After his short film Laura Hasn’t Slept aired at the SXSW Film Festival in 2020, Parker Finn wrote and directed his horror thriller Smile in 2022. Horror movie enthusiasts were eager to see it because of Sosie Bacon’s outstanding performance as the title character, Dr. Rose Cotter, and the movie’s promotion. The narrative includes a curse, ominous grins, an original and memorable creature, and a contemplation of trauma that goes deeper than in many horror films.
The finale of Smile is just as intriguing and horrifying as the entire film, from what the monster is to precisely what happens in the closing seconds. The conclusion ensures that no spectator will ever forget Rose’s character growth.
Smile’s Ending Explained
When Joel (Kyle Gallner) visits Rose’s childhood home in the 2022 horror film Smile, he realises that Rose is too damaged to help. Rose witnesses the creature, suffers a breakdown, and is rendered immobile. By lighting a fire with her own body, she embraces the curse in all its truth and totality. Joel discovers Rose has cursed him far too late. Since Rose doesn’t appear to have a chance of surviving, it’s a good finish.
The curse is passed on between people in Smile when they commit themselves in front of another person, which is more harsher than the majority of horror films featuring lethal and violent curses. The movie’s finale is extremely depressing since it shows that Joel can’t get away from Rose after he decides to assist her figure out what’s going on and that he will never be able to do so. It’s incredible to consider that all of this occurs when Joel makes the seemingly simple decision to support Rose.
The movie’s shocking conclusion, “Smile,” demonstrates that it also tells a compelling narrative in addition to featuring some of the worst horror movie grins. Rose stands out from other protagonists in horror films in that the reason she is being followed by an entity has to do with her challenging and traumatic background.