The narrator analyzes the 2022 horror film "Smile" and its "unbeatable" curse that passes through trauma, creating vivid hallucinations. To beat the curse, the narrator explores two proposed solutions: complete isolation and controlling who to pass the trauma onto. However, both methods have significant drawbacks, including social isolation's negative effects on mental health and the moral implications of killing others.
The narrator then delves into the science behind hallucinations and how they might be treated using antipsychotic medications and psychotherapy, suggesting that Rose's symptoms are similar to those of schizophrenia. By acknowledging the curse as a mental health issue rather than a supernatural one, the narrator argues that seeking help, taking medication, and learning to live with mental illness are the most effective ways to "beat" the curse.
Ultimately, the narrator concludes that the film's true message is about mental health and cycles of trauma, and that by being open and willing to listen to others, we can truly defeat the "demon" of mental illness.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The movie Smile is a 2022 horror film that was a massive hit, making $216 million off a $17 million budget.
2. The movie follows Dr. Rose Cotter, a psychiatrist who is traumatized after witnessing one of her patients slice off her face while wearing a creepy grin.
3. Rose starts seeing people with the same creepy smile all around her and eventually realizes she's been cursed by an evil entity.
4. The curse gives Rose vivid and terrifying hallucinations, causing her to push away from her loved ones.
5. The curse is passing along through trauma and can only be gotten rid of by passing it along by causing someone else trauma.
6. The curse has a ticking clock that maxes out at around four days.
7. Isolating oneself completely is not a viable solution to beating the curse, as it requires an insane number of difficult qualifiers to work perfectly and would still lead to a hard life full of mental anguish.
8. The Smile demon doesn't seem to be able to manifest itself in any physical way and only has mental power.
9. Hallucinations are incredibly complex and still poorly understood by science, involving no less than five separate neurotransmitters.
10. Antipsychotic medications like Clozapine can help relieve hallucinations for people suffering from schizophrenia.
11. Individuals suffering from extreme hallucinations tend to be less likely to take their medication, and psychotherapy is also necessary to avoid relapse.
12. The incidence of schizophrenia relapse among patients receiving therapy compared to those without is roughly 18% versus 60%.