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My Dead Friend Zoe

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My Dead Friend Zoe
Theatrical release poster
Directed byKyle Hausmann-Stokes
Screenplay by
Story by
  • Kyle Hausmann-Stokes
  • Cherish Chen
Produced by
  • Paul Scanlan
  • Kyle Hausmann-Stokes
  • Terri Lubaroff
  • Ray Maiello
  • Mike Field
  • Richard Silverman
  • Robert Paschall Jr.
Starring
CinematographyMatt Sakatani Roe
Edited byAli Greer
Music byDan Romer
Production
companies
Distributed byBriarcliff Entertainment
Release dates
  • March 9, 2024 (2024-03-09) (SXSW)
  • February 28, 2025 (2025-02-28) (United States)
Running time
102 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1.3 million[2][3]

My Dead Friend Zoe is a 2024 American comedy-drama film written by Kyle Hausmann-Stokes and A. J. Bermudez, directed by Hausmann-Stokes and starring Sonequa Martin-Green, Natalie Morales, Gloria Reuben, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Morgan Freeman, and Ed Harris.

It premiered at South by Southwest on March 9, 2024 (winning the Audience Award), and was theatrically released in the United States on February 28, 2025.

Premise

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A U.S. Army Afghanistan veteran is at odds with her estranged Vietnam Veteran grandfather and her VA counselor. All thanks to the presence of her dead best friend from the Army.

Cast

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Production

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Kyle Hausmann-Stokes directed the film in his feature debut.[5] Written by Hausmann-Stokes, A. J. Bermudez and Cherish Chen, the story was inspired by Hausmann-Stokes' time serving five years in Iraq as a paratrooper and convoy commander. Hausmann-Stokes also wrote and directed the 2022 short film, Merit x Zoe.[5] According to Variety, the film is the first to be financed with green energy tax credits under an innovative model created by Mike Field at his Bess Rentals while Ray Maiello produced the film at Radiant Media Studios.[6] Radiant Media Studios brought Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce to the project as an executive producer.[7] Legion M co-financed under their crowdfunding model.[8]

In May 2023, it was reported that Ed Harris, Sonequa Martin-Green, and Natalie Morales were cast in the film.[5] In June 2023, it was announced that Morgan Freeman, Gloria Reuben, and Utkarsh Ambudkar joined the cast in main roles.[9] Filming occurred in Portland, Oregon, Forest Grove, Oregon and Molalla, Oregon in 2023.[10] In September 2023, it was announced that filming wrapped.[11] By January 2024, Dan Romer was composing the film's score.[12]

Release

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My Dead Friend Zoe premiered at South by Southwest on March 9, 2024, where it won the Audience Award.[13] In June 2024, Briarcliff Entertainment acquired the film. On October 19, it won the Grand Jury prize for Best Feature Narrative at the Woodstock Film Festival.[14] It was theatrically released in the United States on February 28, 2025.[15]

Reception

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Critical response

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 95% of 91 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.6/10. The website's consensus reads: "Carrying off painful subject matter with a light touch, My Dead Friend Zoe invites audiences to a healing process that comes with both chuckles and tears."[16] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 75 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[17]

Valerie Complex of Deadline Hollywood called the film "a powerful testament to the resilience of the human spirit."[18] Matt Donato of Collider praised Martin-Green's performance,[19] while Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com also commended Harris, describing him as "one of our best living actors" in the supporting cast.[20]

Variety ranked "My Dead Friend Zoe" as one of the 10 Best Films of 2025. [1]

References

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  1. ^ "My Dead Friend Zoe (15)". British Board of Film Classification. May 7, 2025. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
  2. ^ "My Dead Friend Zone – Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  3. ^ "My Dead Friend Zone". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  4. ^ Gervasi, Alessia (September 29, 2023). "Actor from Buffalo uses comedy to tell serious stories". WGRZ. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c Grobar, Matt (May 17, 2023). "Ed Harris, Sonequa Martin-Green & Natalie Morales Board Dark Veteran Dramedy 'My Dead Friend Zoe'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  6. ^ Siegel, Tatiana (February 13, 2024). "'Travis Kelce's Debut as a Film Producer Is Also the First Movie Financed Using President Biden's Green Energy Tax Credits (Exclusive)'". Variety. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  7. ^ "Award-winning movie produced by Chiefs' Travis Kelce to be released after Super Bowl". KansasCity.com. October 22, 2024.
  8. ^ Hayes, Dade (September 5, 2024). "Legion M, Fan-Driven Backer Of Films Like SXSW Prize Winner My Dead Friend Zoe, Raises $5M From 15,000 Investors". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
  9. ^ Grobar, Matt (June 27, 2023). "Morgan Freeman, Gloria Reuben & Utkarsh Ambudkar Board Veteran Dramedy 'My Dead Friend Zoe'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  10. ^ Bourgeois, Michaela (March 2, 2024). "Oregon-made film My Dead Friend Zoe set for world premiere at SXSW". KOIN. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  11. ^ Grobar, Matt (September 12, 2023). "'Star Trek: Discovery's Sonequa Martin-Green Inks With IAG". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  12. ^ "Dan Romer Scoring Kyle Hausmann-Stokes' 'My Dead Friend Zoe'". Film Music Reporter. January 10, 2024. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
  13. ^ Cruz, Olivia (March 26, 2024). "2024 SXSW Film & TV Festival Audience Award Winners Announced". South by Southwest. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  14. ^ Carey, Matthew (October 20, 2024). "My Dead Friend Zoe, Porcelain War, Brooklyn, Minnesota Among Big Winners At 25th Woodstock Film Festival". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
  15. ^ Lang, Brent (June 18, 2024). "Briarcliff Entertainment Buys SXSW Audience Award Winner 'My Dead Friend Zoe'". Variety. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  16. ^ "My Dead Friend Zoe". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved April 15, 2025. Edit this at Wikidata
  17. ^ "My Dead Friend Zoe". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  18. ^ Complex, Valerie (March 10, 2024). "'My Dead Friend Zoe' Review: Kyle Hausmann-Stokes Film Unveils The Invisible Wounds Of War — SXSW". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  19. ^ Donato, Matt (March 11, 2024). "'My Dead Friend Zoe' Review: Sonequa Martin-Green Gives One of the Year's Best Performances | SXSW 2024". Collider. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  20. ^ Tallerico, Brian (March 10, 2024). "SXSW Film Festival 2024: Babes, My Dead Friend Zoe, Y2K". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
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