My Dead Friend Zoe Has Great Intent, but an Unfocused Script
Even with the best intentions, earnestness to a fault can be a creative albatross when it comes to cinematic storytelling. Take My Dead Friend Zoe, the directorial debut of veteran Kyle Hausmann-Stokes, a retired Army Staff Sergeant who was deployed in Iraq and returned home to attend USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. Zoe is based on his own experiences after returning home and is the feature-length expansion of his short film, Merit x Zoe.
My Dead Friend Zoe follows the post-deployment existence of Merit (Sonequa Martin-Green), a U.S. Army Afghanistan veteran suffering from debilitating PTSD that manifests as seeing and interacting with her deceased soldier bestie, Zoe (Natalie Morales). Although that premise has the potential to be both poignant and darkly comedic, Hausmann-Stokes has such a reverence for his former military characters that he handles them with kid gloves throughout the script. And although Morales is an improv queen, the overriding gravitas of Hausmann-Stokes’ direction makes most of the intended comedy wither and land with a dull thud. However, there are some solid performances from the whole cast, and the opportunity to platform this topic is a plus, and in some cases, likely vital to veterans who will watch it.
Hausmann-Stokes structures the film to take place in two timelines, Merit’s retirement life in her home state of Oregon and in her memories of the end of her 2018 deployment with Zoe. In general, Merit is stuck. She is plagued by memories of her friendship in the field with Zoe, including some gauzy violence that tips up the events that took Zoe’s life. In Oregon, she’s mandated to participate fully with a support group for veterans led by Dr. Cole (Morgan Freeman). Merit’s been resisting participation, which causes Cole to get stuck in the lane of appearing to wheedle her about not progressing or being brave enough to work through what’s plaguing her.
Meanwhile, Zoe buzzes around Merit like a fly, constantly making snarky quips about anyone and everyone as she rides shotgun in her living friend’s day-to-day life. Zoe can’t do anything corporeal, but the rules of when and why she appears is never fully explained. She’s just there, in the backseat of Merit’s car, or playing computer solitaire in the living room, or on the couch watching old reruns of M.A.S.H.. Weirdly, she’s treated like chatty, supernatural wallpaper just holding visual and aural space in Merit’s life without providing any propulsive motivation, be it good or bad. Zoe certainly has more agency in Merit’s memories from Afghanistan, but it’s not until the last 20 minutes of the film that her actual purpose reveals itself. It isn’t really fair to Morales, who is clearly trying to find some resonant footing in the present day storyline.
Another problem with the screenplay of My Dead Friend Zoe is that it splits focus with too many supporting plots that pull focus from the core conceit of Merit and Zoe. They take a backseat to a storyline about Merit’s Army veteran grandfather, Dale (Ed Harris). he lives alone in the family lake house and is exhibiting signs of Alzheimer’s disease, wandering off the property and leaving milk jugs in the cabinets. Merit’s out of town mother Kris (Gloria Reuben) asks her daughter to go check on him, and scout out the potential assisted living home she’s been eyeing for him.
However, Merit isn’t interested in helping, which doesn’t make much sense because she’ll talk about her childhood memories of her grandfather to others with adulation, so there’s a real confusion factor that stems from the script being more interested in plot moves instead of character authenticity. Not to mention the inconsistency of behavior that also applies to Dale’s absolute lucidity for most of the film, with convenient dementia crisis points whenever the story needs it. For anyone who experiences dementia within their family, this is clearly Hollywood dementia, which continues the performative impulses of the film to just give us surface versions of real issues such as dementia, PTSD and depression.
The film does brighten up when Merit meets Alex (Utkarsh Ambudkar) on a run near her grandfather’s cabin. Ambudkar’s comedically sweet presence allows Martin-Green to finally smile and let go of the heaviness draped on her shoulders for most of the film. Harris remains a strong screen presence, doing his version of the old coot grandfather who wants to retain his autonomy for as long as he can. Freeman is solid too, but he’s only allowed to play the wise counselor and doesn’t have any backstory outside of this therapy circle. And then there’s the reveal between Merit and Zoe that gets shunted to the end of the film, and feels rushed and rather underbaked when it’s finally allowed to play out. Hausmann-Stokes commits the common sin of many new filmmakers by offering up a very pat and somewhat jarring ending for Merit when he, more than anyone, knows PTSD is a deeply complex diagnosis that deserves a more hopeful but realistic outcome for his main character. Sure, it’s inspiring, but it’s also exceedingly tidy and earnest without earning where Merit’s story lands so quickly.
Director: Kyle Hausmann-Stokes
Writer: Kyle Hausmann-Stokes and A.J. Bermudez
Stars: Sonequa Martin-Green, Natalie Morales, Ed Harris, Utkarsh Ambudkar and Morgan Freeman
Release date: Feb. 28, 2025
Tara Bennett is a Los Angeles-based writer covering film, television and pop culture for publications such as SFX Magazine, NBC Insider, IGN and more. She’s also written official books on Sons of Anarchy, Outlander, Fringe, The Story of Marvel Studios, Avatar: The Way of Water and the latest, The Art of Ryan Meinerding. You can follow her on Twitter @TaraDBennett, Bluesky @tarabennett.bsky.social, or Instagram @TaraDBen