A quietly compelling film about the healing power of art (specifically theater) could bring generations together, Ghostlike benefits from a sensitive screenplay by Kelly O’Sullivan.
It stars Keith Kupferer, Dolly de Leon, Katherine Mallen Kupferer, Tara Mallen, Hana Dworkin, Tommy Rivera-Vega, Alma Washington, H.B. Ward, Dexter Zollicoffer, Deanna Dunagan and Francis Guinan.
Screenwriter O’Sullivan wrote the part of Dan for Keith Kupferer, whom she had worked with before; Kupferer suggested his daughter Katherine for the role of Daisy, who auditioned and landed the part.
World premiering at the Sundance Film Fest, it was released by IFC Films on June 14, 2024.
Construction worker Dan Mueller (Keith Kupferer) struggles with the disciplinary problems of his teenage daughter Daisy (Katherine Mallen Kupferer) and the lawsuit he is filing against Christine Hawthorne, the ex-girlfriend of his son Brian, who died by suicide.
The stress causes him to assault a rude motorist on the job, which is witnessed by Rita (Dolly de Leon), an actor at a community theater. She invites him in to read for Lord Capulet in their upcoming production of Romeo and Juliet.
He begins soliciting advice from Daisy, a former actor who has lost her interest in theater. However, things grow tense when his wife Sharon, a teacher and theater director at the local school, tries to build a garden over the site of Brian’s suicide in their yard and he erupts at Daisy for walking over it.
He returns to the theater, where he witnesses Rita, playing Juliet, strike the actor playing Romeo when he claims she is too old for the part. After witnessing Romeo and Juliet’s suicide being acted out, he tells the cast about Brian’s death, and Daisy and Sharon witness Rita embracing him outside the theater.
Critical Status:
At the Seattle Film Fest, the film won first runner-up for the Golden Space Needle Award, co-directors O’Sullivan and Thompson won the audience award for Best Directors, and Keith Kupferer won Best Performance.
Cast
Keith Kupferer as Dan Mueller
Dolly de Leon as Rita
Katherine Mallen Kupferer as Daisy Mueller
Tara Mallen as Sharon Mueller
Hanna Dworkin as Lanora
Tommy Rivera-Vega as Lucian
Alma Washington as Moira
H.B. Ward as Jonah
Dexter Zollicoffer as Greg
Lia Cubilete as Christine Hawthorne
Deanna Dunagan as herself
Francis Guinan as Janitor Fran
Charin Alvarez as Principal Santos
