My Dead Friend Zoe – Reflections on War Trauma (Early Review)

For twenty years, the Afghanistan war supplied the public debate with its morality discussion on the conflict and the United States’ intentions for the country. The war on terror and its ramifications on the complexity of the American Army effort in the Middle East gave the film media material to discuss the nuances and issues of the tour. The departure of the U.S. Army from Afghanistan in 2021 allowed the society to debate topics beyond military power, such as the mental health of the veterans who return home. Films like Academy Award Best Picture winner The Hurt Locker and American Sniper converse on the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in the soldiers as a backstory narrative line. As the conversation on mental health grows and becomes more accessible, it allows for a different approach to the war trauma, and My Dead Friend Zoe is the latest film to tackle the issue as its principal narrative theme.

Director Kyle Hausmann-Stokes, a veteran U.S. Army infantry paratrooper, teamed with co-writer A.J. Bermudez, write a film inspired by Hausmann-Strokes’ battalion colleagues who got lost when dismissed from the war. The result is My Dead Friend Zoe, a film that tells the story of the friendship of two soldiers in Afghanistan – Zoe (Morales) and Merit (Martin-Green). Close friends over their time in the army together, their futures outside of the army was where the two diverged. While Merit plans to enroll in the University of Oregon, Zoe, with no long term vision, wants to return to the military. In a turn of events, her redeployment was met with tragedy, leaving Merit has to deal with guilt and pain. The narrative then unfolds in the form of flashbacks centered around Zoe and Merit’s Afghan tour, a group therapy group led by Dr. Cole (Freeman), and a subplot that saw Merit go back to her hometown to help her grandfather Dale (Harris), who has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

Hausmann-Stokes uses sarcastic humor to weigh on complex and harsh conversations: suicide, Alzheimer’s, trauma, and healing. For the majority of the proceedings, Merit and Zoe comment on the day-to-day situations of Merit’s troubled life. Zoe is a moral compass to her decision-making and an anchor to her healing process. The guilt she feels makes her sabotage herself and deny the available help. In this sense, the film creates a dialog on trauma and the lack of emotional support in a deeper state for higher stages of PTSD. However, the interactions between Merit and Zoe do not work entirely. Morales and Martin-Green bring different approaches to their characters that do not complete each other. Contrarily, they oppose each other and this merely exposes their lack of chemistry. Merit works better when she is on her solo journey: trying to date again or reconnect with her grandfather, who does not remember the short-term memories. When the film focuses on character drama, rather than a black comedy, it is ultimately at its best.

The difference between the tones is mainly due to Hausmann-Stokes’ inexperience behind the camera, as his debut finds itself stuck in conventions that limit his work. The film features a recurrence of scenes in commutation, mainly by driving cars, which is a visual metaphor and narrative tool that does not work as well. From there, it simply becomes repetitive and is an uninspired dramatic resource. The film elevates its scenic work when it uses Dan Romer’s score to its benefit, while it leans toward the orchestration to create drama and emotion. Romer is competent in delivering substantial work. The film and its fascinating premise of studying the psyche of the lead character get lost in the kind of direction that fails to reach its true potential in exploring themes like death, trauma, and grief.

In the end, besides delivering an emotional core at times, My Dead Friend Zoe fails to reach its true potential thanks to limited direction and a leading duo who lacks the chemistry needed to engage.

still courtesy of Briarcliff Entertainment

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Pedro Lima

Brazilian film writer. He is also a producer and executive producer for Zariah Filmes. Member of the International Film Society Critics Association (IFSCA), International Documentary Association (IDA), and Gotham and Media Film Institute.