Standing in a cemetery, the title character of My Dead Friend Zoe grins and says she can joke about the residents. “These are my people.” A hallucination rather than ghost or zombie, Zoe haunts her Army bud Merit, who suffers from PTSD after a stint in Afghanistan. Rationing out a slow reveal about what caused the PTSD, writer
. A former paratrooper, his first feature film combines a comic touch with messages about serious issues facing returning soldiers. He gets help from the marketable names of Morgan Freeman and Ed Harris, two fine actors who imbue any role with believable emotion. However, the story’s weight falls on the shoulders of two lesser-known performers, Sonequa Martin-Green and Natalie Morales as a duo who helped one another endure the horrors of war. The two women pair off one another with natural ease, ranging from glee to bitterness and fear. Moving back and forth in time from the war zone to a return to civilian life, the screenplay shows both the pride that service engenders along with the stresses of getting back to normal. Relying on professionals for key roles, director Hausmann-Stokes fills out smaller roles with fellow veterans who bring knowing authenticity to their dialogue and stories. All have a point to make noting that requiring help does not imply weakness but rather involves the courage to admit a need for opening up to the support others can provide.
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