There are many times My Dead Friend Zoe tends to fall into a lot of predictable patterns of movies dealing with post-combat PTSD. But what saves it from some of that predictability is the cast and their dedication to the roles. Martin-Green truly breaks out here giving an especially moving performance opposite some great actors. Her relationship with Harris especially is quite well executed between the performers and it makes Merit's struggle and her journey feel very real.
I understand this is a personal project for writer/director Hausmann-Stokes and you can feel that honesty in the structure of the screenplay. His building of the connection between our protagonist and who she has lost is very powerful and helps bring home the story in a moving way. While sometimes the use of Morales' character's memory sometimes pushed my limits, overall it was a very effective means of communicating the effects of Merit's PTSD.
I'm not sure the film manages to convincingly build its romance subplot. I don't feel such a story is superfluous either as it also speaks to how she is unable to move forward. Despite all Ambudkar's heaping charisma, there is little connection between him and Martin-Green and I think the film would have benefited from that.
However, My Dead Friend Zoe really does manage to pull it off in the end and delivers a truly moving, if overly formulaic, ending that makes its journey successful. And if it helps some in real life begin to open up about what they need, then it is certainly worthwhile.
My Dead Friend Zoe
Starring: Sonequa Martin-Green, Natalie Morales, Gloria Reuben, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris
Director: Kyle Hausmann-Stokes
Writers: A. J. Bermudez, Kyle Hausmann-Stokes
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