Ghostlight (2024)

User Review

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  ScreenZealots

  7 / 10

  You’ll feel a wide range of emotions when watching co-directors Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson’s “Ghostlight,” a sad and smart comedy / drama that will make you laugh and cry in equal measure. It’s a story about the power of the arts to heal and give purpose, but also the true adage that art often imitates life.
  
  After an outburst on the job and subsequent suspension, construction worker Dan (Keith Kupferer) finds a place of support and encouragement in an eclectic local theater group next door, where former professional actress Rita (Dolly De Leon) takes him under her wing. Before you know it, Dan has been cast as the lead in their small time production of “Romeo and Juliet.” But when the events on stage begin to mirror his real life, Dan comes face to face with a lingering trauma that has been tormenting him for the last year.
  
  O’Sullivan and Thompson give small clues as to Dan’s emotional problems, and they stem from something tragic that has happened to his family. His teenage daughter Daisy (Katherine Mallen Kupferer) keeps getting into trouble at school, and his wife Sharon (Tara Mallen) is barely going through the motions. When the audience finally learns what is causing the trio to deal with their overwhelming grief through silence and anger, it’s heartbreaking.
  
  The theater helps Dan deepen his bond with his own family as well as ease the pain he’s been feeling by offering a safe place where he can finally express his bottled-up emotions. The loving bond with his family has been broken, and Dan finds a family in his amateur theater group, too.
  
  The film features an older cast and characters, which is commendable and a joy to see. (even more effective is the fact that the leads are a real-life family). Keith Kupferer gives a particularly powerful and understated performance, and it’s so affecting to watch as his character not only finds a place where he belongs, but also one where he can finally feel.
  
  There are some rough edges to the film, including a too-long final act of the play and some tad unpolished (yet still charming) performances. But “Ghostlight” excels at its intimate narrative and heartfelt story of reconnection.
  
  By: Louisa Moore / SCREEN ZEALOTS

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