[FILM] Smile 2 (2024)
The first Smile was one of the biggest positive surprises for me the year it released, and the sequel is even better. From the very first opening scene, which is an action sequence filmed as an unbroken shot, it becomes clear that this is an ambitious film full of confidence about the story it is trying to tell. To be honest, if you got rid of the last third, the whole thing could have been its own standalone film - thematically, it feels more like Perfect Blue or Black Swan than whatever the original was trying to do. I was also surprised at just how nasty and graphic a lot of the violence was. The way Smile 2 balances its gore and scares with genuine emotional unease felt genuinely disturbing. The way things are going, it looks like we will be getting at least one sequel, so I really hope the quality on the upward trajectory.