Smile is a psychological thriller about an E.R. therapist (is that real?) whose patient commits suicide in front of her, with a horrifyingly dangerous smile on her face. After that, she can't stop seeing her, and others with that same smile. Follow her as she tries to get a handle on the encroaching madness while she hunts for answers.
The acting in Smile was superb. I feel like it is hard to act insane without looking like you are acting insane, but the people in this movie did well. The unsupportive reactions to the protagonist's madness were heartwrenching, and sadly, accurate to real-life interactions of the sort.
The eerie soundtrack that followed her descent into insanity was reminiscent of Us. It was a strange, dissonant combination of muted percussion with… I'm not sure, palm muted strings? I am not sure how they did it, but it struck every one of my nerves. Very creepy!
The gore and blood effects were well-done and realistic. I will say that I think that the supernatural "big bad" at the climax was particularly less frightening than anything in the rest of the movie, but the rest made up for it.
Now, all that being said, there is, in fact, nothing new here. The ideas here are just new takes on old tropes. As disappointing as that is, this movie was still extremely well done. I would even go so far as to call it spooky.
I would recommend at least one serious watch, alone in the dark. I'd also recommend a thermos and a mug of coffee, and table nearby so you don't spill it.
i thought it was good also. actually freaked me