is chilling, unnerving, and very difficult to watch sometimes.
Smile turns that into a literal monster only the victim can see, as though it's a hallucination. The parallels to actual psychosis are striking, and that's why everyone around the main character Rose Cotter initially believes it to be a post-traumatic breakdown as a result of witnessing a suicide.
So once the psychiatrist started to suffer from similar hallucinations, Rose decided to investigate what was really going on. As it turns own, Rose is cursed by trauma, which in Smile is represented by a shapeshifting apparition that scares its victim until their mind is shattered.
Smile clearly wants the audience to see the connection between Rose's curse and mental illness. Throughout the movie, characters use therapy buzzwords and often suggest that Rose's mental state is a result of her genetics and past trauma.
The trauma of her mother's illness and death also affects the major relationships in her life, both with Holly and with her fiancé, Trevor (Jessie T. Usher), who was looking at Rose with skepticism long before her strange behavior began.
A well-used method throughout the film is the technique of inverting camera angles so that you see the city from an upside-down point of view or from side angles. By inverting the landscapes, you see the world as askew. This puts you into the mindset of Rose.
With the colors, we wanted to do something unusual. We had read this study that was from back in the sixties where they found out that this sort of Pepto Bismol pink color somehow was supposed to make violent inmates less violent. So my production designer, Lester Cohen, and I, really grabbed onto that.
Five days after witnessing Laura's death, Rose heads to her childhood home, a decrepit cabin in the woods where her mom died by suicide. The movie often flashes on the horrific scene of Rose opening the door to her mother's bedroom to find her lifeless body. She has not forgiven herself for the events of that day.
Smile is rated R by the MPAA for strong violent content and grisly images, and language. Violence: People are seen cutting, stabbing, and burning themselves and others. A dead cat is shown. Corpses are seen bearing a variety of grisly injuries.
Smile, by Raina Telgemeier - wonderful graphic novel for ages 9 - 13. So many kids are drawn to graphic novels and comic books - they love how visually stimulating they are, they love the laughs and the drama.
