The Reel Review
An Army veteran struggling emotionally after the death of her good friend who served with her in Afghanistan is forced to pull herself together when her estranged war veteran grandfather starts showing early signs of Alzheimer’s disease. Sonequa Martin-Green, Natalie Morales, Morgan Freeman and Ed Harris star in this war drama/dark comedy based on a true story.
At its core, My Dead Friend Zoe is a deeply patriotic and realistic film about complicated friendships and family dynamics, and how focusing on helping others can be an excellent step towards self-recovery. Martin-Green (Star Trek: Discovery, The Walking Dead) gives an impressively nuanced and complex portrait as Merit, who is riddled with guilt over the death of her friend Zoe, played by Morales, who appears throughout the film in flashbacks as well as in the present as a sardonic, wisecracking ghost. Morgan Freeman, Gloria Reuben and Utkarsh Ambudkar (Ghosts) make up the strong supporting cast, with an outstanding Ed Harris as the grandfather and veteran who refuses to admit he needs help.
The story from co-writer/director Kyle Hausmann-Stokes, who served as a paratrooper during his five-year stint in the U.S. Army, is sincere – the tears are plentiful and completely justified – never manipulative or sappy. Despite some comic moments, My Dead Friend Zoe is mostly a reflective, introspective drama with a heartbreaking and haunting gut punch of a twist.
REEL FACTS
• My Dead Friend Zoe won the Audience Award at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival.
• Morgan Freeman and Ed Harris also co-starred in 2007’s Gone Baby Gone.
• Go to the Bob Woodruff Foundation if you’d like to donate to buy movie tickets for veterans to see this film.
Video & Photo
