- Release year: 2024
- Director: Kyle Hausmann-Stokes.
- Producers: Mike Field, Kyle Hausmann-Stokes, Terri Lubaroff, Ray Maiello, Denny Nolan, Robert Paschall Jr., Paul Scanlan, and Richard Silverman.
- Screenplay by: Kyle Hausmann-Stokes and A.J. Bermudez.
- Cinematography by: Matt Sakatani Roe.
- Music by: Dan Romer.
Synopsis: a veteran struggles to come to terms with the death of her unit partner.
Shotgun Commentary: outstanding exploration of PTSD and the importance of a good support system.
Review
My Dead Friend Zoe is a beautiful story that showcases the depths of PTSD and how it can affect your life. Additionally, it highlights the great improvement that people struggling with this disorder can have if only they can access the proper services to help them through it.
These can be the difference between life and death. Especially for US veterans because of the way their military is organised and the easy access to firearms. Giving these support organisations the spotlight seems more relevant than ever as mental health services are being severely aggravated due to the incompetency of the new US administration.
A real, crucial message
The feature follows Merit (Sonequa Martin-Green). She is a woman burdened by the presence of her dead friend Zoe (Natalie Morales), who seems to follow her everywhere. The present is combined with flashes of her time serving alongside Zoe. Flashbacks that hint at some issues in their friendship that may have caused Zoe’s death. As that narrative unravels, you get some insight into Merit’s current life. A narrative that can be divided in three plot lines: her struggle with PTSD, a love story, and family drama.
The main storyline is Merit’s mental health decline, her inability to speak up about her trauma, and why exactly it is that she’s stuck in that deadly silence. An incident in her last job gets her mandatory therapy sessions, guided by Dr. Cole (Morgan Freeman). A man who tries his hardest to get Merit to open up despite her constant avoidant attitude.
At first, Zoe’s presence seems to be the much-needed comic relief of Merit’s dull life. She is the joker at the party, even when the party is a veteran support group. However, you soon get a glimpse of what her presence really is, how it is keeping Merit from living a regular life she might enjoy. In order to fully showcase the extent of this burden, the film also features a love story. Now, as far as love stories go, this one could be worse… but it would be difficult.
Backtracking on rom-com material
2025 seems far enough from the 2000s for audiences to still have to endure the same-old cliché story with zero chemistry between the protagonists. One likes to think that cinema evolves and learns from its mistakes. You know, that nowadays sets have good intimacy coordinators who make any intimate scene believable. And of course good casting directors who make sure that their characters can create the right atmosphere. Granted, the love story is not the main focus of this work, but that is no excuse for the forced, clichéd narrative that you are fed.
Merit meets Alex (Utkarsh Ambudkar) when he is cleaning up the cemetery and instead of thanking him for that selfless act, or least leaving him alone as he is not hurting anyone, she proceeds to berate him in pure Karen style for making so much noise… in the middle of nowhere…in a cemetery…early in the morning, when there is nobody visiting.
Of course, this unwarranted display of anger makes him head over heels for her. A narrative that was quite popular in 90s and 00s rom-coms, even if it makes absolutely no sense. A little bit like pulling the girl’s ponytails in pre-school because you like her, only the genders are reversed, and it is adult women behaving with the emotional maturity of little boys…*sigh*
Drama for the sake of drama
The family drama doesn’t get much better. Despite having Ed Harris as the grumpy veteran grandpa with Alzheimer’s who doesn’t want to leave his cabin in the lake.
Merit has nothing to do and nowhere to go since she was sacked from her last job, and his grandpa needs someone who can take care of him constantly because of his condition. He lives in a gorgeous cabin next to a lake that brings Merit all sorts of happy childhood memories. She also loves the village next to it. So what is the obvious answer? According to Merit’s mother, putting grandpa in a home and selling the cabin. I mean… really?
All in all, My Dead Friend Zoe is cliché and predictable in all the themes that don’t matter, and incredibly creative and original in the one that does. This balance helps the darker topic go down smoother as it is diluted with a ton of comfortable content that you will be familiar with, helping to create an experience that sends the message effectively without necessarily scarring you for life. Anyone who thinks mental health is a bunch of hooey and people on antidepressants should be taken to “wellness camps” should really watch this film in order to understand these issues a bit better and stop their ignorant, dangerous claims.
Advice to take from this movie:
- Take your mental health seriously, never let anyone downplay it.
- Support systems are ESSENTIAL, do reach out.
- Everyone takes their own time coming to terms with their own trauma, don’t rush it.
What’s your take? Have you watched My Dead Friend Zoe? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message in my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀