SMILE… THE WORST IS YET TO COME

co-writer / director / executive producer

feature film | dramatic comedy | 2025

An LA-based couple grappling with a series of personal and professional losses retreats to Big Bear Lake for a weekend hoping to rekindle their dwindling romantic flame.

Directed by Chloe Lenihan

Written by Joseph Mancuso & Chloe Lenihan

Cinematography by Allie Schultz

Music by Geographer

Production Design by Vanessa Fiddler

Costume Design by Lor-E Phillips

Casting by Maribeth Fox

Starring: Elizabeth Masucci (Shame, Public Morals), Joseph Mancuso (The Blacklist), Krystina Alabado (Broadway’s Mean Girls and American Psycho), Ethan Jones Romero (NYAD), and Joe Pacheco (The Morning Show)

Awards:

Winner of the New Filmmaker Grant from Panavision

Received The ReFrame Stamp for gender-balanced production

Festivals:

Announcements coming in 2025!