“I’ve lost more guys here than I did in Iraq,” testifies a veteran during one of the many group therapy sessions featured in “My Dead Friend Zoe,” Kyle Hausmann-Stokes’ affecting look at mental health among ex-servicepeople. Two decades of life experience and personal loss have led the filmmaker to this project, which was inspired by the deaths of friends he served alongside during his five-year tour of duty with the U.S. Army. To be clear, most of the movie is spent avoiding the kind of support that vets need — which is kind of the filmmaker’s point.
His main character, U.S. Army veteran Merit (Sonequa Martin-Green), is haunted by the death of fellow soldier Zoe (Natalie Morales), with whom she served in Afghanistan. A phantom version of Zoe hangs around Merit all day, mixing afternoon cocktails and making wisecracks that only she can hear — well, she and the audience,...
His main character, U.S. Army veteran Merit (Sonequa Martin-Green), is haunted by the death of fellow soldier Zoe (Natalie Morales), with whom she served in Afghanistan. A phantom version of Zoe hangs around Merit all day, mixing afternoon cocktails and making wisecracks that only she can hear — well, she and the audience,...
- 3/14/2024
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
The SXSW 2024 festival wrapped after nine days of TV and Film premieres with The Idea of You, starring Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine, closing out the festival. The fest ran from March 8-16.
The SXSW Film & TV Festival Narrative Feature Competition, Documentary Feature Competition, Design Awards, and Special Awards announced the winners on Wednesday, March 13 at the Paramount Theatre with Bob Trevino Likes It, directed by Tracie Layman, winning the Narrative Feature Competition. Grand Theft Hamlet, Directed by Pinny Grylls and Sam Crane won in the Documentary Feature Competition category.
Fresh from his Oscars performance of “I’m Just Ken,” Barbie star, Ryan Gosling, made an appearance at the world premiere of David Leitch’s, The Fall Guy on Tuesday, March 12. The ensemble cast included Emily Blunt, Hannah Waddingham, Winston Duke, and Stephanie Hsu among others, who attended the premiere.
Ryan Gosling stars as Colt, a stuntman who, after a near-career-ending accident,...
The SXSW Film & TV Festival Narrative Feature Competition, Documentary Feature Competition, Design Awards, and Special Awards announced the winners on Wednesday, March 13 at the Paramount Theatre with Bob Trevino Likes It, directed by Tracie Layman, winning the Narrative Feature Competition. Grand Theft Hamlet, Directed by Pinny Grylls and Sam Crane won in the Documentary Feature Competition category.
Fresh from his Oscars performance of “I’m Just Ken,” Barbie star, Ryan Gosling, made an appearance at the world premiere of David Leitch’s, The Fall Guy on Tuesday, March 12. The ensemble cast included Emily Blunt, Hannah Waddingham, Winston Duke, and Stephanie Hsu among others, who attended the premiere.
Ryan Gosling stars as Colt, a stuntman who, after a near-career-ending accident,...
- 3/14/2024
- by Robert Lang
- Deadline Film + TV
Grief is a funny thing — sometimes literally. Much of the best film and TV on the subject has been told through the lens of comedy; from “It’s a Wonderful Life” to “Fleabag” and everything in between, there is a secret society among the grieving, who know the power of laughing at or through the pain.
In fairness, that’s not the only lens through which debut feature director Kyle Hausmann-Stokes frames “My Dead Friend Zoe,” the story of a shattered veteran (Sonequa Martin-Green) haunted by the ongoing presence of her deceased platoon mate (Natalie Morales). Hausmann-Stokes, who co-wrote the film with Aj Bermudez, has been vocal about the personal nature of this story — including in the film’s post-credits — but even if he hadn’t, “My Dead Friend Zoe” is possessed of a realism that has to come from heartbreaking firsthand experience.
The film opens on Merit (Martin-Green) and Zoe (Morales) during their tour,...
In fairness, that’s not the only lens through which debut feature director Kyle Hausmann-Stokes frames “My Dead Friend Zoe,” the story of a shattered veteran (Sonequa Martin-Green) haunted by the ongoing presence of her deceased platoon mate (Natalie Morales). Hausmann-Stokes, who co-wrote the film with Aj Bermudez, has been vocal about the personal nature of this story — including in the film’s post-credits — but even if he hadn’t, “My Dead Friend Zoe” is possessed of a realism that has to come from heartbreaking firsthand experience.
The film opens on Merit (Martin-Green) and Zoe (Morales) during their tour,...
- 3/10/2024
- by Proma Khosla
- Indiewire
My Dead Friend Zoe, directed by Kyle Hausmann-Stokes and co-written with Aj Bermudez, weaves a complex tapestry from trauma, memory and the enduring strength of human connection. Starring Sonequa Martin-Green and Natalie Morales in the lead roles, with support from Utkarsh Ambudkar, Ed Harris, Gloria Reuben and Morgan Freeman, this film delves deep into the psychological aftermath of warfare, presenting a narrative that is both intimate and expansive.
The film opens on the dusty roads of Afghanistan, introducing us to Zoe (Morales) and Merit (Green), two army friends whose camaraderie in the face of adversity sets the stage for the story’s exploration of the impact of military service on personal identity and mental health. From the outset, My Dead Friend Zoe establishes itself as a film unafraid to tackle the complexities of post-traumatic stress disorder (Ptsd) and the ways in which it infiltrates the lives of those it touches.
The film opens on the dusty roads of Afghanistan, introducing us to Zoe (Morales) and Merit (Green), two army friends whose camaraderie in the face of adversity sets the stage for the story’s exploration of the impact of military service on personal identity and mental health. From the outset, My Dead Friend Zoe establishes itself as a film unafraid to tackle the complexities of post-traumatic stress disorder (Ptsd) and the ways in which it infiltrates the lives of those it touches.
- 3/10/2024
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
When “My Dead Friend Zoe” filmmaker Kyle Hausmann-Stokes set out to adapt his own experiences as an Army vet onto the big screen, he made two very big changes: gender-flipping the main characters and two women of color in the roles.
Starring Sonequa Martin-Green and Natalie Morales, “My Dead Friend Zoe” is a dark dramedy that follows Merit (Martin-Green), a U.S. Army Afghanistan veteran who is at odds with her family thanks to the presence of Zoe (Morales), her dead best friend from the Army.
Director Hausmann-Stokes co-wrote the film with Aj Bermudez inspired by Hausmann-Stokes’s time serving five years in the Army as a paratrooper, during which he received the Bronze Star in Iraq, and the death of his good friend and platoon mate. “My Dead Friend Zoe” marks Hausmann-Stokes’s feature film debut after attending USC film school.
“My Dead Friend Zoe”/Michael Moriatis
“One of the first few ideas,...
Starring Sonequa Martin-Green and Natalie Morales, “My Dead Friend Zoe” is a dark dramedy that follows Merit (Martin-Green), a U.S. Army Afghanistan veteran who is at odds with her family thanks to the presence of Zoe (Morales), her dead best friend from the Army.
Director Hausmann-Stokes co-wrote the film with Aj Bermudez inspired by Hausmann-Stokes’s time serving five years in the Army as a paratrooper, during which he received the Bronze Star in Iraq, and the death of his good friend and platoon mate. “My Dead Friend Zoe” marks Hausmann-Stokes’s feature film debut after attending USC film school.
“My Dead Friend Zoe”/Michael Moriatis
“One of the first few ideas,...
- 3/10/2024
- by Jennifer Maas
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Ahead of the SXSW premiere of My Dead Friend Zoe, the buzzy, dark dramedy marking his feature debut, writer-director Kyle Hausmann-Stokes has signed with Grandview for management.
Set to premiere at the Austin, TX-based festival on Saturday March 9, My Dead Friend Zoe is based on Hausmann-Stokes’ real-life experiences, during his time in the army and afterwards, which he first examined in short film Merit x Zoe. Pic 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.
Hausmann-Stokes co-wrote, directed and produced the feature, also starring Ed Harris, Morgan Freeman, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Gloria Reuben and more, which marks the first executive producer credit for recent Super Bowl champion Travis Kelce as he looks to further expand his entertainment career.
A graduate of USC’s School of Cinematic Arts,...
Set to premiere at the Austin, TX-based festival on Saturday March 9, My Dead Friend Zoe is based on Hausmann-Stokes’ real-life experiences, during his time in the army and afterwards, which he first examined in short film Merit x Zoe. Pic 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.
Hausmann-Stokes co-wrote, directed and produced the feature, also starring Ed Harris, Morgan Freeman, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Gloria Reuben and more, which marks the first executive producer credit for recent Super Bowl champion Travis Kelce as he looks to further expand his entertainment career.
A graduate of USC’s School of Cinematic Arts,...
- 3/4/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
People often imagine which actor they'd like to see play them in a movie or TV show about their life, but author Cheryl Strayed is the rare person who had that happen to her, twice. In the 2014 movie "Wild," based on her best-selling memoir, Reese Witherspoon plays her as she dares to hike the Pacific Coast Trail alone. And in Hulu's new series "Tiny Beautiful Things," based on Strayed's best-selling book of advice columns, Kathryn Hahn and Sarah Pidgeon team up to play a fictionalized version of Strayed named Clare.
Something else that connects "Wild" and "Tiny Beautiful Things" is that they were produced by Witherspoon. "Wild" came to be through Witherspoon's old production company, Type A Films, while "Tiny Beautiful Things" is one of many her Hello Sunshine projects. Strayed, talking to Popsugar, praises Witherspoon for one of "the women in Hollywood who have really blazed a trail.
Something else that connects "Wild" and "Tiny Beautiful Things" is that they were produced by Witherspoon. "Wild" came to be through Witherspoon's old production company, Type A Films, while "Tiny Beautiful Things" is one of many her Hello Sunshine projects. Strayed, talking to Popsugar, praises Witherspoon for one of "the women in Hollywood who have really blazed a trail.
- 4/18/2023
- by Victoria Edel
- Popsugar.com
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