She’s imaginary. But she isn’t. She’s a ghost. But she isn’t. She’s clearly a figment of Merit’s imagination … but Merit didn’t invent her. Welcome to the fun, fun, fun world of PTSD!
Today’s film is about PTSD, a topic Hollywood has actually covered pretty well over the years. While the industry barely touches abortion or trans rights, wartime PTSD has been blanketed from The Best Years of Our Lives to Forrest Gump. It’s probably because we keep getting into wars. Somehow, we cannot accept unwanted pregnancy or people who aren’t comfortable with the hand they’ve been dealt, yet we are 100% comfortable with the feeling that war is inevitable and so are war consequences. Such is written all over the American psyche.
So … here’s another, I daresay, unique take on the issue of American war-inspired PTSD.
Merit (Sonequa Martin-Green) served five years in Iraq. She seems pretty well adjusted, TBH … except for the fact that she keeps conversing with her Dead Friend Zoe (Natalie Morales). There’s honesty in this portrayal – Merit has the ability to think and function and adjust just like any other non-PTSD adult excusing the moments when it comes to dealing specifically with her PTSD. On this point, she digs herself a hole by refusing to share at group.
She needs to share at group or the justice system will find another way of making her pay for her post-war sins.
Meanwhile, Merit’s grandfather Dale (Ed Harris) is his own worst enemy. The aging Dale, a former Lt. Colonel in the Army, has early-stage Alzheimer’s, making his rural self-sufficient isolationism a problem. Merit comes to stay with him so that they can takes turns annoying one-another. Dale comes from an era where PTSD was either 1) Not a thing or 2) called something else (e.g.”shell shock”) Bottom line is that despite the fact that he probably has experienced very similar situations as his
granddaughter, they always seem to be at odds … especially over garbage sorting. Dale also comes from a mindset where help is only needed in a foxhole, which fits in fine with a certain segment of libertarian douchebags … but doesn’t work so well when one needs anything that can’t be hunted or fished.
And Zoe is a full-time member of Merit’s life, which seems wrong, as these two are often adversarial. Zoe often comes off as spiteful … I mean, with Dead Friends like these, who needs Dead Enemies? One wonders what inspired this story from writer/director Kyle Hausmann-Stokes. Will somebody please check on that guy?
My Dead Friend Zoe can’t end until two major questions are resolved: How did Zoe die? and How will Dale’s predicament resolve? The film isn’t perfect by any means – and Hollywood has done PTSD much better, but I think the film is good enough for the audience to want to get to the answers.
There once was an ex-sergeant named Merit
Who had a companion entirely disparate
For her friend wasn’t there
Now she’s on grandpa care
Is PTSD something you can inherit?
Rated R, 103 Minutes
Director: Kyle Hausmann-Stokes
Writer: Kyle Hausmann-Stokes, Cherish Chen, A.J. Bermudez
Genre: Fun with PTSD
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Haunted Veterans
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: People unsympathetic to PTSD
