In the script for the heartwarming military dramedy ”My dead friend zoe“Author/director Kyle Hausmann Stokes made sure to include some scenes listed in group veteran therapy sessions under the direction of Morgan Freeman (himself a service veteran). But he left some key lines in the script empty. Everything he wrote was “every veteran stands and tells his story” and “That’s how we filmed it.”
“I worked very hard to be,” these veterans are just normal ass, “said Hausmann Stokes to IndieWire during a new interview. Hausmann-Stokes would know: The filmmaker is an army’s parachute jumper who got a bronze star while serving in Iraq in 2007.
He estimates that as many as 90 percent of his filmThe role is a veteran of the US military, including virtually the entire supporting role, background outlets and co -star Freeman. The film’s production sound mixer is also a Marine Corps veteran, and it is the rare film that makes a print for veteran representation on and off the screen.
There is no shortage of military stories in Hollywood, whether they are set during a war or fighting with PTSD after the fighting. But Hausmann Stokes believes that most veteran centric movies fall on two extremes of the character spectrum: they are either about being a super-solder or a degraded, drunk, angry individual defined by pain and trauma of battle.
It is much less common to see something in middle“Where 99 percent of veterans live,” he said.
For his function director’s debut, the filmmaker did not want to try an “Eat your vegetables” story that urges his audience to support a movie with veterans, but rather an honest, often fun portrait of life after the service.
“Of course, you have changed and affected by the things we did. We had a strange job, and it is only normal to be affected by it, but we are also stronger because of it, not weaker, ”said Hausmann Stokes. “So I call this a movie about post -traumatic growth. I think it’s a word that you will start to hear much more about. I like the idea that scar tissue is stronger than the skin. “
“My dead friend Zoe” follows the veterinarian Merit (Sonequa Martin-Green) who, after losing her best friend in the service (Natalie Morales as Zoe), begins to see her everywhere. Merit is unable to open up what happened, and it is only when she begins to deal with her grandfather Dale’s (Ed Harris) Alzheimer’s diagnosis that her mental health and sorrow are further tested. The film won Audience Award from 2024 SXSW Film FestivalAnd is now ready for its theater edition this week.
Hausmann Stokes like to say that the film is “93 percent autobiographical”, except for the main characters flip down. It is a largely personal history and ends with pictures of some of his partners that he also lost during his service.
But “My Dead Friend Zoe” is also a stroke film made with the support of three different non -profit organizations that never collaborate with films: Mission continues, Bob Woodruff Foundation and Everytown USA. Travis Kelce in his first role as executive producer designated this film because of its veteran influence.
And not unlike massive success “Sound of Freedom”, the movie ends with a “Pay-IT-forward” urging campaign It will buy movie tickets as part of the theater purchases for veterans. The film has not even opened yet, but it has already collected $ 12,000 in a handful of AMC neak -pre -prescribing.
All this is in interest in getting more veterans involved over Hollywood, many of which have not built up the connections that others in Hollywood have to join the industry and share their story. Hausmann Stokes began his film career when he received an exception to a stop loss to attend a film school at USC and use his skills to work with PSA and short films for the military and huh. Hausmann-Stokes is also founder of Veterans in media and entertainmentwhich provides network and advisory resources to over 5,000 veteran members who want to get involved in Hollywood. The late Stan Lee, who served during World War II, once counted among the members.
“What Hollywood has a good start but needs to continue is actually not to be afraid to touch veterans and veterans’ stories, not be too valuable to it and be too afraid to offend someone,” said Hausmann-Stokes. “Because if there is one thing I try to do in my movie is to show that veterans, we can be as messy and as complicated characters as anyone else.”
“My Dead Friend Zoe” opens in theaters from Briarcliff Entertainment on Friday 28 February.
