Words on Bathroom Walls

Adam Petrizelli is a high school senior whose father left him and his mother, Beth. Beth is dating a man named Paul, whom Adam dislikes. He makes plans to go to culinary school in the fall. Adam experiences an apparent psychotic break at school and is expelled. He realizes that he is diagnosed with schizophrenia and enters a medical trial to treat his condition. Throughout the film, he is accompanied by the visions of Rebecca, Joaquin, the best friend, and "The Bodyguard", as well as deep threatening voice (in a black cloud entity).

Paul transfers Adam to St. Agatha’s Catholic School and is accepted by Sister Catherine, but his condition is not made known immediately. There, he meets Maya Arnaz, a valedictorian, and they begin a relationship. Maya has earned an income by secretly tutoring one of the students. Adam decides to take his medication and thus freeing him from his hallucinations, but begins to experience its side effects such as muscle twitching. Celebrating his quiet life, he (though being as an atheist) meets Father Patrick at school for confession and hangs out with Maya. When he invites her to the big kitchen at the restaurant to cook for her, he realizes that the side effects also affects his taste, vision and others. This prompts Adam to start throwing away the pills into the front yard behind Beth's back, thus the visions start to pester him. As he have another psychotic break at school, he walks out as Maya tries to find out why.

Adam takes Maya to an outdoor screening of her favorite movie, Never Been Kissed, where Rebecca and Joaquin try to encourage Adam to express feelings to Maya but deep voice starts to prey on his insecurity. He admits to having insecurity over his mother having another kid with Paul, but after he apologizes, he asks Maya to prom, even though she’s against the idea of it. She accepts, and they have their first kiss. His work gets so much better that he writes an essay that is accepted to be read at graduation.

At school, Sister Catherine tells him that they learned about his condition and the incident at his last school and she announces that the school will be suspending him temporarily, instead of expulsion, for the safety of other students. Adam lashes out at Paul for writing the email to Sister Catherine the previous night, which Adam finds it suspicious. The suspension also means he can’t go to prom, but he defies everyone’s orders and goes anyway. Arriving at the prom, he picks up Maya but as they dance together, Adam is plagued by the deep voice while Sister Catherine tries to kick him out. As his vision goes erratic, Adam pushes the nun to the ground and runs away. He runs to the top bleachers and falls over the ledge.

Adam is taken to the hospital and wakes up to see Beth and Paul, and Maya soon shows up, but he breaks down after he is overwhelmed by the presence of the visions. He is later expelled from St. Agatha’s and placed in a psych ward. Father Patrick visits him despite an earlier encounter where Adam was rude to him when he tried to offer advice. After Father Patrick says that he was not aware of what Adam was struggling with, Adam apologizes for his behavior and agrees to join Father Patrick in prayer.

Beth visits Adam in the hospital and gives him a printed copy of the email that Paul sent to St. Agatha’s. Contrary to what Adam thought, Paul was expressing his support for his stepson and thought suspending him was cruel, saying that they must show more care for Adam’s condition. Realizing how much Paul cares about him, Adam runs to catch up with him and Beth, and he hugs Paul for the first time, making it clear that he will be better at accepting him as a new father figure.

On graduation day, Beth and Paul take Adam to the ceremony, where, despite Sister Catherine’s attempt to speak up, Father Patrick shows support for Adam. The deep-voiced black cloud tries to get Adam, but he gathers the courage to address the student body calmly. He recites his essay in which he discusses both his condition and battle with schizophrenia, declaring that he now knows that his life will not be defined by his illness. After he leaves the auditorium, Maya runs to catch up with him. Adam apologizes to Maya for not telling her the truth about his illness from the beginning, at which point they express their love for each other. Joaquin then encourages Adam to kiss Maya, which he does.

With the voices still pestering on him, Adam becomes a good big brother to Beth's and Paul’s child and gets accepted into culinary school.

• Charlie Plummer as Adam Petrazelli
• Taylor Russell as Maya Arnez
• Andy García as Father Patrick
• AnnaSophia Robb as Rebecca
• Beth Grant as Sister Catherine
• Devon Bostick as Joaquin
• Lobo Sebastian as The Bodyguard
• Molly Parker as Beth Petrazelli
• Walton Goggins as Paul
• Drew Scheid as Ted
• Ellie Dusek as Saccharine Girl

In February 2018, Thor Freudenthal was announced to direct the film, from a screenplay by Nick Navaeda, based upon the novel of the same name by Julia Walton, with LD Entertainment producing.[5] In March 2018, Charlie Plummer and Taylor Russell joined the cast of the film.[6][7] In April 2018, Andy García, Molly Parker, Walton Goggins, AnnaSophia Robb and Devon Bostick joined the cast of the film.[8][9] The Chainsmokers and Andrew Hollander composed the film's score.[10] It is the first time the band has scored a film.[11] The trailer features The Chainsmokers' 2019 single "Push My Luck".[12]

Principal photography began in May 2018.[13] The film was shot in Wilmington, North Carolina.[14]

In June 2020, Roadside Attractions acquired distribution rights to the film and set it for an August 7, 2020, release.[15] This release date was later pushed forward a week, with the film newly scheduled for a release on July 31, 2020. The film's official website later removed the release date, with "in theaters this summer" in its place.[16] The trailer premiered on July 15, 2020.[17] The film was released to theaters on August 21, 2020.[18]

The soundtack and score for the movie was produced by Andrew Hollander featuring the Chainsmokers, and was released on August 21, 2020.[24]

• Words on Bathroom Walls at IMDb