Film Review: Facing Life Transitions in ‘Hide Your Smiling Faces’

Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 14, 2014 - 2:08pm

CHICAGO – The pain and passion of prepubescent youth and adolescence unravels in the excellent directorial debut of Daniel Patrick Carbone, “Hide Your Smiling Faces.” Carbone captures the isolation and meticulous boredom at a time of life when everything conspires to happen on a daily basis.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

The film is a meditation, with shades of Terrence Malick-like contemplation. When the suicide of a troubled boy resonates a wave of reaction in a rural town, two brothers look inward to their own fragility. The soul searching and almost beautiful ache of this snapshot is contained within the raw emotions exposed in the boys during their first experience of human mortality. The story is set in a property-less rural region of the country, a place where exploration is wide open, both in territory and soul. The boys are both seekers, and as the reality of death and the bitter sameness of their lives unfolds, the very freedoms that they gained in their unique childhood suddenly begin to narrow.

Two brothers, young Tommy (Ryan Jones) and teenager Eric (Nathan Varnison) live in an expansive rural area with lakes, woods and nature. They hang out with Ian (Ivan Tomic), an angry boy from a harsh single parent home. Trying to impress his friends, Ian shows them his father’s handgun. When the boys start wrestling dangerously with the pistol, the father discovers them and cruelly punishes Ian in front of his friends.

Ian runs from the scene, and ends up jumping from a high railway bridge to his death. The suicide shakes up the small community, especially Tommy and Eric. The reaction seems to be a test for them both, as they escalate a battle with Ian’s father – what begins with their dog loose on his land devolves into destruction and thievery. At the same time, Eric becomes more morose and challenges his brother. Nothing will ever be the same.

“Hide Your Smilling Faces” continues its limited release in Chicago on April 11th at Facets Cinematheque, 1517 W. Fullerton Avenue. Also available with Video-On-Demand, iTunes and other digital platforms. Featuring Ryan Jones, Nathan Varnson, Ivan Tomic, Colm O’Leary and Christina Starbuck. Written and Directed by Daniel Patrick Carbone. Not Rated.