My Dead Friend Zoe


My Dead Friend Zoe is a 2024 American comedy-drama film written by Kyle Hausmann-Stokes and A. J. Bermudez, directed by Hausmann-Stokes and starring Sonequa Martin-Green, Natalie Morales, Gloria Reuben, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Morgan Freeman, and Ed Harris.
It premiered at South by Southwest on March 9, 2024, and was theatrically released in the United States on February 28, 2025.
𝕏 MyDeadFriendZoeFB MyDeadFriendZoe

Premise

A U.S. Army Afghanistan veteran is at odds with her estranged Vietnam Veteran grandfather and her VA counselor. All thanks to the presence of her dead best friend from the Army.

Cast

Production

Kyle Hausmann-Stokes directed the film in his feature debut. Written by Hausmann-Stokes, A. J. Bermudez and Cherish Chen, the story was inspired by Hausmann-Stokes' time serving five years in Iraq as a paratrooper and convoy commander. Hausmann-Stokes also wrote and directed the 2022 short film, Merit x Zoe. According to Variety, the film is the first to be financed with green energy tax credits under a financing model created by Mike Field at his Bess Rentals while Ray Maiello produced the film at Radiant Media Studios. Radiant Media Studios brought Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce to the project as an executive producer. Legion M co-financed under their crowdfunding model.
In May 2023, it was reported that Ed Harris, Sonequa Martin-Green, and Natalie Morales were cast in the film. In June 2023, it was announced that Morgan Freeman, Gloria Reuben, and Utkarsh Ambudkar joined the cast in main roles. Filming occurred in Portland, Oregon, Forest Grove, Oregon and Molalla, Oregon in 2023. In September 2023, it was announced that filming wrapped. By January 2024, Dan Romer was composing the film's score.

Release

My Dead Friend Zoe premiered at South by Southwest on March 9, 2024, where it won the Audience Award. In June 2024, Briarcliff Entertainment acquired the film. On October 19, it won the Grand Jury prize for Best Feature Narrative at the Woodstock Film Festival. It was theatrically released in the United States on February 28, 2025.

Reception

Critical response

Valerie Complex of Deadline Hollywood called the film "a powerful testament to the resilience of the human spirit." Matt Donato of Collider praised Martin-Green's performance, while Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com also commended Harris, describing him as "one of our best living actors" in the supporting cast.
Variety ranked "My Dead Friend Zoe" as one of the 10 Best Films of 2025.