My Dead Friend Zoe (2025)

[BluBonnet]

Morgan Freeman, Gloria Reuben & Utkarsh Ambudkar Board Veteran Dramedy ‘My Dead Friend Zoe’

Writer-director Kyle Hausmann-Stokes has continued rounding out an impressive cast for his debut feature, the dark veteran dramedy My Dead Friend Zoe, bringing Morgan Freeman (The Shawshank Redemption), Gloria Reuben (Mr. Robot) and Utkarsh Ambudkar (Brittany Runs a Marathon) aboard for roles.

The film delving into the lives of military veterans, to highlight both their triumphs and challenges upon returning home, will have the trio starring alongside the previously announced Ed Harris, Sonequa Martin-Green and Natalie Morales.

Written by Hausmann-Stokes and A.J. Bermudez, My Dead Friend Zoe is based on Merit x Zoe, a short that Hausmann-Stokes co-wrote and directed last year, which draws on his personal experience during and after the military, as a Bronze Star combat veteran. The film tells the story of a female veteran (Martin-Green) engaged in a mysterious but comfortable friendship with her wise-cracking (and dead) best friend from the Army (Morales). When the vet is summoned to the remote lake house of her estranged Vietnam vet grandfather (Harris), she is tasked with providing the one thing he refuses…help.

Producers on the project include Paul Scanlan and Terri Lubaroff of Legion M, as well as Richard Silverman of ReCre8 Entertainment, Ray Maiello and Mike Field of Radiant Media Studios, and Robert Paschall Jr. Legion M’s Jeff Annison, David Baxter and Brandi Plants are exec producing alongside Jordan Dykstra, Chris Boshuizen, and Nancy and Joseph Masterson. Co-producers on the pic, cast by Jamie Castro, include Liz Manashil, Maury Sterling, Martin Masterson, Steve Rodosky, Rao Meka and Chris Marvin.

“It’s rare that one of us (veterans) gets the opportunity to tell our own story. Morgan is a fellow vet (Air Force) and I’m honored, humbled for him to join our amazing cast and help us tell this important story,” said Hausmann-Stokes. “Adding Gloria Reuben’s depth and versatility and Utkarsh Ambudkar’s vibrant energy and comedic chops perfectly aligns with my goal to make a more universal and accessible kind of film about the military and veterans; one with as much levity and humor as heart and gravity.”

“The caliber of this all-star cast is a reflection of the quality of the script and the story. We’re thrilled with this gifted team coming together and we’re moved by their profound engagement to the story and purpose,” added Legion M Co-Founder and CEO, Scanlan. “This project, imbued with universal themes, strikes a chord in everyone. We’re also energized by the enthusiastic support from our Legion M community, and reinforced by the embrace of the underserved veteran community – both audiences longing for authentic, relatable narratives told in a compelling way.”

An Academy Award winner known for turns in classic films like The Shawshank Redemption and Million Dollar Baby, Freeman most recently starred opposite Florence Pugh in Zach Braff’s drama A Good Person, released by MGM in March. Among the actor’s other upcoming projects is the spy thriller series Special Ops: Lioness from Taylor Sheridan, which has him starring opposite Zoe Saldana and is scheduled to premiere on Paramount+ July 23.

[BluBonnet]

The film took the Grand Jury prize for Best Feature Narrative at the Woodstock Film Festival

[BluBonnet]

Theatrical release: Feb. 28th

[The Great Owl]

Four stars

From the birth of cinema onward, multitudes of movies have depicted the horrors of war with jarring verisimilitude, giving us harrowingly close vantage points from which to see the bullets, the explosions, and the bloodshed, as a way of honoring the raw courage of the troops who risk the ultimate sacrifice in battle. Sadly, far too few films address the steadfast bravery that veterans must quietly summon in their day-to-day lives upon returning home to a supposed normalcy while struggling with trauma.

My Dead Friend Zoe, a 2024 drama co-written and directed by Kyle Hausmann-Stokes as an ode to his own wartime and post-military experiences, introduces us to one such person, Merit, a U.S. Army veteran played by Sonequa Martin-Green, as she navigates the rigors of civilian life while coming to terms with the loss of her best friend, Zoe, with whom she served in Afghanistan. Merit's own world seems to be collapsing under the weight of responsibility, as she shrugs off the concerns of her doctor supervisor, played by Morgan Freeman, in court-mandated therapy sessions and as she cares for her grandfather, played by Ed Harris, who is suffering from Alzheimer's disease. All the while, during Merit's every waking moment, Zoe, played by Natalie Morales, is by her side as an imaginary presence, providing constant commentary with a deadpan sense of humor.

I have always tended to view “public service message movies” with a healthy degree of suspicion, because many of them, especially faith-based films, exude a somewhat disingenuous air in terms of storytelling artistry. Two recent crowdfunded features helmed by the Legion M production company, however, have impressed me, despite my trepidations. A couple of months ago, I was blown away by the 2023 horror film, The Man in the White Van, which was a collaboration between Legion M and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). My Dead Friend Zoe, a Legion M endeavor that is notable because one of the producers is none other than Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs, is the second that has quickened my pulse, by way of an advanced AMC Theatres Screen Unseen showing this evening.

I have a few minor qualms. I think that the piecemeal divulging of certain plot details results in some unintentionally heavy-handed sluggishness. Since three of my late grandparents suffered from the disease, I also have a low tolerance for the “Cinematic Alzheimer's” trope in films, where an Alzheimer's-stricken character returns to total clarity just long enough to deliver an emotionally insightful motivation quote for a lead protagonist. Despite these shortcomings, however, I applaud the end result for all of its irresistible earnestness. The indisputably stellar cast goes above and beyond here in an effort that could have been Lifetime Channel mundane had it been created with lesser dramatic talents.

I cannot discuss the intended message or the benefit outreach goals of My Dead Friend Zoe without delving into spoiler territory, since one particular revelation late in the film packs quite an emotional punch. I will simply say that this story, which draws heavily from real-life tragedies, is a testament to the fact that we, as Americans, need to stand together and tall to protect the Federal government Veterans Affairs workers, to protect therapy organizations, and to protect the advances in medical antidepressant studies, all of which have been instrumental in combating the toils of depression and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during the past decade. Zealots are fond of telling us that “Freedom is not free.”, but we have to speak just as loudly to drive home the point that our collective responsibilities to look out for those who have served for our freedom are not free either and that they are not wasteful or frivolous in the slightest.

[BluBonnet]

Metacritic

[AnthonyGG]

I dug it. I think The Great Owl makes some good points above, especially about how the cast really drives this one home. There's a lot of familiar territory with PTSD and Alzheimer's and yet the script turns things around a bit more than you might expect at one point. Overall, this film really worked for me.

My one negative is probably going to be subjective but I do think there's sometimes a little TOO much Zoe, like perhaps the character's personality could have been toned down here and there. Others may feel she brings needed levity every time she's on screen.

I'm giving this an easy Recommend. I can't see too many people disliking this one. It's a personal story for the filmmakers and you feel that genuine touch.

[BluBonnet]

For a movie supposedly based on real events, I thought this felt too manipulative and unconvincing.

Also, there is a rather huge misdirect that's not revealed until late in the movie and feels completely unnecessary.

I like all of the actors in this, and feel they deserved better.

[n0tredom]

Originally Posted by BluBonnet

For a movie supposedly based on real events, I thought this felt too manipulative and unconvincing.

This movie was inspired by real events. If you stayed through the credits, there was a snippet where the director reveals why he made the movie and the real people who inspired it. The misdirect was entirely necessary to tell the story he needed to tell.

[BluBonnet]

Yeah, it's not like I didn't stay, but my point stands.