My Dead Friend Zoe (2025)
Directed by: Kyle Hausmann-Stokes
Premise: An Afghanistan war veteran (Sonequa Martin-Green) is haunted by the memory of her deceased friend (Natalie Morales). She visits her grandfather who is in the early stages of dementia.
What Works: Compared to the output of films about Vietnam and World War II, there haven’t been nearly as many dramatic films yet produced about the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Nevertheless, My Dead Friend Zoe is very impressive and one of the better films about the George W. Bush-era wars. The movie has several great performance and the characters are vivid, likable, and interesting. Sonequa Martin-Green is exceptional as Merit, a female veteran who is plagued by guilt over the death of her friend Zoe. The film allows Merit to be both tough and vulnerable and Martin-Green reveals a lot in the subtleties of her performance. Ed Harris is cast as Merit’s grandfather and he’s the kind of gruff but sensitive character that Harris does well. Also notable is Natalie Morales as Zoe. We see her in flashbacks but mostly as a delusion, allowing Merit to have conversations with herself. Zoe is the externalization of Merit’s guilt and the conceit works in part because of Morales’ spirited performance. As heavy as some of the material can be there is also a sense of humor to My Dead Friend Zoe as well as a palpable sense of mourning. The filmmakers gradually reveal the truth of Merit and Zoe’s past and the fragmented nature of the exposition parallels Merit’s own mental state. The various pieces of My Dead Friend Zoe fit together quite well. Merit’s guilt is matched by her patriotism and pride in her military service and in her relationship to her grandfather. My Dead Friend Zoe isn’t critical of the military or the Bush-era wars—that’s outside of its purview—but the movie does explore the complicated relationship some veterans with their military service. This is a thoughtful and emotional approach to the veteran experience and the aftermath of the wars.
What Doesn’t: My Dead Friend Zoe is the kind of story that could be resolved if the characters would just talk to each other. This is a credible obstacle; a lot of life’s conflicts come down to communication failures. But this kind of conflict can also be a bit frustrating dramatically because the solution is so obvious to the audience. The character of Zoe is mostly a projection of Merit’s guilt. As a result, Zoe remains a mystery. The character as presented through most of the film is not really Zoe herself but rather Merit’s projection of her guilt. We never really know Zoe in a meaningful way. However, the story is ultimately about Merit and her family and that’s where the filmmakers put their focus.
Bottom Line: My Dead Friend Zoe is an impressive feature directorial debut for filmmaker Kyle Hausmann-Stokes and it has a set of great performances. It’s a deeply empathetic movie but without becoming maudlin. The humor and humanity of My Dead Friend Zoe make it likable and affecting.
Episode: #1036 (February 23, 2025)