3.5 out of 5 stars
Dr Rose Carter (Sosie Bacon) is a high-functioning psychiatrist. She has suffered her childhood trauma, allowing her to see her practice with genuine altruistic intentions. When she assesses an unstable hospital patient, Laura Weaver (Caitlin Stasey), who claims that something is out to get her, Rose is unsure how to treat her. Then Laura suddenly becomes calm during their session and smiles before severing her own throat. As much as the young doctor tries, she is powerless to save her patient from dying in a pool of blood.
After the incident, Rose starts seeing visions of Laura with her taunting smile. At first, she tries to ignore her images of Laura and puts them down to temporary PTSD after witnessing a traumatic suicide. Until Rose’s world starts to crumble around her as her colleagues and family fail to grasp the claims that her life is the one in danger now. As situations occur and paranoia sets in, the psychiatrist must consider what is going on with her life. Is there a malevolent force trying to kill her, or if she is battling an expected mental illness from her family history?
Sosie Bacon is exceptional as the traumatised lead protagonist battling an entity that only she can 'see.' With strong tropes in the Denzel Washington film Fallen, writer/director Parker Finn has added plenty of jump-scares with a combination of implied and gratuitous violence. He manages to cleverly overlay a mental health subtext upon the consideration of a metaphysical or paranormal entity. Within this storyline, audiences can experience how difficult it is for someone acting very paranoid about convincing others of things that only occur in the spiritual realm. This masterfully written screenplay complements the central cast's performances and leads to the filmmaker's deleterious intent.
REEL DIALOGUE: Do you believe in the spiritual realm?
It is the question at the heart of the whole narrative of Smile. Yet, it is a query people have been trying to answer throughout the ages. Considering the spiritual realm is a topic that everyone must address at different times in their lives.
From the beginning to the end of the Bible, God addresses the notion of good and bad celestial beings. Angels, demons, and the Holy Spirit (or by another name, The Holy Ghost) provide an alternative view to much of Hollywood’s expression of spirits. Still, this film should challenge us all to search for the answer.
Where do you start to explore what the Bible says about the subject? These passages will open the door to more considerations of the spiritual nature of this world.
John 16:13, Romans 12:2, 1 Corinthians 15:24, Ephesians 6:12, Colossians 1:16, Colossians 2:10-15, 1 Peter 3:22, Revelation 20:1-15
