Smile said a lot about trauma, mental health, and fighting demons (literal and figuratively) to survive. Many consider it one of the best modern horror films. Naturally, this meant that some fans of Smile were skeptical about the sequel. It wasn’t an upcoming horror movie that some fans wanted because of its potential to undermine the film’s legacy. A sequel is rarely as good or better than the original, but it turns out that Smile 2 falls into that rare category.
Smile 2 surpasses Smile in boldness, plot, horror, and leaving a lasting impression. I also connected with Smile 2 in a way that I didn’t connect with the first film. The themes and messages hit you on the head a little more in the second film.
Mainly, Smile 2's explorations of mental health and trauma really resonated with me.
Warning: Smile 2 spoilers are ahead. Proceed with caution.
Smile 2 Reminded Me Of The Torture Sometimes Behind A Fake Smile
The idea of hiding behind a smile is the backbone of the Smile movies. It’s the idea that something seemingly wholesome and honest like a smile can have sinister connotations. This isn’t really flipping the switch on the idea of a smile because it sometimes is a devious or damaging act. People are often told to smile away their pain. Many who encourage others to smile aren’t doing it maliciously, but generally believe that a smile can cure sadness or pain.
However, smiles can also hurt people, because it hinders them from being true to their other emotions. In Smile 2, Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) often puts on big smiles because that’s part of her job. She has to have this agreeable nature because it comes with her fame. Smile 2 director and writer Parker Finn succeeds in cementing the message of why faking a smile isn’t something admirable but something dangerous.
If you’re always forcing yourself to smile, you lose touch with your true feelings. That could lead to darkness that may not be a literal monster, but it could have the same damning effects.
A Pop Star, To Me, Felt Like The Perfect Example Of Someone Who Often Has To Force A Smile
When I first saw the Smile 2 trailer, I immediately didn’t see how it made sense to focus on a pop star. There seemed to be a major disconnect between Smile’s doomed heroine and Skye. However, my skepticism shut down while watching this movie, because the ideas in the first film work better in Smile 2 because of the pop star element. We have witnessed some of the pressures and turmoil people in the media face. They’re always being analyzed, watched, and criticized for everything they do.
However, they aren’t supposed to show emotions. They’re supposed to just become these perfect examples of humanity -- emotionless and always smiling. Smile 2 uses an empathetic and delicate approach to showcase how to create a sympathetic heroine with someone who many may immediately feel a disconnect with. A human exists behind these big-name stars, ones whose fame kind of steals some of their humanity. In an interview with Yahoo Entertainment, Finn summarized the film’s thesis about the unseen pressures of being an extremely famous person.
I think we put so much pressure on some of these women to always be playing this persona in public and always be performing even when they’re not onstage. I think that takes a major toll. It’s a toll that is hard for them to show to the world.
This is also why Smile 2’s clever Drew Barrymore cameo has layers. She is also a very famous person who endured a lot, including addiction, because of her superstar status. Seeing Barrymore may help remind viewers of real life stars who face similar struggles as Skye.
Additionally, I couldn’t help but draw comparisons to Britney Spears and Skye, and all the scrutiny and struggles Spears faces because of fame and its pressures. It also made me respect newer artists like Chappell Roan who have been fighting against the idea of trying to present this perfect pop star image. It’s not easy to ignore the pressure and just embrace the complex, messy, and strange beauty of oneself, especially as a celebrity. Skye shows how losing yourself to please others is harmful.
You can’t always fake a smile to survive. Sometimes you need to tear down the smile and bare the true self.
Skye’s Multilayers Of Trauma Made It Easy For Me To Sympathize With Her
Skye having to fake a smile is traumatic for her not just because of her superstar status. She’s dealing with a lot of things. She’s dealing with the death of her boyfriend, Paul Hudson (Ray Nicholson), her body being permanently damaged from the accident, her own guilt with what happened, her mental health, and her addiction issues. However, Skye must ignore all of this because of the tour.
That tour is what drove her down this dark path but she must dismiss this fact because she’s trying to please everyone, especially her mother (Rosemarie DeWitt). Skye is also trying to please her fans and those keeping her at the top. Smile 2 is so successful because many may start the film automatically thinking they won’t connect or relate to this millionaire pop star. That life seems so foreign and glamorous compared to most people’s average day-to-day life. Smile 2 strips that barrier and shows the human side of these rich and famous people.
Part of how it does this is by highlighting Skye’s struggles. In a Hollywood Reporter interview, Parker Finn shared that making these Smile movies character-driven is his main goal. This decision really helps Smile 2 shine because Skye’s story is one that connects with many, even if they don’t share her fame. The monster is important but Skye’s story is what will illicit emotions from viewers.
Her Battles With Her Personal Demons Made The Ending More Tragic
The Smile 2 ending displays several tragedies, including Skye losing against the Smile entity. She fights her hardest but still cannot outsmart and outlive it. Obviously, we knew this creature wouldn’t die because the Smile films are clearly on their way to becoming a franchise, and I now need a Smile 3 and whatever insanity comes with it, but, I wanted her to beat this thing, not just because it meant her survival and the end of this creature, but it would have been a personal victory.
Skye has had many demons, like drugs and alcohol addictions, so if she managed to defeat this thing, she would have not only survived but achieved some closure and peace. There would be hope that she could conquer her addictions and mental health struggles. She loses more than one battle at the end.
I Don’t Have Experience With Survivor’s Guilt But That Storyline Connected With Me The Most
Skye takes the wheel and drives Paul and her off the road, leading to his death. She isn’t completely at fault because they were both very high. Even if she hadn’t taken the steering wheel, he might have eventually crashed and killed them.
Skye is partly to blame for Paul’s death, but she also seems to have survivor’s guilt just from living when he didn’t. There are many movies about survivor’s guilt but not enough where the topic feels overdone. It’s not something discussed often and that’s why it’s admirable that Smile 2 somewhat addresses it. It made me connect with Skye and the pain she must feel knowing her part in Paul’s death while being spared from her own physical death.
She continues to live, but not really. She’s just a hollow shell faking a smile.