​“My Dead Friend Zoe” stars Sonequa Martin-Green, Natalie Morales, Gloria Reuben, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Morgan Freeman, and Ed Harris.  Released on February 28, 2025, the film has a war veteran struggling to adapt due to her relationship with her dead friend.

The film featured the feature directorial debut of Kyle Hausmann-Stokes, who served in the U.S. Army during the Iraq War and directed the 2011 documentary, “Now After…”.  It is based on Hausmann-Stokes’ 2022 short film, “Merit x Zoe”.  We all have different ways of expressing grief after volunteering to serve in the U.S. Army.  Most people express it through uncontrollable emotions, while others convey it using a different method.  For this particular veteran, she holds on to it through her friend only she can see.  I guess we’re never too old to have an imaginary friend by our side, even if it’s one who was once alive.  This defines the latest movie that sees a director revisiting the topic from their source material in a feature film format.  I’ve recently seen one involving a miracle amid a diving incident, so what’s stopping me from watching another?  Does it heal me regarding its cinematic and often humorous reflection of grief, or is it better off dead?  Let’s find out.

The story follows Merit (Martin-Green), a U.S. Army Afghanistan veteran who recently departed from her duty.  Her only companion keeping her company is Zoe (Morales), her best friend from the Army, whom only Merit can see.  However, her obsession with her dead best friend keeps Merit from adapting back to normalcy, causing concern from those around her, including her VA group counselor, Dr. Cole (Freeman), and her strict mother, Kris (Reuben).  That is until Merit’s estranged grandfather, a retired Vietnam veteran, Dale (Harris), starts to lose his way.  This puts Merit in an internal struggle to overcome her grief and reunite her divided family.

It’s very uncommon that the final weekend of February lacked any exciting choices to see in the theater.  This year seemed no different despite some of them receiving decent reviews.  However, out of this weekend’s slate of releases, “My Dead Friend Zoe” just happened to intrigue me the most.  Besides the strong early reviews and some recognizable actors like Morgan Freeman, my interest in this film is due to my fascination with war movies, especially ones involving grief and PTSD following the veterans’ service.  Some films involving the aftermath of war, including 2017’s “Thank You for Your Service”, have proven that the readjustment to normalcy can be as emotionally challenging as surviving in the war zone.  If properly executed, they can send audiences into an emotional roller coaster that convinces audiences to be aware of mental illness.  “My Dead Friend Zoe” was tasked with creating that familiar experience without being too sentimentally manipulative or even insulting to the topics.  After watching it, I found myself surprised to see that it completed this task with flying colors.

While it may appear to be a melodrama you’d typically see on the Hallmark channel, “My Dead Friend Zoe” successfully avoided this pitfall by investing effort in its narrative quality and thematic depth.  Because of this, the film became a genuinely light-hearted and satisfyingly thoughtful drama that provokes as many chuckles as it does in tears.  With the film being classified as a comedy-drama, “My Dead Friend Zoe” had a pretty tricky objective of displaying its serious topics light-heartedly without insulting them with its humor.  This is another film that explores PTSD and grief, particularly among veterans who returned from their service to adjust to civilian life.  In Merit’s case, her grief comes from imagining her late friend Zoe as if she were still with her.  However, as the film progresses toward its third act, it showcases that there’s more to these invisible wounds than what I was led to believe.  That sequence made me see this post-war journey differently, especially regarding Merit’s friendship with Zoe and its themes of guilt and forgiveness.  It not only surrounded this “ordinary” friendship with genuine depth and humanity, but it also manifested the emotional core that’s more sincere and honest than manipulatively corny.

Of course, when combined with its humor, it could risk being tone-deaf in its themes if the balance isn’t properly in check.  Fortunately, “My Dead Friend Zoe” avoided that risk entirely due to Hausmann-Stokes’ commitment as a director.  It’s easy to see that this is a film he wanted to make because it was inspired by Hausmann-Stokes’ time in Iraq as a paratrooper and convoy commander.  I may not be in the same shoes as him, but I can tell he’s using that experience as a veteran to manifest his perspective and feelings about the situation through filmmaking.  Hausmann-Stokes ensured that the message was loud and clear without shoving it down my throat while injecting the healing process with a lighter and charismatic touch, with much of the humor coming from the genuine human connection, including the chemistry between Merit and Zoe.  As a result, Kyle Hausmann-Stokes expressed an authentic and emotionally compelling experience that reflects the ups and downs of the path of healing while displaying himself as a respectable filmmaker.  The screenplay by Hausmann-Stokes and A. J. Bermudez was also strong in expressing its commentary and the storytelling in a humane manner, especially the surprising third act.  I would also credit Ali Greer’s editing for its snappy transitions without making it look too choppy and maintaining its consistency in the pacing.

In addition to the directing and writing, the movie strongly benefited from its superb cast, including Sonequa Martin-Green as Merit.  Martin-Green has had plenty of decent credits under her belt, including “Star Trek: Discovery”, “The Walking Dead”, and “New Girl”.  In terms of her movie roles, however, I’ve only known her as LeBron James’ wife in the “Space Jam” sequel nobody gave a rabbit’s foot about.  Her involvement in “My Dead Friend Zoe” allowed her to impress me in her starring role, and boy, did she impress me a lot.  With just the right amount of humanity and vulnerability injected into Merit’s internal struggle to heal, Sonequa Martin-Green provided a fantastic performance that’s heartfelt and even heartbreaking.  Natalie Morales was also great in conveying humor and heartache into Zoe’s seemingly arrogant personality, enhancing the irresistible chemistry between the war friends.  Morgan Freeman also had plenty of solid moments as Merit’s group counselor despite his role being smaller than most.  However, it did make me wish that Freeman was my therapist.  Finally, we have Ed Harris, who’s just as superb as he’s always been regarding his miraculous performance as Dale.

Overall, “My Dead Friend Zoe” avoids being dead in the water by delivering an emotionally thought-provoking and genuinely profound journey of self-healing and post-war grief.  At first glance, this would’ve been another forgettable melodrama where its manipulative emotions overshadow its themes and call to action regarding mental illness.  However, I’m surprised that this wasn’t the case, as it successfully invokes the lighter side of its challenging and thoughtful topics without drowning their intended purpose with its schmaltzy insecurity.  The fact that it’s a smartly written and respectfully directed comedy-drama serves as a nice bonus, along with a cast that has fun with their roles while expressing their brilliance through their talents.  This might be another film that might get overlooked after a few weeks, but if you get the opportunity and it’s playing near your area, I recommend you check this one out, especially if you’re a veteran.

"Last Breath" stars Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu, Finn Cole, Cliff Curtis, and Mark Bonnar.  Releasing on February 28, 2025, the film has a deep-sea diving crew rescuing their member from the ocean's depths.
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The film is directed by Alex Parkinson, who also directed the 2021 television movie "Lucy, the Human Chimp" and several television shows like "Fake or Fortune", "Primal Survivor", and "River Monsters".  It is a remake of the 2019 documentary film directed by Parkinson and Richard da Costa.  Being a deep-sea diver has its perks, like exploring the deepest depths of the ocean, but like most jobs, it also isn't without its share of dangers that come with this position.  One of them was portrayed in Alex Parkinson's documentary, which depicted a saturation diving accident in 2012 that left one of the divers stranded with no heat, oxygen, or light at their disposal.  While it thankfully didn't end in tragedy, it became one of the stories that leave us with a sense of determination and hope amid unexpected and troubling times.  Not only that, but it also reminds us of one of the occasions that could go wrong upon taking this job.  Six years after the documentary, Alex Parkinson returns to retell this similar story in a cinematic format that might leave audiences gasping for air.  Does it have enough suspense to accomplish the impossible, or are we better off staying away from the water?  Let's find out.

The story chronicles a team of seasoned deep-sea divers consisting of Duncan Allock (Harrelson), Dave Yuasa (Liu), and Chris Lemons (Cole).  Aboard their support vessel, the crew is tasked with carrying out repairs 100 meters below the surface of the North Sea.  However, during the repairs, the vessel's dynamic positioning system failed, causing the ship to drift and the umbilical tether holding Lemons to snap.  As a result, Lemons is left stranded at the bottom of the ocean with no heat and light accompanying him and only a few minutes of breathable gas left in his tanks.  This puts Duncan, David, and the remaining crew in a race against the clock to rescue Chris from the ocean's darkest depths.

Out of this weekend's weak but well-received selection of movies, "Last Breath" was the one that caught my attention the most.  The cast is one reason for my interest, especially Simu Liu, who continues to find ways to draw in a crowd outside of "Shang-Chi" and "Barbie".  However, it was also the concept that made me willing to check the film out.  "Last Breath" was my first exposure to the incident that almost ended in an underwater demise over a decade ago.  In fact, I didn't even realize that there was a documentary about it until I did some research on the movie.  While this true story offers another reason why I would never become a deep sea diver, it does intrigue me enough to watch the tale unfold, especially since I can't say no to a cinematic rescue mission.  

Regarding the narrative, "Last Breath" is another survival thriller that utilizes its fact-based story to represent the tale of resilience and miracles amid an unexpected incident.  Amid its 93-minute runtime, the movie depicts a group of divers who brave the obstacles to rescue their member from the ocean's depths and freezing temperatures.  Everybody loves an old-fashioned plot that gets their hearts pounding with anticipation and fear and provides hope through the characters' persistence against all odds.  But, of course, it all comes down to the movie's execution and whether it's worthy of bringing this intense incident to the big screen.  As it turns out, "Last Breath" is undoubtedly a fact-based film that'll make audiences believe in miracles.  However, it somehow lacks the consistent emotion of its storytelling to rise above its formulaic surface.

Film adaptations of documentaries are nothing new, as they use their cinematic finesses to reshape their real-life tales for audiences who don't feel like watching a series of interviews for a hundred minutes straight.  But, I rarely see a filmmaker behind the documentary return to direct a film version of the topic they previously explored.  Of course, I am talking about Alex Parkinson, a television director who revisited this incident previously told in his 2019 documentary.  I haven't watched the documentary, so I can't compare the two in terms of direction.  However, I will say that Parkinson didn't do too bad for his feature film debut.  Utilizing his knowledge and vision from his documentary, Parkinson instilled a sense of tension and anxiety into the scenario that's engrossing enough to grab my attention.  More importantly, he understood the fundamentals and even the risks associated with deep-sea diving, mainly from the darkness and loneliness that came from the bottom of the ocean.  They call it the most dangerous job in the world for a reason.  The underwater cinematography also effectively captured the vast emptiness and blackness of the ocean's bottom.

So, you can say that Alex Parkinson had the proper capabilities to explore the harrowing dangers of being a deep-sea diver.  Unfortunately, as a filmmaker, his vision didn't offer much else that we haven't seen in other fact-based movies, including ones from the survival genre.  Parkinson's approach to the film's tension was serviceable in maintaining my attention, but his storytelling struggled to provide much genuine sentimentality in its plot and characters to warrant most of the suspense presented.  This is due to its screenplay by Parkinson, Mitchell LaFortune, and David Brooks, which relied on its genre tropes to send itself drifting on autopilot, especially regarding its character depth.  The movie's short runtime was fitting for its straightforward plot, but at the same time, it also didn't leave much room for further exploration of its characters, including David's growing relationship with Chris.  It has some character moments that attempt to invoke emotion, but they fall short in combining it with its exciting suspense.  Its concept can be a heart-pounding and frighteningly fun experience for moviegoers. Sadly, Parkinson didn't quite have the proper mixture of survival thrills and character-driven narrative to make it more special than it should be.

In addition to its entertaining tension and underwater sequences, "Last Breath" benefitted from its decent cast, mainly the three main actors.  Despite the movie's tight yet mildly underwhelming script, the trio made the best of their talents to inject likability and charisma into the deep-sea diving crew.  Woody Harrelson has always been one of the actors who can instantly deliver an approachable aura in his performances, no matter which character he plays, which is one of the reasons for my interest in "Last Breath".  Unsurprisingly, Harrelson's performance as Duncan is no exception, as he conveyed a friendly presence in the aging diver, but also isn't without his dramatic chops backing him up.  Simu Liu goes for a more serious approach to his role of David compared to his previous roles, and the result is another diverting performance from the "Convenience" and "Shang-Chi" actor.  Finn Cole also did a pretty good job portraying Chris Lemons, the diver left stranded at the bottom of the ocean, which is nice considering his mixed filmography so far, including his role as the young Jakob Toretto in "F9".

Overall, "Last Breath" may not leave everyone breathless, but it has enough promising merits to make this rescue mission a diverting fact-based excursion.  Its tight yet formulaic storytelling may be fitting for its short runtime, but it also doesn't offer much in the tank to explore this risky endeavor and the movie's characters on an emotional level.  However, for those needing a short and straightforward drama thriller, the film delivered the necessary amount of oxygen to avoid drowning in the sea of familiar survival movies.  The main cast was undoubtedly decent in their performances, and Parkinson's approach to the film's tension and underwater sequences was serviceable for its entertainment values and suspense.  It's nothing too special regarding the survival thriller genre.  However, I was mostly pleased with how enjoyable it was, even though it doesn't do its true story justice with its cinematic essence.

"The Unbreakable Boy" stars Zachary Levi, Meghann Fahy, Jacob Laval, Drew Powell, and Patricia Heaton.  Released on February 21, 2025, the film has a father overcoming challenges while raising his autistic son.

The film was written and directed by Jon Gunn, who also directed films such as "Mercy Street", "Do You Believe?", "The Case for Christ", and "Ordinary Angels".  It is based on the book by Scott Michael LeRette and Susy Flory. Life can be pretty iffy with all the negativity and cruelty dominating the world recently.  But, when push comes to shove, all it usually takes to overshadow the world's awfulness is an act of kindness and determination when things get too tough.  This has been the case for every scenario, especially in media like films and television, and we can all agree that that will not change anytime soon.  This month has further proved this inspiration with "Paddington in Peru", featuring a well-polite bear spreading positivity worldwide.  Now, we have another cinematic portrayal of hope seeking to give us the warmth and good nature we all deserve amid the modern blockbusters courtesy of Jon Gunn and the Erwin Brothers.  But do all these good intentions make for a worthy cinematic experience or an example of mawkish, sentimental manipulation?  Let's find out.

The movie is based on the true story of the LeRette family.  Austin (Laval) is on the autism spectrum and is also diagnosed with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, resulting in bones that break easily.  As he navigates life through his school, Austin's father, Scott (Levi), strives to become the best dad he can be in dealing with Austin's condition.  Along with his wife, Teresa (Fahy), and second son, Logan (Gavin Warren), Scott and Austin overcome life's biggest challenges to show the world they're both unbreakable. 

This was another film from the Erwin Brothers that went through release date hell following "White Bird".  It was only three years ago when I first caught word of "The Unbreakable Boy", which seemed to be up my alley due to its concept.  However, its constant last-minute delays made me feel less confident about its final product.  Considering that "White Bird" suffered from this similar issue and only turned out to be…just fine, it's understandable why I should be worried about this film.  Regardless, I was willing to give it a try since it's another movie that deals with autism.  As someone who's also on the autism spectrum, I was pleased to see more of this representation onscreen, even though some of the concepts are less faithful to the disability than others.  But what really matters is whether this cinematic reflection of inspiration would break people's low expectations.  After watching it at an early screening, I found that answer, but it wasn't what I had hoped for.

"The Unbreakable Boy" featured plenty of charming and heartfelt moments that would make many people tear up.  However, it's also a straightforward, middling, and misleading family film that struggled to effectively tug at all the heartstrings.  You might be wondering why I believe this movie is "misleading".  Well, it's because of how the final product was presented compared to its marketing.  While "The Unbreakable Boy" does center on Austin, its actual main focus is his father, Scott, who struggles with his own problems while taking care of his autistic son and maintaining his relationship with Teresa.  One of which is his substance abuse, in which he drinks…a lot.  That's right.  A PG-rated movie that seems to be targeting young kids through its trailers is actually about a father struggling with addiction.  I can already imagine someone saying, "Hey, kids!  Do you want to watch a movie about an alcoholic father?"  

But, on a serious note, it made sense why this movie went down this route.  The plot involving the dad and even Austin's condition was supposed to resemble that life is full of broken stuff.  Some can be broken for bad reasons, such as addiction ruining someone's relationship, but they can easily be mended if you add kindness and hope into the mix.  In this case, Austin's tenderheartedness helps Scott see the world the same way his son sees it to redeem himself from his mistakes.  So, while this thematic material may be a bit much for younger kids, it's also relatable to those who embarked on that similar path or still are.  On the other hand, it's also disappointing that the film didn't focus on Austin as much as Scott, especially with his struggles with autism and sensitive bones.  That would've been an excellent opportunity to inspire people who are also on the spectrum, including me, to brave through life's difficult challenges and embrace who they are regardless of their disabilities.  Instead, it decided to keep things "family-friendly" by focusing on Scott's alcoholism.

It also didn't help that Jon Gunn's screenplay was on cruise control in its formula taken from other films with similar topics, even with its good intentions.  It didn't add much surprising depth to its storytelling, and a couple of moments weren't explored a lot or frustrated me by the characters' actions.  But, as far as everything else goes, Gunn's heart was in the right place regarding his direction.  If you're familiar with Gunn's filmography, he tends to provide a sentimental and charismatic touch in his fact-based stories, especially last year's "Ordinary Angels", which I surprisingly liked.  Whether it works for everyone or not, I appreciate what he's attempting to accomplish in his movies.  While I can at least say the same for "The Unbreakable Boy", Gunn's approach to its sentimentality surprisingly fell short of those intentions.  "Ordinary Angels" had that similar essence, leaving me tearing up because it was earned in a genuine sense.  "The Unbreakable Boy" did leave me smiling, but its emotional core didn't feel earned due to how dry some sentimental moments were.  Fortunately, his ability to inject irresistible charm and goodwill into its tone didn't break as easily as its narrative cliches.

Part of the film's charm is due to its cast, who did a good enough job with their performances, including Zachary Levi, who returns to the world of Erwin Brothers drama as Scott LeRette.  I can still understand that Levi has "problems" behind the scenes, but as an actor, he can still deliver the appeal even if the final product isn't great.  His performance as Scott is no exception, with him manifesting the father's internal struggle through his respectable talent.  Was it an award-worthy performance?  Not really, but I will say that it was a well-deserved improvement over his role as Harold in "Harold and the Purple Crayon".  Meghann Fahy was also decent as Teresa, the wife with brittle bone disease like Austin, and Drew Powell was a serviceable comic relief as Joe, Scott's friend.  I would also credit Jacob Laval for providing plenty of heart and humor in his role of Austin, especially when he's narrating the movie's events.  With how enjoyable Laval was in the film, it made the lack of focus on him a bit more disappointing.

Overall, "The Unbreakable Boy" is a tried-and-true fact-based drama that doesn't break new ground in its genre formula despite some good intentions in its charm and messages.  With Jon Gunn and the Erwin Brothers in charge, the film delivered exactly what people would expect from it regarding its tone, relatable themes, and good old-fashioned moments of inspiration.  However, regarding its storytelling, the movie doesn't offer anything besides those elements to convince those outside its target audience to open their hearts to its flawed sentimentality.  The cast was enjoyable in their roles, including Levi and Laval, and its messages about kindness and life were endearing.  But, its average screenplay, cliches, and Gunn's hit-and-miss direction involving its mildly mawkish emotion make this family-friendly drama more breakable than other movies with similar topics.  It's far from a perfect movie for families and those who adore inspirational dramas, but regarding what's happening in the real world, I can also admit that we could all use the best day of our lives with this one.