Movie Review | 'Ghostlight' 

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"Ghostlight," a film from duo Kelly O'Sullivan and Alex Thompson, opens on a fascinating juxtaposition. As Dan (Keith Kupferer) is getting ready to leave for his job at a construction site, he's staring out his bedroom window into his backyard. There's a sullen look on his face as "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" from "Oklahoma!" begins to play on the soundtrack. The song lyrics, matched with how Dan's morning plays out, are painfully ironic for the character.

The film, which premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival to rave reviews, is an even-handed, gentle story about something devastating and tragic. For a large portion of the movie, it's apparent Dan, his wife Sharon (Tara Mallen) and their daughter Daisy (Katherine Mallen Kupferer) — who are a family in real life — have been through something life-altering, but the movie doesn’t immediately tell us the details. O'Sullivan's screenplay takes its time unraveling their family history and what has brought them to the point, and "Ghostlight" is a better movie for taking its time.

While the family in "Ghostlight" has experienced the same tragedy, the movie shows the different ways they carry their grief. Daisy is acting out in school, while Sharon tries to keep a sense of level-headedness for all three of them. Dan is more reserved in his day-to-day life and simply existing rather than living. One day, he meets Rita (Dolly De Leon from the Oscar-nominated "Triangle of Sadness"), who introduces him to her community theater troupe. They are rehearsing for a production of "Romeo and Juliet" and she asks Dan to fill in, which he reluctantly does and winds up staying a part of the production.


Dan would have never imagined he would be in a theater production, and he does so in secret. He warms up to the idea of participating in the play, but still doesn't feel he can tell anyone. Is he embarrassed by the notion of being in a play? Is it a strike against his self-imposed notion of masculinity? Or perhaps, he just needed something for himself.

That's where the quiet power of "Ghostlight" rings loudest. In the wake of unimaginable events, Dan, Sharon and Daisy's lives no longer take expected routes. Dan isn't trying to deceive his family or keep secrets from them, but he's searching for community outside of past tragic events. The theater production gives him time away from his new reality; a moment to live and not simply exist.

As it has a tendency to do, art and reality begin to intertwine. The screenplay steps right up to a line where the movie could feel heavy-handed or on the nose without ever crossing it. For a movie about theater, O'Sullivan (in a feature directing debut) and Thompson (who previously directed "Saint Frances") aren’t interested in big theatrical moments. Their movie is about grief as much as it's about how people connect with art and what they bring to the art they consume.

"Ghostlight," on its surface, moves and flows like a typical family drama. The screenplay goes much deeper, because a simpler film would try to piece a broken heart back together. "Ghostlight" feels more genuine because sometimes a broken heart doesn't heal — it just becomes easier to live with. Such authenticity is why "Ghostlight" is one of the best movies of the year, so far.

"Ghostlight" is now playing at The Little Theatre. Tickets and showtimes here.

Matt Passantino is a freelance contributor to CITY.