My Dead Friend Zoe (2025)

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

Handling the Undead/Håndtering av udøde (2024)

Horror comes in many forms but in the end is about scaring its audience in some way. Most tend towards scaring us through violence, through gore, through things jumping out and going "boo". But every now and then a horror film can scare us through emotions. Handling the Undead takes the "zombie" trope and laser focuses on loss. And it may be one of the saddest films I've ever seen. 

In Handling the Undead there is a general "zombie" apocalypse but without the hordes or gruesome attacks (generally). Here the dead begin to slowly awake. Instead of attacking (generally) they just exist. Instead of us focusing on a group of survivors attempting to flee or kill of undead armies, we follow three stories of people attempting to deal with the fact their dead loved ones are back; a long time partner, a dead child, a mother who just died but was resurrected. 

Handling the Undead turns its focus on the pain and grief of mourning, the unbearable pain of seeing your loved one, who you had lost, come back to you but not be themselves. The performances are incredible, subtle yet deeply moving. It is a study in some of the worst pain anyone can feel and it is devastating. 

The film begins to bring in some of the more expected "zombie" violence near the end as the resurrected begin to harm those around them but it never becomes the zombie horror that we are used to. Instead this finalizes the realization our characters have that their loved ones cannot come back and are gone forever. It is deeply traumatizing. The film's focus on pain and loss, on grieving is palpable and the way it eschews the escaping motifs of the genre is bold. It is a film I had to sit with for a while. 

Handling the Undead/Håndtering av udøde

Starring: Renate Reinsve, Bjørn Sundquist, Bente Børsum, Anders Danielsen Lie, Bahar Pars, Inesa Dauksta 

Director: Thea Hvistendahl

Writers: John Ajvide Lindqvist, Thea Hvistendahl

Grand Theft Hamlet (2024)

During the COVID 19 pandemic, some actors decided to put on a production of Hamlet in the world of Grand Theft Auto. They recruited other actors, auditioned them, scouted in-world locations, and eventually mounted the production of the play all within the game. This is the story of how that came to be, shot entirely in the game as well. 

Grand Theft Hamlet is a love letter to cinema and gaming, to finding connection, and pursuing passion. Reminding us just how isolated many people felt during that time but also showing us how filled with possibilities our modern world is, the film chronicles the challenging task of pulling this off while also celebrating the achievement. 

One of my favourite aspects of Shakespeare's plays is how versatile they are. The possibilities for adaptation are endless and this is just another example. Watching them perform the famous soliloquy was magnificent. The film is inspiring and affirming. But at the end, the film is quite touching in capturing that post- achievement feeling of what now? 

Grand Theft Hamlet

Writer/Directors: Sam Crane, Pinny Grylls 

The Monkey (2025)

I haven't loved most of Perkins' films. Even his much lauded Longlegs left me feeling a bit blah. For me Perkins often is unable to connect his terror to emotion in a way that make it land. I feel this remains true with his Stephen King adaptation The Monkey, a film that focuses on family trauma but often the film feels more about the spectacle and comedy than the emotional resonance, perhaps this is somewhat amplified by it's focus on humour over chills. 

The Monkey takes King's story and adds a lot of accoutrements (an evil twin storyline, an estranged son plot) but never truly connects the dots. The film goes through the motions of attempting to reunite our main character (played stoically by James) with his son but it never feels real. Mostly every relationship is played for laughs. The one exception might be the relationship with the protagonist's mother which gets a little bit of gravitas. A call back to this at the end of the film does hit even if the film barely touches on it before returning to its macabre humour approach. 

One of the main themes of the story (both here and in the short story) is the abandonment by a father. The film turns that almost entirely into a joke. It's like the film is one bit immature frat boy who can't focus on what he's feeling to he bombastically goes for laughs. And that's the The Monkey does well. Watching one spectacularly gruesome and hilarious cartoon death after another is rather entertaining. And don't worry the film never lingers long enough for you to feel anything other than a kind of shock laughter (a woman running with a burning baby carriage is a blink of an eye shot so we don't have to wrestle with that image) so this won't make it hard to sleep at night. Horror comedy is a good thing and The Monkey does this right. It just doesn't aspire to do anything else. It isn't even satire. It doesn't comment on anything. It's just about laughing at how gross something can be. 

Don't go into The Monkey expecting scares. There is nothing scary about this film. Other than the toy Monkey of the title being a cliche for what we think of when we think of creepy historic toys, there is nothing in the imagery, the suspense, nor the threat itself which will scare you, get under your skin, or haunt you. The Monkey is just for light, forgettable fun. 

The Monkey

Starring: Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, Elijah Wood, Christian Convery, Colin O'Brien, Rohan Campbell, Sarah Levy 

Writer/Director: Osgood Perkins

The Seed of the Sacred Fig (2024)

The story of the making of The Seed of the Sacred Fig is harrowing. Iranian film maker Rasoulof filmed it in secret while being sentenced to prison for dissidence, only to escape to Germany where the film was finally edited and screened winning awards and playing at international festivals from Berlin to Cannes to Toronto. It incorporates real footage of protests in Iran featuring brutal scenes along side its fictional yet fact based plot. Yet even without all of this background Seed is a powerful and beautiful film that is fascinating to watch. 

The film looks specifically into Iranian governmental corruption but its themes are not limited to that country. One could recognize similar authoritarian policies around the globe. Its story feels universal. 

Many of the cast have had to flee Iran as well. The performances here are all strong, especially when one considers that they were filming everything in secret, even the outdoor scenes. The cast comes together so well bringing this story a real gravitas. 

Rasoulof drags out some of his scenes. Even near the end with a few tense chase scenes, he takes a long time to get to where he is going which strips some of the power of the story. Yet Seed remains gripping and tragic with some hope for the future, The Seed of the Sacred Fig is a film you'll remember. 

The Seed of the Sacred Fig 

Starring: Soheila Golestani, Missagh Zareh, Mahsa Rostami, Setareh Maleki, Niousha Akhshi, Amineh Arani

Writer/Director: Mohammad Rasoulof

Oscar Nominated Shorts 2025

I've seen all of the films nominated for Oscars in the five short film categories in 2025 and I noticed some trends. For example in the animation stop motion was strong this year (which might be my favourite animation style). While in the live action films it was noticeable that all but one of the film was based on real events whether they ended up being highly fictionalized or a direct adaptation of real events. There were some inspiring documentaries this year, a category that often leaves more sadness than hope. Here are my thoughts on this year's crop of Oscar nominated short films. 

Animation

Beautiful Men

Stop motion holds a special place in my heart and this year a few of the nominees were stop motion films including this one about three brothers on a trip to Istanbul for hair transplants. It quite entertainingly and rather frankly explores men's body issues connected to aging and societal expectations. While being very funny it is also surprisingly insightful and moving with charming animation.

Magic Candies

My favourite of this year's animated nominees has the most gorgeous stop motion animation and a sweet and poignant story about a little boy eating candies which open his mind to the world around him. I found the movie truly moving and utterly relatable. It is the sort of film that anyone of all ages can appreciate. Its story is lovely and will put a big smile on your face.  

In the Shadow of Cypress

This traditionally drawn animated film packs a lot into its story runtime as an estranged daughter and father attempt to rescue a beached whale. The animation is simple but beautiful and the story is intense. Dialogue free it relies on images to convey a lot. Sometimes I felt it didn't all connect but overall it is a powerful movie. 

Yuck!

This is the funniest and most purely delightful of this crop of animated films. When a group of children see adults kissing at a campground, they are fascinated but disgusted... until they aren't. The stylized 2D animation is adorable and captures the film's sense of whimsy. 

Wander to Wonder

This film at its heart is about grieving and loss told through an absurdist story. It's complicated narrative is remarkably conveyed in the film's short runtime. A mix of stop motion and live action, the film captures something quite profound while also pushing some boundaries. 

Live Action

A Lien

This film is very timely in how it focuses on deportation and the tactics American authorities use to take people into custody while they are applying through legal channels for their citizenship. Short but powerful, A Lien is emotionally charged and kinetically filmed. It's title, a play on words, highlights the themes of the story. 

Anuja

Anuja's choice to cast a street involved young actor as the star of this emotionally charged film makes it even more powerful. This is a Sophie's Choice style story about the impossibilities faced by those in the lowest economic circumstances. Despite how heavy the story is the film has a joyousness to it which is uplifting. 

I'm Not a Robot

The only truly fictional film nominated in this category this year, I'm Not a Robot is a hilarious yet quite dark story that examines identity and agency in a very of-the-moment way. The idea isn't unique (it's the subject of the contemporaneous American film Companion as well as the classic Blade Runner) but the structure of this short film manages it exceptionally during its brief runtime. 

The Last Ranger

This is the most epic in scope of the films nominated. The story, based on real events, is broken down in a very effective and emotionally satisfying way. The reality of this story hits hard and the young star gives an incredible performance. 

The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent

A tense political thriller boiled down to 20 minutes. It centres you in the story with its intimate cinematography and high stakes. Silent is based on real events but told in a way that can be related to in any time, perhaps especially now. 

Documentaries

Death By Numbers

Focusing on the high profile sentencing hearing of the Parkland shooter, from the point of view of one of the survivors, this film wrestles quite powerfully with the impossibility of finding resolution after such a horrible event. This isn't the only film nominated this year that touches on themes connected to the death penalty nor brutal murders. There is a recognition here of the strength needed to live on after events that have no possibility of resolution. 

I Am Ready, Warden

This film also tackles the issue of capital punishment, this time from multiple points of view, including but not limited to the adult child of a murder victim and the teen child of the murderer. There is a powerful moment near the end when the realization that death doesn't bring about justice or peace which shakes its audience to its core. 

Incident

Incident is quite simply a collection of actual "found footage" (from security cameras, police body cams, and other filmed records) recording the events of a police shooting of an innocent man in real time. However there is nothing simple about it. It is brutal to watch and overwhelming to take in the gravity of how these crimes can occur. The film's sparse approach to presenting the film and letting us see the "incident" with our own eyes, is likely more powerful than it would have been if the film had taken a more narrative approach. 

Instruments of a Beating Heart

This is one of two more charming films that don't focus on tragedy. Beating Heart follows young grade school children in Japan as they practice for an orchestral performance of Ode to Joy and the film is rather joyous. There is a part in the middle that western audiences might find a bit unsettling, when a teacher sternly berates one of the 6 year olds for her failure to practice. But the film pivots from that quickly to instead focus on how much the children enjoy performing together for their peers and parents. 

The Only Girl in the Orchestra 

The most cinematic of the bunch, this film maker has made a tribute to her favourite aunt, a woman who inspired her and lived a rich and full life doing what she loves. Orin O'Brien was the first woman in the NY Philharmonic and her pursuit of her passion is a wonderful thing to see. Molly O'Brien has made a wonderful film that celebrates her inspirational family member and celebrates a life well lived. That's not a bad way to end this round of short films. 

Bird (2024)

Arnold, known for her films Fish Tank, American Honey, and the documentary Cow, is back with another emotionally fraught examination into the lives of the economically marginalized with Bird. The film's strong cast and Arnold's bold vision make it incredibly engaging and truly satisfying. 

Adams breaks out here as a young woman coming of age in devastating economic circumstances. She meets an odd man called Bird whose own journey has been incredibly difficult, and she finds connection to a family she resents. She is supported in this by a strong supporting cast including Keoghan and Rogowski who both bring their own brands of strange yet compelling screen presence to the film. 

Bird is a big swing that works and has a lot of interesting things to think about. Be prepared for a bit of surrealness but a whole lot of emotion. 

Bird

Starring: Nykiya Adams, Barry Keoghan, Franz Rogowski 

Writer/Director: Andrea Arnold