Congratulate the movie executive whose eureka moment conceived a cursed entity existing to inflict jump scares. An amalgam of Ringu curse variants, there is certainly something creepy about the rictus grinning apparitions and how they begin insinuating themselves into different corners of the cursed life. The director makes excellent use of framing, dark doorways and corners, and shadows in otherwise mundane scenes, where inevitably something horrible is grinning and waiting to attack. There's a bleakness that suffuses much of this film, and the director captures darkness and dread quite effectively. Make no mistake, this is a mean entity, existing as a constant barrage of psychological assault and torment, alienating and isolating the victim before shattering their minds and driving them to commit atrocity. However, beyond an extremely grisly opening death, the majority of the curse plays out as alternating jump scares and menacing apparitions on pretty quick rotation. One can sympathize with the main character, as the constant assault of recycled scares begins to wear down and exhaust. There might be a studio mandated formula for the timing as they all seem to execute in the same pattern and sequence. As with the curse itself, there’s predictable inevitability to how each trope plays off onscreen, from pets, to the main character’s flashbacks to the twists and turns of the last act. This film aspires to have something relevant and poignant to say about trauma, mental illness and survivor’s guilt, but rarely scratches beyond a surface level. Which is a shame, considering the entity is literally a trauma monster. There are clever concepts and ideas behind this, some executed better than others, and your milage may vary as to what message is conveyed with regards to the treatment of mental health. Arguably the entity’s reveal is an illustration of how traumatic recollections distort and twist memories and recall into grotesqueries, but the film’s depiction comes across unintentionally goofy and gross. While derivative and utterly predictable, the film is certainly well polished, well acted, and he concept and visuals are unsettling and jarring enough overcome these flaws which hopefully can be addressed in the inevitable sequels and franchise to come.
Smile (2022)