‘My Dead Friend Zoe’ review: The war at home

Inspired by a true story, My Dead Friend Zoe sneaks up on its audience with a story about friendship and loss.

We all want our friendships to last a lifetime, but sometimes they don’t. Maybe the interests we share with our friends change overtime. We might move too far away from each other to stay close. God forbid some kind of shocking tragedy happens to one of us before we get to say goodbye. It’s a struggle to stay connected with each other and sometimes, that lost bond can haunt us wherever we go. Worse so, it can hold us down.

That’s the dilemma in My Dead Friend Zoe. We first see the titular Zoe (Natalie Morales) and her friend Merit (Sonequa Martin-Green) singing “Umbrella” at the top of their lungs for a taste of joy in the middle of routine procedures patrolling an Army base in Afghanistan. Years later, Merit and Zoe are still hanging around trying to figure out what to do…but Zoe is not really there. Merit keeps getting distracted by Zoe’s unseen presence, whether she’s at court-ordered group therapy with a seasoned leader (Morgan Freeman) or caring for her grandfather (Ed Harris) in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. Merit is trying to restart her life, but isn’t sure if she’s ready to let go of the past.

Looking deeper at PTSD.

My Dead Friend Zoe is the debut feature for director/co-writer Kyle Hausmann-Stokes, who also served five years in the US Army and earned a Bronze Star for service in Iraq. To put it lightly, Hausmann-Stokes has likely heard many stories of veterans facing hidden demons when they come home. The good news is that Hausmann-Stokes doesn’t let the soapy sentimentality of a Hollywood movie format dampen the his film’s attempts to show the inner struggles those with PTSD have. Sure, My Dead Friend Zoe does have the structure and pacing of a typical “inspirational drama.” You’ve got splashes of a buddy comedy, a touch of rom com cuteness, and two seasoned actors for an extra boost of old-timey prestige.

What saves My Dead Friend Zoe from reaching Lifetime Original Movie-levels of cheese is the script. Hausmann-Stokes, along with co-writers Cherish Chen and A.J. Bermudez, doesn’t downplay the crushing sadness Merit carries with her in life. Their script also doesn’t overdo the drama in Merit’s life, showing those with PTSD can go through everyday struggles while wearing a mask of complacency to hide their grief. The writers also know how and when to pull the rug out from the audience and deepen its message. We see Merit and Zoe’s friendship morph from a heartfelt longing to an inescapable guilt that keeps pushing Merit in the wrong direction. For all the baggage a soldier carries when they come home, it’s hard to put it down for their own safety.

The friends we make.

Martin-Green has been a reliable veteran of genre TV (The Walking Dead, Once Upon a Time, Star Trek: Discovery), but My Dead Friend Zoe is the first movie to give her dramatic chops a solid showcase. She wears Merit’s burden with a grounded poise, never overselling it but certainly understanding her character’s pain. It’s tough and vulnerable in equal measure, which makes Merit’s journey all the more interesting. Harris matches that balance with a tender grumpy-old-man performance so good, it could easily warrant the entire movie’s focus on him. The real surprise is Utkarsh Ambudkar (Ghosts) popping-in for some fun romantic chemistry with Martin-Green. He brings some awkward millennial energy typical in current rom coms, but has just enough slickness in his delivery to be the best bit of levity the movie has in its pocket.

Morales serves her purpose well enough. She brings her trademark droll sense of humor and makes a great pair with Martin-Green. That said, her presence can turn grating after a while. Sure it’s effective in showing how PTSD can make treasured memories into nightmares, but Morales is in nearly every frame of the movie and it lessens the impact of her presence. It makes you wish she swapped screen times with Freeman who, for someone who brings such gravitas to any role, is not in the movie for nearly enough time as needed.

The bottom line.

My Dead Friend Zoe won’t change lives, but it certainly has the power to change the perception of PTSD. The director knows how to make an unseen struggle feel as understated and real as it can be. The talented cast also goes a long way to make the movie heartfelt without being saccharine. It’s a friendly reminder to keep an eye on your friends, because you never know when it’ll be the last time you ever see them.

My Dead Friend Zoe is now playing in select theaters. Watch the trailer here.

Images courtesy of Briarcliff Entertainment. Read more reviews by Jon Winkler here.

Jon Winkler