SMILE – review by Neil Healy –
I thought I was getting sucked in to a typical pop-up horror film when I jumped on Netflix to watch SMILE. Released in theaters in 2022, for some reason I hadn’t watched it and now I could finally get the chance.
I was immediately drawn to Sosie Bacon, inside this very disturbing story, and loving it. She plays Dr. Rose Cotter, a therapist who witnesses the suicide of one of her patients at a Newark Psychiatric ward. The patient confesses that something has been following her for days after she witnessed the suicide of her professor. Then in front of Rose, the patient smiles then slits her own throat with a psychotic grin on her face.
Rose realizes that she may be the next victim of an entity that compels you to commit suicide after you have witnessed a suicide. She and her police detective ex-boyfriend Joel, played by Kyle Gallner, review police records and find several recent cases of people who witnessed suicides before killing themselves. In all cases the victims had the same sick grin.
As the story progresses, it bogs down in overly complex, somewhat tropey plot twists. There are real moments of suspense and horror, but despite some excellent performances, and smiling faces, you are glad to see it come to an end.
Despite being slightly disappointed, Sosie Bacon and first-time director Parker Finn keep you involved in a confusing yet engaging story. Audiences loved the film during its initial release in 2022 and will no doubt flock to see this Netflix release.
