GHOSTLIGHT Reviewed by GREG KING
Directors: Kelly Sullivan and Alex Thompson
Stars: Keith Kupferer, Kathleen Mallen Kupferer, Tara Mallen, Dolly De Leon, Matthew C Yee, Hannah Dworkin, Tommy Rivera-Vega, Alma Washington, H B Ward, Dexter Zollicoffer.
Dan Mueller (played by Keith Kupferer, from Widows, etc) is a blue-collar construction worker for the local council, but he is a volatile ball of barely repressed anger. He is still grieving over the suicide of his teenaged son Brian a year earlier and is unable to process his grief or his emotions. His angst-ridden sixteen year old daughter Daisy (played by Katherine Mallen Kupferer, from Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret, etc) is acting out at school but she is also undergoing therapy, but these sessions don’t seem to be helping her process her anger and grief. His wife Sharon (Tara Mallen, from Contagion, etc) is a primary school music teacher who is struggling to hold the family together in the wake of the tragedy and it is taking a toll on her. Dan’s attitude is driving a wedge between the family.
The family is also suing the family of Brian’s girlfriend who survived their teenage suicide pact, which further adds to the ongoing tension that shapes the family dynamic as they prepare for the upcoming hearing.
One day the angry Dan erupts in fury at an arrogant driver. While walking off his frustration he enters into the shopfront of an empty cinema which is the temporary home for a local amateur community theatre group. Dan is persuaded to join them and eventually finds some comfort from a sense of belonging. He takes part in their somewhat ambitious production of Romeo And Juliet, a play whose dramatic arc mirrors that of his own family tragedy. This begins the healing process for Dan as the production allows him to work through his powerful but confused emotions and reach a catharsis. However, he has kept his involvement with the theatre group a secret from his family and this raises suspicions from Daisy.
A ghostlight is a traditional part of theatre lore – a light left on in the theatre after all the other lights have been turned off – and this is somehow a potent metaphor for drama that plays out in this low budget independent film from writer Kelly Sullivan and co-director Alex Thompson (who both collaborated on the 2019 drama Saint Frances, etc).
The film explores themes of family, suicide, grief, loss, community, art, broken dreams, and it also demonstrates how art can be a healing force. It also shows the timeliness and contemporary resonance of Shakespeare’s 400-year-old tragedy. It is not surprising that the filmmakers are veterans of the Chicago theatre scene as their love of community theatre informs the material. They manage to balance both the tragedy and the moments of humour in a way that seems organic.
The fact that the dysfunctional Mueller family is itself played by a real-life family adds authenticity and veracity to their dynamic and interactions, and this lends an emotional heft to the emotionally wrought material. Kupferer adds weight to his performance through his tense silences. Kathleen in particular is strong in an emotionally demanding role as the rebellious Daisy but she nails it. Dolly De Leon (from Triangle Of Sadness, etc) is great as Rita the strong willed but sympathetic head of the theatre troupe who encourages Dan through his performance. She manages to convey the frustrations of a serious actor who never managed to make the breakthrough to serious theatre work. There is some humour as well as the filmmakers explore the quirky and idiosyncrasies of the rest of the theatre group and their highly strung personalities, brought to life by the ensemble supporting cast.
The film has been crisply shot by cinematographer Luke Dyra, while Lynda Lee’s production design brings the settings to life.
Ghostlight is a small and low key but emotionally honest film and has a powerful effect on the audience. It is an unexpected surprise well worth catching.
★★★☆
