My Dead Friend Zoe

Soooo...I went to see this film at AMC's Scream Unseen, which is exclusively for horror flicks. So that was upsetting, this home is absolutely not horror in any way shape or form. Secondly, since it was an early release the director begins the film with telling you about his newest dark comedy. This is assuredly not a dark comedy or even funny at any point. With that out of the way, this is a film about and for veterans and addressing the higher suicide rate of those who have served our country. Of course this is an important topic and I appreciate the directors and writers who made the film. Unfortunately there isn't much here till about 70 minutes into the film. More of a slice of life that happens to have veterans in the film. I would wait to stream this film. Not really worth a romp to the theatre.

Merit is a female Afghanistan veteran, back home in Oregon. As the movie begins we see flashback scenes which included her and her close friend Zoe deployed. But we soon realize that Zoe is dead yet in many scenes we see her, representing Merit's inability to get past all that.

Ed Harris does a good turn as Merit's elderly granddad, living in his long-time home on a small lake. Merit's mom, the man's daughter, is thinking that he might be developing dementia and she is actively trying to get him into an assisted living facility. Merit will play a pivotal role in resolving the issue.

Morgan Freeman also has a key role, he facilitates a group meeting and Merit is one of the participants. She has to complete the sessions and get his signature to keep her out of legal trouble but she is reluctant to share what is really going on. So he plays a pivotal role in helping her get past her own PTSD.

Good character study, my wife and I watched it at home, on DVD from our public library.

It's 2016 Afghanistan. Merit (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Zoe (Natalie Morales) are best friends in the Army. Some years later, Merit is in court-mandated group therapy headed by Dr. Cole (Morgan Freeman). She is talking to her dead friend Zoe. Her grandfather Dale (Ed Harris) has wandered away from home due to his early Alzheimer's.

This is inspired by a true story and probably speaks to a lot of military people's personal experiences. It also has some great actors here. As a story, it needs a destination. It needs a definite goal for Merit. There could have been a couple of possibilities. This could be a road trip where Merit tracks down her grandfather and she has to bring him home. Along the way, the car could break down. They could pick up a military hitchhiker. The movie is a bit aimless. Maybe that fits for someone suffering PTSD.

This movie is absolutely positively not even in the slightest bit a comedy or a dark comedy. It is incredibly sad. And very boring for the first 55 minutes (i fell asleep multiple times, i never do that). That being said, the movie recruits real veterans to play the roles of the veterans in the support group. The movie as a whole shines a light on some incredibly important (and often forgotten/overlooked) topics. I cried for the last 1/3 of the movie. Veteran or not, anyone who suffers from PTSD/SI, or even knows someone who does, will relate to this movie. And if that's not you, you'll still most likely appreciate the significance of the themes in this film. I'd categorize this movie as (in this order): drama, tragedy, war.

I had an idea on what the story was about, but it threw a couple curve balls at me. The fight at home is sometimes worse than the fight in the war. We had an epidemic, and I'm happy to hear that it's been finally slowing down a bit since 2019. My heart goes to all those who are effected, no matter at what level. I hope better programs are put into place going forward. We shouldn't be sending them out, just to bring them back and let them suffer alone. We have a duty to them, as they served a duty to all of us. I think that's one thing a lot of us can unite on. Truly a great story with a powerful message. The movie can be a little slow at times, so that's where my 7 comes in, but its still one I'd tell the right people to go and see.

Saw at AMC on 3-5-2025 with Nicole.