Friendship, a beautiful word that describes a bond of mutual affection between people. A bond that could last a lifetime and beyond. The movie “My Dead Friend Zoe” explores the powerful bond between two soldiers, Merit (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Zoe (Natalie Morales), whose friendship is tragically cut short in Iraq. Plagued by grief and PTSD, Merit finds herself haunted by Zoe’s ghost, a constant reminder of her loss and the invisible wounds of war.
Imagine your best friend’s ghost followed you everywhere. That’s the reality for Merit in “My Dead Friend Zoe.” The trailer reveals a heartwarming friendship, shattered by war. This leaves Merit with an uncanny companion and a severe case of denial. Sharing secrets, snacks and banter like old times with a ghost might seem both comforting and joyful at first, but it leads to some seriously awkward encounters. Her ghost persists even after Merit moves to her family’s lake house to take care of her father (Ed Harris), also an army veteran who has recently become symptomatic following his Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
Merit’s inability to let go of Zoe threatens to consume her. As the line between reality and fantasy blurs, she finds herself in increasingly bizarre and awkward situations. Dr. Cole (Morgan Freeman) warns that clinging to the past is a dangerous path, and Merit must find a way to confront her grief before it destroys her.
The movie features a stacked cast consisting of Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman and Ed Harris as well as Utkarsh Ambudkar (Ghosts) who plays Merit’s love interest, and Gloria Reuben (E.R.) as her mother. The dark comedy is co-written by Hausmann-Stokes and A. J. Bermudez and is based on the true life story of Luis Ramirez-Jimenez and Boris Ventura, Hausmann-Stokes’s army platoon-mates.
Focusing on post-war trauma, Kyle Hausmann-Stokes, a former paratrooper turned filmmaker, draws from his years of experience to tell authentic veteran stories. “My Dead Friend Zoe” is a powerful film about friendship, loss, and the struggle to heal, making it a perfect choice to share with a friend who appreciates dark comedy drama. It makes its way into theatres on 28th February.
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