Lisa Gutierrez | (TNS) The Kansas City Star
The film that marks Travis Kelce's first credit as a movie producer was well-received and got a standing ovation when it premiered.
“My Dead Friend Zoe” was first shown at the SXSW Film & TV Festival. The Kansas City Chiefs' tight end is one of 10 executive producers.
Kelce was in Singapore with his girlfriend Taylor Swift during the festival in Austin, Texas.
The film’s director, Kyle Hausmann-Stokes, who is from Wisconsin and served in Iraq, received the ovation at the premiere on Saturday. The festival will screen the film again on Wednesday.
The festival's summary of the film describes it as a dark comedy drama about Merit, a U.S. Army Afghanistan veteran in conflict with her family due to the presence of Zoe, her deceased best friend from the Army.
“Despite the persistence of her VA group counselor (Morgan Freeman), the tough love of her mother and the levity of an unexpected love interest, Merit’s cozy-dysfunctional friendship with Zoe keeps the duo insulated from the world.
This continues until Merit’s estranged grandfather (Ed Harris) — staying at the family’s ancestral lake house — begins to lose his way and is in need of the one thing he refuses … help.
The storyline is based on Hausmann-Stokes’ experiences as a veteran, and he dedicated the film to his own friends from the Army who died by suicide after returning home. Group therapy scenes in the movie feature real-life veterans.
At the premiere, he explained to the festival audience how Kelce became involved.
Two other producers — TV and film director Mike Fields and entertainment executive Ray Maiello — have a connection “to somebody on Travis’ team,” he said.
“And they got the script and the short that I had made … they reviewed the material. Travis supports veterans in the military, and they decided to support the film.
“It was so surreal. We’ve been so grateful.”
Having Kelce associated with the project has drawn more attention to the movie, according to Hausmann-Stokes.
This is not surprising, as the NFL star's relationship with Swift has been widely covered for the past few months.
“And ultimately, selfishly, I want people to enjoy this film, but I want it to effect change,” Hausmann-Stokes said. “So the more eyeballs that are on this film … there’s going to be a veteran somewhere, I don’t know who they are but they’re going to see this film and it’s going to be the little nudge that convinces them to talk about it.
“And I think what Travis did for us is just this tidal wave of energy and exposure, and so we’re so excited to have him.”
The movie gained attention on social media, with one festival-goer describing it as “a staggeringly impactful movie about military veterans dealing with PTSD.”
Reviewers praised the story, acting, and directing. Some excerpts include:
The Daily Beast: “There are few surprises in My Dead Friend Zoe, co-writer and director Kyle Hausmann-Stokes’ (and executive producer/football mega-star Travis Kelce’s) feature debut.
The story of a woman filled with grief, who runs away from her problems at the request of her haunting best friend, resonated with the audience at its premiere at SXSW Film Festival on March 9 because it infused its familiar formula with a genuine and charming quality.
It's a film that could easily become manipulative in less capable hands, but Hausmann-Stokes transforms this personal and devastating story into something deeper, sweeter, and funnier than it may initially seem.
The Hollywood Reporter states that the film is a sincere attempt to bring complex veteran stories to the screen.
The characters in My Dead Friend Zoe are portrayed with a gentle familiarity. Hausmann-Stokes, who served as a paratrooper in Iraq for five years before pursuing filmmaking, brings his experience to enrich the lives of these fictional veterans.
My Dead Friend Zoe often feels like a prolonged public service announcement, but strong performances from a talented cast help smooth over some of the rough parts.
According to RogerEbert.com, this deeply personal film is based on Hausmann-Stokes' own experiences as a vet, delivering a powerful drama with an outstanding performance at its core and highlighting Ed Harris as one of our best living actors in its supporting cast.
In the end, it tells two stories about memory: A man who is finding it increasingly difficult to remember, and a woman who wishes she could forget.
Deadline reports that the film's focus on characters of color and the community that forms around those most affected by trauma are the script's most powerful assets.
This film celebrates the strength of community in the healing process, demonstrating the collective resilience that emerges in the midst of individual suffering.
My Dead Friend Zoe is a potent testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the need to provide better support for our veterans.
_________
©2024 The Kansas City Star. Visit at kansascity.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
