Ghostlight

audience Reviews

, 92% Audience Score
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    A superb film about the raw emotions of grief, of losing a son and brother. So genuine, so heartfelt. Having lost a son myself, I could identify so well with all the feelings expressed. The acting really was too notch! A film not to be missed.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    A deeply moving watch. Coming into the movie I struggled to connect to the characters but it culminated in deep empathy and understanding that brought me to tears. The story is well written and backed up but stellar performances.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    They pulled it off. I felt the initial set up and events leading to Dan joining the community theatre was a little ludicrous and unrealistic, but it became largely insignificant in taking in the whole of the film holistically. Partners Kelly O'Sullivan and Alex Thompson co-directed the movie O'Sullivan wrote. They also worked previously together on the wonderful "Saint Frances". Looking forward to their projects in the future. There's strong acting in bringing the screenplay to life. Lead actor Keith Kupferer pulls off the challenging role of Dan, a road construction worker turned would-be 'actor'. Also effective is Katherine Mallen Kupferer as Dan's daughter. Both are struggling with the aftershocks of a family loss. Dworkin and de Leon are great as members of the theater group. But I think it's Tara Mallen as wife/mother Sharon who was most impressive for me. Her mix of grief, frustration, and resentment are palpable; but so is her moments of joy and release. A skilled, subtle piece of directing to go along with good editing make for a fine piece of cinema. 4 stars with an extra .2 for a local boy doing good in Lexington, KY native Thompson.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    This is a gem of a movie.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    Written by Kelly O’Sullivan and directed by Kelly O'Sullivan and Alex Thompson, Ghostlight is a little indie film with a big heart. The audience slowly learns the family is dealing with a tragedy that each person copes with in their own desperate way. Keith Kupferer (Dan) and Katherine Mallen Kupferer (Daisy), dad and daughter in real life, play the father and daughter duo in the film. Tara Mallen (Dan’s real-life wife and Katherine’s mother) plays the wife and mother, Sharon. Dan’s anger is subsurface, like hot lava ready to erupt. Daisy, a talented high school actor, is expelled for cursing and disrespect. Her anger is palpable. Serendipity causes Dan to secretly join a community theater group of misfits staging Romeo and Juliet. Daisy finds out and joins the troupe. What therapy couldn’t achieve, the theater unites the dad and daughter duo. Most importantly, the family moves past the anger stage of grief.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    This is one of the finest films I have ever seen in my life of watching many movies (I am 78 years old). It is all the things that all the previous reviewers have said about it but what they have missed is that it is a profound meditation on theater and even more on acting. The acting, moreover, is superb. A small film that should win multiple big Oscars.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    Really is a wonderful film with incredible performances. It is written and directed superbly. It is a bit contrived in its efforts to use the slightly convenient tragic backstory to mimic the play. But everything else is so well done that it is a forgivable after thought. Well worth a view and deserves the accolades it has received.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    This is the first movie that has moved me to sign up with RT, just so I could rave. We watched it cold, no preconceived ideas, and could not improve on the experience. Do see it. When you're done watching, take note of the cast.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    Best film I've seen all year. Oscar worthy!!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    Tearfully wonderful movie. I was amazed at how Dan, Daisy, and Sharon seemed so much like a real family. I did not find out until after that they are a family! What a heartwarming tragedy. There was something simple, modern, and raw about the film.