The Big Picture
- The indie dramedy "My Dead Friend Zoe" set to hit theaters on Nov. 1, 2024.
- The film stars Sonequa Martin-Green as Merit, dealing with PTSD and a ghostly friend, Zoe, played by Natalie Morales.
- Director Kyle Hausmann-Stokes draws from his own experiences, with a strong critical reception anticipated.
Star Trek: Discovery may have crossed the galactic barrier last month, but Sonequa Martin-Green's next project is coming soon to a theater near you. The indie dramedy My Dead Friend Zoe will be released in theaters on November 1, 2024. Variety reports that distributor Briarcliif Entertainment has acquired the film for North American release.
So far, the release calendar for November is fairly sparse. My Dead Friend Zoe will face the Vatican City thriller Conclave, from All Quiet on the Western Front director Edward Berger, as well as holdovers from symbiotic sequel Venom: The Last Dance, which will be released the previous week. The next week will see the release of two family films; the much-anticipated sequel Paddington in Peru, and the Judy Greer/Pete Holmes holiday film The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. My Dead Friend Zoe has strong critical headwinds behind it; it won the Audience Award at the South By Southwest Film Festival earlier this year, and has been widely acclaimed. In his review, Collider's Matt Donato called the movie "a heartbreaker in the best, most fulfilling way", and praised Martin-Green for delivering "one of the best performances of not only South by Southwest 2024, but possibly of the year".
What Is 'My Dead Friend Zoe' About?
My Dead Friend Zoe stars Martin-Green as Merit, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan who's dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder and the ever-present ghost of her friend and colleague, Zoe (Natalie Morales). Group therapy with Dr. Cole (Morgan Freeman) isn't helping, so she decides to become the caretaker for her Vietnam War-veteran grandfather (Ed Harris), who is in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. They'll have to overcome their differences as Merit tries to overcome her trauma and let go of her past - and her dead friend Zoe. Utkarsh Ambudkar (Ghosts) plays Merit's love interest, while Gloria Reuben (E.R.) co-stars as her mother.
My Dead Friend Zoe was co-written and directed by first-time feature director and former paratrooper Kyle Hausmann-Stokes, who based the film on his own experiences. Writer A. J. Bermudez co-wrote the script. Among the film's producers is Kansas City Chiefs star and Super Bowl champion Travis Kelce.
