A Happy Smile

Eddie, a reserved college student, goes about his day wearing a mask: a smile drawn on a box worn over his head. Through an introspective experience in which he learns to let go of his past, Eddie takes off the box and embraces his true emotional state.

  • Patrick Farrell
    Director
  • Michael Csorba
    Director
  • Patrick Farrell
    Writer
  • Patrick Farrell
    Producer
  • Michael Csorba
    Co-Producer
  • Michael Csorba
    Director of Photography
  • Hannah Cowan
    Editor
  • Daniel Farrell
    Music by
  • Angel Gavillan
    Key Cast
    "Eddie"
  • Sawyer Kratzer
    Key Cast
    "Derek"
  • Josh Andrews
    Key Cast
    "Eddie (Voice)"
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Runtime:
    13 minutes 14 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 1, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    300 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    2k Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.35:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Jacksonville University
  • Phin Film Festival
    Jacksonville
    United States
    Official Selection, Best Picture, Best Directing, Best Cinematography
  • Long Story Shorts International Film Festival

    Official Selection
  • Rendezvous Film Festival
    Amelia Island
    United States
    Official Selection, Best Statement Film Nominee
  • Indie Short Fest
    Los Angeles, California
    United States
    Official Selection, Semi-Finalist
  • Central Florida ShortNight

    Official Selection, Best of Florida
  • Orlando International Film Festival
    Orlando, Florida
    United States
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Patrick Farrell, Michael Csorba

Patrick Farrell (b. 1999) is an emerging writer, director, and producer living in Florida. Patrick is currently working on his Bachelor’s of Arts in Philosophy at Jacksonville University, with three minors in Music, Jazz Studies, and Film. Working at an adept and professional level in a plethora of artistic mediums has led to Patrick being described as a “renaissance man” by many of his colleagues and superiors. As a philosopher, Patrick integrates a degree of intellectual creativity into all of his writings – especially film – asserting that art should both entertain and teach a valuable lesson if used to its fullest potential.

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Director Statement

A Happy Smile began with the simple and innocent image of a young man with a box over his head – and on this box, I drew a smile. Conceived as a poetic illustration of human emotion, the vision of the movie quickly evolved into a compelling character study centered around depression and human connections. Despite this film being poetically interpretive, I think the main takeaway from watching it is that we all put up masks to hide from both our environment and ourselves, but it’s incredibly important that we be honest with ourselves and process how we truly feel irrespective of whether it fits into the status quo of others' expectations. Essentially, learn to let go of the smile because sometimes it's important to be sad. - Patrick Farrell