Smile Therapy
After being captured and forced into Smile School, a rebellious 16-year-old girl must either conform or risk everything to expose the truth behind a patriarchal regime.
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Tahlia JensenWriter
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Project Type:Screenplay
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Genres:Dystopia, Drama
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Number of Pages:73
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Language:English
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First-time Screenwriter:Yes
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Student Project:No
Tahlia Jensen, 21, is a passionate writer and actress with a deep love for storytelling in both literature and performance. With a background in theatre and creative writing, she explores complex themes of identity, resilience, and human connection through her work. Tahlia has recently completed her first screenplay, Smile Therapy, a thought-provoking story set in the 2035 that delves into themes of trauma, societal expectations, and psychological conditioning.
Smile Therapy was inspired by the tragic suicide epidemic in Budapest, Hungary, following World War I. In an attempt to combat the crisis, the city introduced “Smile Club,” a program designed to enforce happiness as a cure for depression. During the 1930s, societal expectations placed immense pressure on women to conform to rigid domestic roles. If a woman was perceived as "depressed" or failed to "properly care for her husband," she could be legally institutionalised for a full “attitude adjustment.” This disturbing reality forms the backbone of Smile Therapy, exploring how forced happiness, psychological conditioning, and gender oppression shaped the lives of countless women. The quote, “Silence is not neutrality. Silence is complicity,” underscores the purpose of the script. It serves as a reminder that passivity in the face of injustice enables oppression to persist.