THE STORY – Merit is a U.S. veteran who keeps seeing the presence of Zoe, her best friend who died in combat. When her estranged grandfather is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, she decides to become his caretaker while also trying to heal herself.
THE CAST – Sonequa Martin-Green, Natalie Morales, Gloria Reuben, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Morgan Freeman & Ed Harris
THE TEAM – Kyle Hausmann-Stokes (Director/Writer) & A. J. Bermudez (Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 101 Minutes
“My Dead Friend Zoe” is a raw and visceral look into the lives of veterans grappling with the invisible scars of war. At the heart of the film lies the devastating reality that comes after the return home: American veterans with PTSD have been found to have “an unadjusted rate of 50.7 deaths by suicide per 100,000 person-years of risk, compared to a rate of 13.2 in the general adult population,” according to a study for the National Library of Medicine. This grim statistic underpins the journey of Merit (Sonequa Martin-Green), a U.S. Army veteran not only battling the demons of PTSD but is also haunted by the ghost of her army friend, Zoe (Natalie Morales), who took her own life.
With a director like Kyle Hausmann-Stokes (who co-wrote the script with A.J. Bermudez), the film is incredibly personal, as he served in the Iraq war and lost platoonmates to suicide. “My Dead Friend Zoe” is based on a true story that reflects the experiences of many soldiers, along with the heartbreak experienced by their friends and families. It’s a dark comedy-drama that captures the profound isolation and the weight of survival through exploring grief, friendship, and the delicate thread between life and death.
The film opens in 2016 with Merit and Zoe, both soldiers in Afghanistan, singing Rihanna’s “Umbrella“ in the middle of a warzone. It’s a moment of fragile joy amid chaos, setting the tone for their deeply entwined friendship. But despite the fun brought out by fantastic chemistry, this joy is short-lived as the film shifts to the present day, where we realize that Zoe is no longer alive; she’s a figment of Merit’s mind, a ghostly presence tied to the unbearable grief of losing her friend. As Merit navigates the painful aftermath of war, Zoe lingers in the background as an entertaining annoyance, a constant reminder of a past Merit can’t escape.
Amid this emotional storm, Merit’s estranged grandfather, played by the incomparable Ed Harris, becomes a pivotal figure in her life. A Vietnam War veteran, he’s fading into the grips of Alzheimer’s, his memories slipping away just as Merit’s are becoming more hauntingly vivid. Their shared history as military veterans becomes a poignant aspect of the story and of Merit’s character, as her grandfather is the one who inspired her to join the Army. While her grandfather battles the fragility of memory, Merit struggles to cope with Zoe in her mind and is afraid that, if she gets help, Zoe will be gone for good. But as the film delicately reveals, memory – no matter how painful – is essential for survival.
Martin-Green delivers an extraordinary performance, embodying a woman caught between the yearning for healing and the suffocating weight of guilt and loss. Her portrayal of Merit is a masterclass in subtlety, capturing the internal struggle of a person who can’t move forward because she’s anchored by her memories of Zoe and the guilt that comes with being unable to save her. The chemistry between Martin-Green and Morales is palpable – a friendship that transcends death itself. The film juggles moments of levity and darkness, finding humor in the bleakest situations. Though a manifestation of Merit’s inner turmoil, Zoe’s antics are often the film’s comic relief. Morgan Freeman’s Dr. Cole offers a stabilizing presence as the counselor of the PTSD group Merit attends, urging her to confront her pain, while Merit’s developing relationship with Alex (Utkarsh Ambudkar) gives her a nice escape from everything.
However, it’s not just the portrayal of Merit that stands out; it’s also the film’s exploration of the collective struggle of veterans, of the ongoing battle with PTSD that doesn’t end when the uniform comes off. The film’s backdrop of rural Oregon, where Merit returns to face her fractured family, intensifies the sense of isolation. Her home is a place of stark contrast: an empty fridge, dying plants, and a life seemingly abandoned in favor of solitude. The friction with her mother (Gloria Reuben) over family decisions, like placing her grandfather in a retirement home and selling the family cabin, adds another layer of tension. It’s as if every part of her life pushes her further away from the support she desperately needs.
One of the film’s most striking qualities is how it allows us to witness Merit’s healing journey. The script, while occasionally heavy-handed (particularly in Alex’s on-the-nose speech about PTSD and marriage), is filled with raw emotion that ultimately lands. The flashbacks to Merit and Zoe’s time in the Army, when their friendship was a lifeline, deepen our understanding of what is at stake. Zoe’s fear of life after the Army, with no real home or future, is a central theme, as her death symbolizes not just the loss of a friend but the larger, devastating uncertainty many veterans face when they return to civilian life.
The pacing can sometimes feel slow, especially as the film weaves between past and present, but the emotional payoff is monumental. The final act is a gut punch, where the weight of Merit’s grief is laid bare, and the film’s dedication to soldiers who didn’t have the support they needed – like those who didn’t have access to mental health services – is felt deeply. The film’s emotional core ultimately triumphs in its portrayal of the struggle to move forward, the importance of finding new purposes, and the recognition that healing often requires confronting what we’d rather leave behind.
“My Dead Friend Zoe“ is an emotionally devastating film that speaks to the heart of the post-war experience. It’s a story of survival and finding hope in the face of overwhelming darkness. The love between Merit and Zoe transcends death, and as the film reaches its conclusion, we’re left with the bittersweet reminder that moving on doesn’t mean leaving the past behind – it means finding the strength to carry it with us.
