I will always have a soft spot for films about veterans. My father served well before I was born, but that sort of honor in having served was present in my family since I was a kid. While my father was lucky enough to serve in the Navy during peacetime and not in an active warzone, the idea of PTSD was something I knew about for years. I am glad now that films are beginning to document the struggles that many of our veterans go through once they return home. Where a film like Steven Grayhm’s Sheepdog really hones in on the darker side of PTSD, My Dead Friend Zoe takes a lighter (though not any softer) approach to storytelling.
The film follows Merit (Sonequa Martin-Green), a combat veteran of the Iraq war after she has returned home from service. During her time overseas, Merit developed a deep friendship with one of her platoon-mates, Zoe (Natalie Morales). It’s no secret that Zoe is dead, from the title to the opening scenes you can determine that. But what the film does earnestly is portray her as a friend in flashbacks and as a character living inside Merit’s mind. They interact together and it is often these interactions that provide for the humor in the story.
As Merit is dealing with obvious issues from her service, she also has to contend with the life of her grandfather Dale, another decorated vet of Vietnam played by Ed Harris. Dale is slowly losing his memory to dementia and can no longer be alone. But, like many in his situation, is unwilling to lose his home and way of living to move to assisted care. It’s this central conflict that plays the best in the film. Harris is a force to be reckoned with and delivers an excellent performance here. Consequently, he often elevates his scene partners as well, and moments without him feel a bit less appealing.
My Dead Friend Zoe often feels like a tv movie you’d see on TNT in the mid-2000’s. There’s wild needle-drops and interesting acting choices abound. Morgan Freeman also feels criminally under-utilized as the therapy group leader, often having scenes consisting of talking on the phone and long, melancholy looks away from the camera. These choices don’t kill the movie, but it could have been better. I appreciated that the film actually kept a light tone through most of it but really nailed the intense moments, especially with Merit and her struggles with PTSD.
Final Thoughts
My Dead Friend Zoe is a good film that once again highlights the struggles that veterans go through once returning from active combat. It’s a story that was very personal to writer/director Kyle Hausman-Stokes, who makes his feature film debut here. A combat vet himself, he lost two friends to PTSD-related issues after returning from war. Solid performances uplift the story, and it is one that veterans can look at and appreciate for what it is.
3/5
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I have been watching movies my whole life and fell in love at an early age. I was entranced by the ability for a film to whisk me away to a different universe, and that really started with the Star Wars Franchise. I'm by no means an expert and can roll with opinions that might be controversial, but that's the beauty of a film; we can all see the same thing on screen, but each of us may come away with a different interpretation of what we saw. When I'm not watching movies, I work in Marketing with my degree from Western New England University.
MY FAVORITE MOVIES: Good Will Hunting, Star Wars: A New Hope (or the whole saga), All The President's Men, Before Sunrise, Ocean's 11, In The Mood For Love and so many more...