Ghostlight is a powerful film about the healing power of art, with an emphasis on theater and storytelling. Directors Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson also explore the difficulty men often have with connecting to their emotions through their lead characters. The story can absolutely shatter you, but the filmmakers are kind enough to help pick up the pieces and put them back together. It’s likely that you leave the film slightly changed, and hopefully for the better.
Keith Kupferer, who plays the main character, is a construction worker, a husband, and a father. He quietly seems to be struggling to keep it all together, as a chance encounter with a local coffee shop owner pulls him into the world of community theater. He reluctantly joins a production of Romeo and Juliet and begins to realize the drama in the play mirrors that of his own life.
Kupferer delivers such a remarkable, nuanced performance. He is so calm on the surface, but it doesn’t take long to see that something is boiling underneath. It becomes clear that his character likes to present a stoic, emotion-neutral persona. Whatever is going on inside – which the movie slowly dishes out – is threatening to break his normal behavior.
Katherine Mallen plays his daughter, and Tara Mallen is the wife. They are a family that loves each other, but something is pushing them apart. Katherine is an impressive young talent. Her character is introduced as an angry teenager who is pushing all of the boundaries. Even in those early moments, there is something about her performance that isn’t as abrasive as it often would have been. She manages to still earn some audience empathy, even early on – and then it really picks up later. Tara is the family member that we get the least from, but the moments we get are excellent. The relationship on display between mother and father is so layered and impactful.
Dolly de Leon’s introduction alone makes her stand out. She has a “Karen” moment, yelling at the construction workers for being too loud. Yet, when she sees Kupferer is going through something, she recruits him into the theater. It is in these moments that the film sings the loudest.
The rest of the theater group is great as well; however, there wasn’t a full cast list available at the time of this writing. It is in these moments with Romeo and Juliet that the internal conflict that Kupferer’s character is going through starts to reveal itself. There are many triumphant moments mixed with devastating ones. No matter what is happening, the love and pain is always present.
Ghostlight was a film that I didn’t know if I was truly up for, but I knew I loved it the second it ended. The film had me hooked quite early, but I was apprehensive that it wouldn’t be able to keep me to the end. This is a film that I’ll likely be telling everyone to watch until I feel I can’t say it anymore. I’m not sure if it’ll resonate the same for everyone, but it got me straight in the heart.
Ghostlight is screening at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival, which is running from March 8-16 in Austin, TX.
Rating: Must See.
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