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Then the inspiration vanishes andSmilesettles into the wan, pro forma genre-flick form it so astutely evaded early on.
The premise is generic horror, but the execution, at first, is anything but.
The professor, were told, had an eerie smile on his face before killing himself.
Then, sure enough, the patient suddenly starts to grin creepily before promptly slitting her own throat.
(It also inspired the Joker.)
And although Lenis picture was based on a Victor Hugo novel, this is an inherently cinematic concept.
Smile, for a while, does exactly that.
Bacon stands out in particular.
When shes at work, made up and put together, Rose seems cool and delicately featured.
It suggests that Rose becomes a different person when she no longer has to put on the proverbial face.
To put it another way, the film teaches us how to watch it.
Thats a nifty accomplishment.
If only the film didnt eventually forget its own lessons.
These are, perhaps, minor narrative gripes.
That feels downright unforgivable.
