The idea of a potential killer smiling sadistically has long tapped into our fear of psychopaths and the uncanny, which made Finn want to craft a film around the idea.
It's further evidenced by the fact that, over the course of Smile's story, the entity seemingly never physically attacks Rose. Instead, it's the various visions it gives her that lead her to hurt herself.
Based on Finn's short film Laura Hasn't Slept (2020), it stars Sosie Bacon as a therapist who witnesses the bizarre suicide of a patient, then goes through increasingly disturbing and daunting experiences that lead her to believe she is experiencing something supernatural.
Rose sees the monster, has a mental breakdown, and can't move. She truly and fully embodies the curse by starting a fire with her own body. Joel realizes too late that Rose has given him the curse. It's an effective ending since it doesn't seem that Rose would be able to survive this.
"Smile" is five stories in one. It's important to note that this is not a true story. Rather, the credits claim that it's like 80,000 other stories. Some characters are based on real people, others are composites.
Smile 2 is scheduled to hit theaters on October 18, 2024. Parker Finn signed a multi-year, first-look deal with. “Smile's breakthrough success is a testament to Parker's unique and fresh filmmaking, and we are thrilled that he will make Paramount his home,” said Paramount CEO Brian Robbins.
Smile writer-director Parker Finn characterizes the two endings of his film as an attempt to get ahead of audiences' expectations. In an interview with Polygon, he said that “horror audiences have gotten so savvy …
The concept of a smile is a powerful element in the movie, as it represents the facade that people with depression, anxiety, or trauma often wear to hide their pain and struggles. By incorporating this relatable horror element, the film strikes a chord with many viewers.
Those closest to Rose believe she's lost her mind and that her hallucinations are a symptom of some undiagnosed mental illness. (Rose's mom, we learn, took her own life when she was just a kid, and she has not yet processed it fully.)
But I couldn't help but notice that the flick takes a certain amount of inspiration from Ringu/The Ring. At its core, the lore behind Smile is quite similar to The Ring. Both films follow a protagonist exposed to a supernatural entity that they eventually learn will kill them within a week.
Rose Cotter was the main protagonist of the 2022 American psychological horror film Smile. She is portrayed by Sosie Bacon as an adult, and Meghan Brown Pratt as a 10 year-old.
Northcott (Robin Weigert) reveals herself to be the demon. Her own therapist attacks her and shatters the sacred trust between doctor and patient — it's a shocking moment that represents the ultimate betrayal. Ironically, this helps Rose realize that she may have betrayed her own mother in her darkest time of need.
I would say it's a mixture of poor ideas (most of them already seen in other movies with a much better production), stupid dialogs and situations, even poorer "special effects" (if there are any...) and silly acting (sometimes I have the feeling the actors don't believe that much in what they are doing).
Smile,directed by Parker Finn, chronicles a set stories like these. Before going to the theatres, I'd recommend you take the trigger warnings surrounding suicide and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) very seriously.
At the end of Smile, Rose decides she wants to break the cycle and defeat the evil entity by facing her past. That's nothing short of brilliant, as Smile allows its main character to find a solution that reinforces the message it's trying to build: mental health is a serious issue, and we need to treat it properly.
Smile also misses the mark metaphorically because the audience is aware that the smiling creature following Rose is real. This means that Rose is not having a genuine psychotic episode but that her would-be delusions are actually factual beliefs, which creates many problems in the film.
The entity in Smile is powered by psychological trauma and thrives from feeding off of people's pain. Smile improves on other movies of its kind when it comes to demonic forces because it doesn't need to possess a vessel in order to maintain its strength, with its virus-like nature making it difficult to beat.
Smile 2, the sequel to the breakout horror film, has been confirmed by Paramount and is set to have a theatrical release. The release date for Smile 2 is October 18, 2024, approximately two years after the release of the original film.
As the Chordettes' famous song “Lollipop” played out the credits, it appeared that maybe the joyful tune was director/writer Parker Finn's way of distracting us from the fact that even he could not come up with anything more creative to conclude the movie.
Rose's body is smiling while she burns away, and we can see in Joel's eyes he will be scarred for life by that disturbing suicide. Joel's life won't last long, though, as he's now the entity's next victim. In the end, there's no way to escape trauma. Smile is currently streaming on Prime Video in the U.S.
As Joel walks in, Rose is wearing that familiar creepy smile and has covered herself in gasoline – about to light a match. So no, Rose does not survive in Smile and even worse, it seems the curse has found a way to keep itself going, with Joel now presumably set to be its next victim.
Much of the filming for Smile took place in New Jersey, including the city of Hoboken and locations such as Murphy Varnish Lofts, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark and Lewis Morris Park in Morristown.
Principal photography took place from January to March 2024 throughout Hudson Valley, New York, with primary locations in Newburgh, Poughkeepsie, Wappingers Falls, Albany and New York City.
