Writer and director Parker Finn has exceeded expectations with the sequel to the award-winning movie “Smile,” titled “Smile 2,” addressing important issues of addiction, mental health and societal pressure to perform.
“Smile 2” follows fictional pop sensation Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) as she prepares for the beginning of her redemption tour. This tour ends Skye’s year-long hiatus, after she canceled her previous tour following a drug-induced car accident that killed her boyfriend Paul (Ray Nicholson) and left her severely injured.
Because of this horrific accident, as well as the publicization of photos of Skye doing drugs, Skye becomes sober. Skye develops a mental health condition called trichotillomania, which causes her to pull her hair out when stressed, and struggles with complex PTSD and grief from losing Paul in the accident.
While rehearsing for her upcoming tour, Skye reinjures her back, but because of her history of substance abuse, doctors won’t prescribe her anything stronger than Tylenol. Skye turns to her high school drug dealer, Lewis Fregoli (Lukas Gage), to buy Vicodin.
In a short segment at the start of the movie, Lewis witnesses Joel (Kyle Gallner), a main character in the original “Smile,” pass the Smile entity onto a dead man, but because Lewis was a living witness, the entity possessed him instead.
When Skye visits Lewis to buy drugs, Lewis acts skittish, making insane claims and acting fearful for his life. Lewis later smashes his face with a weight plate, passing the entity onto Skye.
While terrorizing Skye with smiling faces scattered throughout her life, the entity places graphic reminders of the accident into Skye’s head, tortures her in her sleep and destroys her credibility in numerous ways, causing Skye’s manager/mother to believe she has relapsed.
Throughout the film, Skye struggles with her mental health, feeling pressure to perform exceptionally for her fans, managers and investors. She battles her own self-worth, addiction and trauma. This is capitalized on by the entity, who intentionally makes Skye feel out of control.
Following a series of torturous events, Skye ends up in a rehabilitation center, where she tells her mother she mentally and physically can’t do the tour. Her mother reminds her of the fans she will let down and the investors she is disappointing, forcing her to do the tour.
Skye responds, exhausted:“I wish you knew what it was like to be in my brain.”
Scott perfectly portrays the mental anguish and terror Skye experiences, giving the performance of a lifetime throughout the two-hour-long runtime. Skye’s emotions were brought to life and affected the audience, making viewers root for her recovery and survival.
“Smile 2” draws attention to the mental health struggles many celebrities face due to stardom and fans’ expectations. Because of this inescapable pressure, many turn to substances to relieve their stress.
This film focuses on how dangerous ongoing pressure and untreated mental health issues can be. There have been many well-loved and respected celebrities who have overdosed on drugs or alcohol, in their attempt to subside their depression and anxiety, or have committed suicide in the same fashion.
Liam Payne, solo artist and former member of One Direction, died Oct. 16 after a night of heavy drug and alcohol use, resulting in Payne falling off a balcony. Payne had been open about his struggle with addiction and his declining mental health since rising to fame.
Payne shared he was almost six months sober after completing a 100-day rehab program in June 2023.
Frequent heavy drinking is how Payne grappled with his fame. In a 2019 interview with Men’s Health Australia, Payne said, “It’s like putting on a Disney costume before stepping on stage, and underneath, I was often drunk because it was the only way to make sense of what was happening.”
Unfortunately, substance abuse among celebrities is common. To manage the pressures of Hollywood and the constant media attention, stars often turn to drugs and alcohol to cope.
Some celebrities who have been outspoken about their substance abuse are Jodie Sweetin, who became addicted to meth after the end of “Full House,” and Demi Lovato, who became a cocaine and heroin addict to escape from the pressure of Hollywood.
High expectations and stress are not reserved for celebrities. Everyday people experience internal and external pressure to perform at school, work and home, despite their extenuating life circumstances.
According to the 2023 United States National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 27.1% of young adults aged 18-25 have battled a substance abuse disorder in the past year.
Students are known to be stressed due to academics, finances, relationships and expectations of others.
According to the National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments, in a survey of “96,000 U.S. students across 133 campuses during the 2021–22 academic year, 44 percent reported symptoms of depression, 37 percent said they experienced anxiety and 15 percent said they have seriously considered suicide.”
Symptoms of depression include, but are not limited to, sadness, a lack of or excessive amount of sleeping, feeling fatigued, loss of interest in activities and many more. Look out for these symptoms, both in self and in friends, and always reach out when help is needed.
The #988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available to call or text for around-the-clock help when experiencing depression or suicidal thoughts.
