My Dead Friend Zoe
My Dead Friend Zoe
Genres Comedy ,Drama ,War
Directors Kyle Hausmann-Stokes
Writer Kyle Hausmann-Stokes
Country United States
Votes 2390
Rating 6.6
IMDBID tt22022784
Runtime 103
Languages English
Release 28 Feb, 2025
Cast Sonequa Martin-Green ,Natalie Morales ,Ed Harris ,Morgan Freeman ,Utkarsh Ambudkar
MY DEAD FRIEND ZOE is a dark comedy drama that follows the journey of Merit (Sonequa Martin-Green), a U.S. Army Afghanistan veteran who is at odds with her family thanks to the presence of Zoe (Natalie Morales), her dead best friend from the Army. Despite the persistence of her VA group counselor (Morgan Freeman), the tough love of her mother (Gloria Reuben) 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 (Ed Harris) -- holed up at the family's ancestral lake house -- begins to lose his way and needs the one thing he refuses... help. At its core, this is a buddy film about a complicated friendship, a divided family, and the complex ways in which we process grief.
Manuel São Bento
My Dead Friend Zoe dives deep into the wounds left by war, grief, and unspoken regrets, incorporating a narrative that, while following a familiar structure, never feels emotionally hollow. It's the kind of film where the strength lies not in groundbreaking plot mechanics, but in the sheer honesty of its characters and the delicate care with which their pain is portrayed. Sonequa Martin-Green delivers a magnetic performance - quietly powerful, effortlessly vulnerable, and deeply human. The screenplay leans into genre conventions, but it does so with sincerity, making the emotional beats hit all the harder. The third act is where everything clicks into place. It's raw, unflinching, and devastating in the most beautiful way - a culmination of internal battles finally reaching catharsis. Director Kyle Hausmann-Stokes doesn't try to overplay his hand, letting the characters carry the weight, allowing moments of silence and memory to speak volumes. Yes, it doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it rolls with such truth and heart that you won't soon forget it. A compelling tale about healing, memory, and the ones we carry with us. Rating: B
posts by : Manuel São Bento