There isn’t really one way to grieve, and no real right answers after you have loss someone you love. But in a new movie from Briarcliff Entertainment, My Dead Friend Zoe, life after loss takes on a different appearance.
After serving together in the Army, Merit is trying to start her life over as a veteran, but is struggling to reacclimate to civilian life. It’d be a lot easier if her best friend Zoe wasn’t around – she is dead after all. But between trying to find a job, find her place in the real world again, work through therapy, start new relationships and even help her grandfather with things – Zoe is always there and getting in the way.
Billed as a dark comedy, My Dead Friend Zoe does offer some laughs – but really just puts a face on some of the overwhelming feelings of grief and healing after loss. What would you say to your best friend or loved one if you could after they were gone? Would they still be part of your every day life or is that just a trauma response? The movie really makes you start to think about how you grieve, how life changes after loss and some of the weight and tolls that our Veterans bring back.
There is a lot more to the movie than meets the eye. Yes, on the surface it’s about a soldier grieving the loss of her friend and questioning what role, if any, she had in it. But that isn’t a unique story on it’s own. Instead, it’s probably one that is more common than we would like to admit that active duty and many vets can relate to. The story is about two friends, their connection in life and after, and their impact on each’s other lives even after the war.
My Dead Friend Zoe hits theaters everywhere this weekend. And while it may not be a movie for everyone, it is endearing, pulls at your heart strings and is hauntingly relatable.
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About My Dead Friend Zoe
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.
MY DEAD FRIEND ZOE first premiered in March 2024 at the SXSW Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award. The film is the directorial debut of Kyle Hausmann-Stokes, a former U.S. Army infantry paratrooper and Iraq War Bronze Star veteran. Currently rated 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, the film is Hausmann-Stokes’ creative take on the post-war experience and a tribute to veterans of all generations. Co-written with A.J. Bermudez, Hausmann-Stokes and Bermudez’s poignant script laid the foundation for powerful performances from a truly all-star cast. Martin-Green’s portrayal of Merit, hailed by critics as one of the best performances of the year, showcases the depth of a friendship forged in Afghanistan and the complexity of a divided family in rural Oregon. Coupled with Harris’ depth and emotional resonance as Merit’s grandfather battling Alzheimer’s, the two characters navigate their differing war experiences with a sense of humor that is key to the film’s emotional impact.