Watch Hide Your Smiling Faces

Hide Your Smiling Faces is a coming-of-age drama film that was released in 2013. It was directed by Daniel Patrick Carbone and stars Ryan Jones, Nathan Varnson, Colm O'Leary, and Christina Starbuck. The film was shot in rural New Jersey and it tells the story of two teenage boys as they navigate through their complex emotions and confusion about life and death.

The film opens with Erik (played by Ryan Jones) and his younger brother, Tommy (played by Nathan Varnson), exploring the woods near their home. The boys are fascinated by death and their curiosity leads them to discover a dead deer in the forest. The boys stand over the deer's body and contemplate the meaning of death. This opening scene sets the tone for the rest of the film, which is a slow, introspective look at the complexities of life and death.

As the film progresses, the audience sees Erik and Tommy's lives unfold. Erik is struggling with the death of a friend who died in a car accident. He is angry and confused about why his friend had to die and he struggles to come to terms with the idea of mortality. Tommy, on the other hand, is still figuring out who he is as a person. He is inquisitive and curious about the world around him, but he hasn't yet experienced enough to know what he really wants out of life.

Throughout the film, Erik and Tommy deal with issues that are common to many teenagers. They experience first love, they have conflicts with their parents, and they struggle to fit in with their peers. However, their experiences are often tinged with a sense of melancholy because of their preoccupation with death and the fragility of life.

One of the main strengths of Hide Your Smiling Faces is the way it captures the beauty of the natural world. The film was shot in rural New Jersey, and the lush green forests and rolling hills provide a stunning backdrop for the characters' lives. The camera lingers on small details, like insects crawling on a leaf or a spiderweb glistening with dew. By doing so, Carbone creates a sense of wonder and amazement at the world around us, even in the face of death and tragedy.

Another strength of the film is the way it portrays the complexities of adolescent emotions. Erik and Tommy are at an age where they are just beginning to understand the enormity of the world around them. They are experiencing emotions like grief, anger, and confusion for the first time, and they don't always know how to deal with them. The film captures these emotions in a subtle and nuanced way, and it never feels manipulative or overwrought.

The performances in the film are also excellent. Ryan Jones, in particular, gives a nuanced and layered performance as Erik. He is able to convey the character's anger and confusion without ever becoming melodramatic. Nathan Varnson is also excellent as Tommy, and he is able to capture the character's inquisitiveness and curiosity without ever feeling precocious.

Overall, Hide Your Smiling Faces is a haunting and beautiful film that captures the complexities of adolescence in a way that is both realistic and poetic. It is a powerful meditation on life, death, and the beauty that exists in-between.

Hide Your Smiling Faces is a 2014 drama with a runtime of 1 hour and 21 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.0 and a MetaScore of 69.