Smile 2: An Exploration of Women of Color Navigating Mental Health
This post will contain spoilers for the films Smile and Smile 2
Growing up in a black household, I was fortunate enough that my feelings were made a priority, as this is not always the case for other kids of color. In a 2020 CNN article written by Kristen Rogers, it is explained that “Mental health issues affect everyone, but people of color—Black, Latinx, Asian, and Native American people—have higher rates of some mental health disorders and face greater disparities in getting help than white people.” The cultural stigma, in tandem with a lack of access, continues to make the prominence of mental health in people of color seem taboo. This is especially true when considering the unique challenges faced by women of color navigating mental health, an intersection shaped by both racial and gendered disparities. Mental health is, in general, stigmatized, and implementations like Mental Health Awareness Month attempt to make this less so.
Despite being marketed to be another eerie horror film, the release of the movie Smile in 2022 also works to destigmatize mental illness. The director, Parker Finn, explained in an article with Polygon that the themes of the film are meant to further explore the trauma everyone holds and what can occur in extreme circumstances. The release of Smile 2 stood out to me as a result, noticeably casting a woman of color as the lead.
Naomi Scott is a British actress of mixed heritage. Naomi’s mother is of Gujarati Indian descent and was born in Uganda before emigrating to the United Kingdom, while her father is British. In a 2019 article with Teen Vogue, she noted how difficult it has been in Hollywood to navigate her unique background and the restrictions of the industry. Not fitting into a single box meant that Naomi was often passed up for roles or overlooked despite her talent and years of training.
Image by Viviene Killilea/Paramount Pictures, embedded via Getty for editorial use.
Smile 2 picks up where the first movie left off, the protagonist of the previous film trying to rid himself of the entity that travels between people after they witness a death. Eventually, this entity leads itself to Smile 2’s main character, pop-star Skye Riley. The events of the film start to unravel, and we realize that Skye is dealing with the trauma of a car accident and continues to work through this pain to fulfill her obligations on a world tour. Skye’s resilience despite her physical pain is quite reflective of real life, that expectations are placed on women of color to perform in spite of all that’s impacting them. Skye specifically is also tracked by an unseen being, one that the audience is fearful of, too, but makes for a great viewing experience that leaves us on edge constantly.
This is where the film’s message becomes more resonant for me. Skye’s relentless drive to meet expectations, despite clearly suffering, mirrors the real-world pressure placed on women of color to carry on, often in silence. This isn't about the car accident alone being traumatic, but about how trauma is compounded when healing is not prioritized or supported. The weight of these expectations often forces women of color to suppress their struggles in order to remain strong in the eyes of others. Skye’s story, although fictional and extreme in its horror context, reflects this familiar reality
Smile 2 really leans into the horror-thriller genre, even leaving the viewers with unease by the end. The final culmination of the film shows us what Skye and the other people who have been possessed have seen, a truly disturbing image of a bloodied figure. With the director’s notes of the film in mind, we see this imagery as a manifestation of Skye’s mental health and just how bad it can get. I appreciated that the people in the film sought out treatment for Skye, but it was not lost on me that it was so late into the film that it only exacerbated the mental health depictions we saw on screen, worsening them.
At the end of the film, the audience is tricked into thinking a series of events have occurred until we land at the concert Skye has been training for. While she doesn’t survive the film, her death in front of an arena full of people had greater significance for me. The event wasn’t uncharacteristic of the film, which made me appreciate it. It also solidifies the importance of acknowledging mental illness for women of color. Seeing the widespread implication of Skye not receiving the help she needed made me feel validated, in spite of her on-screen death. As a horror fan, I was intrigued by the big swings the film took, especially the gore. As a Black woman, I was able to appreciate the commentary on how detrimental a lack of mental health resources can be for other women of color, something I have faced myself.
