Smile: A Grin That Will Haunt You
Ah, “Smile,” the film that takes the seemingly innocent act of grinning and twists it into a nightmarish experience. If you thought your dentist was scary, wait until you see what happens to Dr. Rose Cotter. Spoiler alert: it’s not just a bad day at the office.
We kick things off with Dr. Rose Cotter, a psychiatrist played with a blend of charm and desperation by Sosie Bacon. Rose witnesses one of her patients, a lovely lady named Laura, having a mental breakdown after witnessing a horrific trauma (I mean, you thought your therapist had issues?). In a twist that rivals any horror flick, Laura grins maniacally before taking a fatal leap, and let me tell you, that smile is going to haunt Rose like an ex that won’t stop texting.
After this bizarre encounter, Rose starts experiencing a series of increasingly unsettling phenomena. The kind of stuff that makes you question if your morning coffee was spiked with something stronger than caffeine. She sees people smiling at her in a way that would make even the Cheshire Cat uncomfortable. Honestly, if you think your coworkers’ forced grins at the Monday morning meeting are bad, try dealing with a bunch of psychotic grinners chasing you down the street!
As Rose’s mental state deteriorates, she finds herself in a whirlwind of creepy coincidences and spine-chilling apparitions. She discovers a pattern: the trauma passes from one person to another through this eerie smile. It’s like the worst game of telephone ever, where instead of a funny phrase, you get a death sentence. And here’s the kicker: the only way to stop it is to cause someone else to experience a traumatic event. Talk about a toxic friendship!
Things spiral further when Rose tries to confide in her boyfriend, Trevor. He’s supportive, but honestly, who wouldn’t be freaked out by their partner saying, “Hey, I think I’m being haunted by a smile”? Cue the dramatic music, as Rose’s friends and family start to see the horror unfold, and surprise, surprise, they don’t take it well. There’s a particularly gut-wrenching moment when Rose realizes she has to confront the source of this curse—or is it a dental plan gone wrong?
In a climactic showdown that left me grinning like a lunatic, Rose learns that the curse can manifest in any traumatic experience. So she decides to face her own trauma, which involves some serious family baggage. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t end well. In a twist that would make M. Night Shyamalan proud, Rose’s final confrontation with the entity (which, spoiler within a spoiler, takes the form of a grotesque version of herself) is as terrifying as it is heartbreaking. She realizes that the only way to rid herself of the curse is to pass it on. And let’s just say, she makes a very poor choice at the end, leaving viewers with an unsettling sense of dread.
So, if you were expecting a light-hearted romp through the world of psychiatry, think again. “Smile” is a dark, twisted tale that leaves you questioning the power of a smile—especially when it’s accompanied by a side of madness. And remember, the next time someone tells you to smile, just run. Seriously. It’s for your own good.