My Dead Friend Zoe review by Bobby Blakey
Throughout the years there have been so many films dealing with veterans and war from straight action war films to the struggles to deal with the horrors they experience in battle. The latest, My Dead Friend Zoe comes from director Kyle Hausmann-Stokes and based on his own experience and friends. The films co-stars Sonequa Martin-Green, Natalie Morales, Ed Harris, Morgan Freeman, Gloria Reuben, and Utkarsh Ambudkar, but does it offer up something that feels and powerful and personal of the real life its based on or will it fail to find its own peace?
My Dead Friend Zoe follows the journey of Merit, a U.S. Army Afghanistan veteran who is at odds with her family thanks to the presence of Zoe, her dead best friend from the Army. Despite the persistence of her VA group counselor, the tough love of her mother and the levity of an unexpected love interest, Merit's cozy-dysfunctional friendship with Zoe keeps the duo insulated from the world. That is until Merit's estranged grandfather—holed up at the family's ancestral lake house—begins to lose his way and is in need of the one thing he refuses... help. At its core, this is about a complicated friendship, a divided family and the complex ways in which we process grief.
Initially after seeing this trailer, I was interested in its premise but wondered if this was yet another film that spoiled the big reveal in the trailer. Thankfully this is not the case as you learn of the situation early on in the film and there is so much more to the story that works so much better in the journey, they are taking us on with a powerful but all to sad message that needs to be spotlighted.
The film is a mixture of emotions that not only pulls at your heartstrings and will no doubt bring tears, but there are also some lighthearted funny moments with all of it reminiscent of real life. It takes on an interesting direction of dealing with
the varying degrees of PTSD in a unique while taking you through a multi-layered story that had more unexpected directions than I thought. The story isn’t just about Merit and Zoe, but also her relationship with her own family and her grandfathers new found issues in life.
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The cast are all excellent across the board. Obviously, Martin-Green carries the biggest load and does so with poise and perfection as she navigates through the emotions and trauma she is dealing with. Morales as Zoe is a beacon of grounding, chaos and guilt that brings the perfect relationship between the two that is an interesting way they approach the subject matter and way deeper in the way it plays out than you might think.
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Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman are excellent as well with Freeman having a smaller but important role. Harris gets more meat to chew on as he deals with his own personal battles and really goes all in to bring this grumpy war veteran to life in a way that makes you annoyed and love him all at once. It’s an interesting dynamic between them all and infused with the outside world and characters really make it a story that says so much in a way that makes you have to listen.
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I went into this film expecting to enjoy it but loved it more than I thought I would for numerous reasons. The final act that brings it all full circle is one you will likely define before it fully plays out, but the impact is still there. Add to the mix the photos and info throughout the credits that gives homage to those that it is based on and those that have served and you realize how much bigger this little movie really is.
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Decide for yourself and check out My Dead Friend Zoe in theaters now from Briarcliff Entertainment.