Smiles (Sonrisas)--My review of the horror short film with spoilers!
Meeting the parents of your significant other can seem like a daunting endeavor. There’s always that sense of dread attached to whether or not your partner’s parents would approve of you or not. If they don’t, if you fail to make an impression, chances are your relationship with your partner goes kaput.
So yes, meeting parents is a horror story on its own. Now imagine if your partner’s parents are way weirder than you thought they would be. Imagine realizing your partner may be more like them than you thought.
If you are craving a “meet the parents” horror story then this short is sure to curb that appetite.
ALTER’s YouTube channel is a platform for filmmakers to showcase their work and this week’s offering is SMILES written and directed by Javier Chavanel.
While this movie is in another language, the subtitles help with the dialogue and the visuals do most of the talking anyway.
Smiles (Sonrisas)" by Javier Chavanel Plot with Spoilers.
We see a happy couple and their journey through various photographs. Borja’s girlfriend then insists he meets her parents. Borja is hesitant and tries not to show how thrilled he is not to meet her parents. His girlfriend picks up on it and teases him about it but then sets up a lunch meeting with her parents.
Borja sighs but makes an effort by shaving and dressing properly to meet her parents.
His girlfriend’s parents live in a nice little house complete with a garden and swing. However, when the door opens and her father comes out, Borja is surprised. The man appears to be wearing a yellow mask stretched all the way over his head. The mask has bulging eyes and a smile. No nose.
Borja finds it all bizarre but not his girlfriend who introduces him to her father, mother, and brother.
Borja keeps calm but then asks his girlfriend why they are wearing masks. She nonchalantly answers, “What mask?”
Uh-oh…that’s a red flag right there.
At the table, Borja watches the family comically throw about food near their faces so that it looks like they are eating. His girlfriend encourages him to talk and he finally relaxes and compliments the food.
The family is pleased and Borja feels like he has a win until he passes a comment about his girlfriend being adopted since she looks nothing like them.
Whoops, bad move Borja.
The family grow watchful but his girlfriend assures him she’s very much like them. She uses a knife on her face to peel off the skin. Borja is horrified and tries to stop her but her family holds him down.
Ultimately Borja learns his girlfriend is a yellow-headed, bulging eyes freak underneath her human skin and hair. But she’s done yet. She wants to know if he’s the one.
She begins to slice him and to her disappointment learns that he isn’t as special as she thought, after all.
Poor Borja.
The movie ends but the question remains, why exactly did the girlfriend don the human mask and hair? Looking like that, she was obviously going to attract another human only.
Or was she looking for someone who liked to play dress-up like her? Was that going to be the special one in her eyes? It would make sense why she chose Borja as he was an actor and she thought he may be wearing a mask too.
Too bad he wasn’t.
Fortunately, the girlfriend has a supportive family who assures her she will find the “one” soon.
This is an interesting horror movie with a dash of wit. You won’t be able to decide whether you want to be horrified by what you see on screen or try not to laugh at the final scene.
Scare Scale: 4.5/5
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