Review | Smile – TERROR with Origin in Brazil becomes a box office PHENOMENON

Every horror fan already knows that when the calendar approaches the end of the year, cinemas and streaming, more recently, are flooded with productions of the favorite genre, after all, October is Halloween month – and, therefore, movies and series that meet this requirement start appearing from late September to early November. And to get the 2022 season off to a good start, the feature film “Sorria” has become a box office phenomenon.

The horror reached 10 million reais at the national box office and was watched by more than 600,000 people, in two weeks of exposure in cinemas across the country. Brazil has established itself as one of the main film markets, behind only the United Kingdom, Mexico, Germany, France, Australia and Spain. Worldwide, the film’s box office gross exceeded US$100 million.

Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) works as a therapist in a large hospital, serving patients with psychiatric disorders, psychotic attacks, disorders, and more. Her routine continues until one day young Laura (Caitlin Stasey) is taken to the hospital with post-traumatic stress disorder after her teacher kills himself in front of her. Rose knows how to handle this kind of situation, but Laura insists she has no problem, and what is really going on is that some sort of entity or spirit is chasing her, sometimes turning into people she knows, sometimes being a complete stranger, taking possession of people’s bodies, always with an evil smile on her face. But in the middle of the consultation Laura starts screaming and ends up committing suicide in front of Rose. Despite the shock, the therapist believes she will be able to move on with her life, however, it gradually becomes apparent that whatever previously pursued her patient now maintains a focused interest in Rose’s life.

Lasting just under two hours, ‘Sorria’ is a production that seems to have put all of its effort into the first arc, losing a bit of steam as it unfolds. The first scenes show how important the Dutch camera (when the angle of the scene turns a little to the side or even reverses and makes a 180o or 360o) is important for the director Parker Finn, who does not hesitate to start his film by making a lot of use of this technique. The special effects also concentrate on this part, only reappearing at the end, which demonstrates a (lack of) mastery of the production budget – and, at the same time, shows that it will be based above all on the performance of its casting, which does not disappoint. .

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In terms of horror, ‘Sorria’ lives up to expectations. The story builds predictably, yet solidly to support its proposition without resorting to unfounded explanations. Although the script gets rid of elements without giving explanations – like the protagonist’s fiancé, played by Jessie T. Usher, the A-Train/Bullet Train from ‘The Boys’ – what really matters is if fear works: and yes, it does. The horror is well done, with the suspense building as the character uncovers the truth and a story that commands attention for its quality.

With plenty of jump scares and a story that originated in Brazil (the Evil Smile’s first death is said to have been here), ‘Sorria’ is pure entertainment for fans of horror and suspense, opening up the darkest month of our cinephile calendar. .

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