By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.3 cats
Director: Alex Thompson | Kelly O'Sullivan
Starring: Dolly De Leon | Hanna Dworkin | Katherine Mallen Kupferer | Keith Kupferer | Tara Mallen
Year: 2024
Running time: 110
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt30321095/reference/
Brett says: “Men will literally kill the envious moon who is already sick and pale with grief instead of going to therapy. Alright, methinks this review doth meme too much. So, if the language of the plays of ‘The Bard’ is sometimes a hindrance to delving into Shakespeare, then consider GHOSTLIGHT’s parallels of a modern day construction worker to the dramatic events in Romeo and Juliet that lean heavily on the humanist components and less on the ability to toe-tap along with blank verse.
“When hearing the premise of another Romeo and Juliet mimic adapted to a modern setting, one might sigh and ask, ‘Again?’ But, this is definitely the first of its kind that this reviewer is aware of. Instead of a star-crossed lovers redux, this is more of a deconstruction of the plot with a focus on the story of the aftermath of the tragedy and its effects on surrounding family members.
“Dan, a construction worker, is subdued and distracted as a result of recent events in his family’s life. The exact details surrounding source of this grief and bottled-up anger are allowed to unfold carefully and give the audience space to think and to be able to piece things together themselves in the early going, much to the film’s credit.
“Dan, husband and father, is confronting crisis at every turn, between a raging teen who is constantly acting out and a spouse who finds herself on a different page than her husband nearly every day. On top of this, Dan is surrounded by a series of circumstances at work that make his distancing from conflict all the more difficult.
“One of the thematic staples of the play Romeo and Juliet is the handiwork of fate, and this is certainly key to what develops next for Dan. As fate would have it, the construction site is adjacent to a community acting troupe’s rehearsal space. What begins as a conflict between the actors and construction employees actually transforms into the unlikely opportunity for Dan to spark his curiosity and begin to work on himself. The cast of characters in the community theatre group seemingly have their own sets of backstories full of misfit outcomes, and while Dan isn’t exactly acting material at first nor emotive, there is an understood element of attraction to what the group represents to him.
“One of the common patriarchal tropes at work in the film is the idea that emotion is often viewed as an impediment and sign of lack of strength in males. In fact, although it is not one of the many parallel scenes from the play featured in the film, Friar Lawrence even has a line in Romeo and Juliet where he warns, ‘Women may fall when there is no strength in men.’ It is as if this is Dan’s first memorized line of the play, based on his reluctance to being emotionally vulnerable and facing all the things he needs to, but doesn’t want to.
“The film uses plenty of humor and irony to provide moments of relief in what is otherwise a story full of loss and grief. Reverse engineering the plot of Romeo and Juliet is among those opportunities for comedy. Replacing teenage lovers with a middle-aged man and woman, bruised by the cynicism and skepticism that evolves from adult life is one of these deconstructionist, yet somehow relatable plot points.
“For those who are fans of Shakespeare already, the film is not likely to add anything on that front. But, on the other hand, it could be a gateway film for some.
“One of the parallels to Shakespearean lit that the film has is its tendency to take leaps that require an extra helping of the suspension of disbelief. The difference is that GHOSTLIGHT isn’t focused primarily on the language and poetry of its dialogue to help forgive such leaps. Yet, there are certain subtleties in the script mixed in that do help remedy some the broad brushstrokes that directors Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson paint with at times. Despite occasionally asking a little too much give from the audience for certain plot points, GHOSTLIGHT is still able to tackle Shakespeare and modern grief with skill and provide a worthwhile character study. 3 CATS OUT OF 5“
Michael says: “GHOSTLIGHT is the perfect festival opening night film. It’s a crowd-pleasing indie by a filmmaking team that has had buzz and success with a previous film, that’s got laughs and tears and if it had starred big names, would probably have made tons of money. While not one of those confounding, challenging, provocative films that some indie film buffs love, it was entertaining, emotional and heartfelt. And I don’t mean that as an insult.
“Something of a fish out of water tale, Dan, a construction worker, finds himself connecting with an eclectic batch of community theater actors while struggling with anger, and emotional-isolation from his wife and teen-aged daughter. Dan’s awkwardness, and the acting troupe’s quirks fuel the humor, while family life pulls in some tougher emotions.
“The story is framed by a performance of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet and successfully changes things up enough by making the lovestruck couple middle-aged, adding a new dimension that is lacking in Shakespeare’s play. It also focuses on other members of the Montague and Capulet family in a way that echoes the main storyline of the film in an effective and powerful way.
“Ultimately, the film shines with Keith Kupferer’s portrayal of Dan. An emotionally reserved, gruff man who has no idea how to handle his feelings, Dan’s ultimate emotional release is made all the more movng by Kupferer’s understated performance. 3 ½ cats“
“Screened at the Independent Film Festival Boston 2024”
Julie B. says: “It is interesting that the family in the film is a real family which the directors pointed out in the q&a. The father played by Keith Kupferer did a great job in starting off very emotionally and theatrically reserved and then opening up in real life and on the stage as things became closer to his family’s reality (and he was more practiced by then as well, with great feedback from their director played well by Hanna Dworkin). Katherine Mallen Kupferer as the daughter did a great job, as did Tara Mallen as the mother (who looked so familiar to me but I don’t recognize any of her movies I saw on IMDB and don’t follow the TV series she has guested in). Everyone in the production other than Dolly De Leon was local. She came in and fit right in, not at all a prima-donna according to the directors.
“The practical reason for the ghost light is evident. If someone were to enter a completely dark theatre, it might be a safety concern. Hazards in an unlit house include the edge of the stage, bumps and holes in the stage itself, working equipment for set pieces, and the set itself. Legend has it that the genesis of the ghost light came from an unlucky burglar that fell into the orchestra pit when the house was dark and empty. The story ends with the burglar attempting to sue the theatre. The ghost light was added as a precaution so no one could trip like that again—whether they were there legally or illegally.
“While ghost lights are very practical and utilized in theatres around the world, they also have a spiritual meaning. The lights are said to ward away mischievous spirits. However, the light also serves as a guide for the ghosts that are believed to haunt every theatre.
“The directors said that there were a few ghost lights seen in the film so if you haven’t seen it you can look for those when you do!
“As someone else mentioned in the group, the film felt a bit too long at 10 minutes shy of 2 hours. 3 cats”
Val says: “Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson’s love and personal connection to community theater shine through their fresh spin on a community theater’s production of Romeo and Juliet. I heartily enjoyed the character performances of the community theater troupe, and wished we could see more of the stories of the troupe performers! But the strength of the film was in the family dynamics. Katherine Mallen Kupferer gives a stunning performance as a bereaved teenaged sister, and the dynamic between her and her real-life father, Keith Kupferer, was electric.
“The novel flip of the storytelling of Shakespeare to focus on the parents’ emotional response to their children dying by suicide was intriguing, and while the payoff was poignant I found myself wanting more from it. While Kupferer’s performance didn’t leave much to be desired, I couldn’t quite get inside his skin enough to truly empathize with his grieving process after the loss of his son. The parallels between the play and the families’ circumstances were perhaps a bit too on-the-nose, and the big ‘reveal’ during the deposition lacked the emotional punch that I felt the film was building towards. But I applaud O’Sullivan and Thompson’s storytelling around trauma, mental health, grief, and how community theater can unlock healing for anyone, no matter the walk of life. 3.5 cats”
Chris says: “It feels like a sitcom-friendly setup at first: gruff, middle-aged construction worker Dan (Keith Kupferer) stumbles his way into participating in a community theater production of Romeo and Juliet and discovers a talent for acting he never knew he had. That he’s also grieving over the recent death of a family member whose demise eerily ties into the play’s narrative is what elevates GHOSTLIGHT into something richer and darker; it would also seem ridiculously coincidental if not for Kupferer’s convincing presence (he’s mostly known as a Chicago-based stage actor) or a screenplay that withholds and reveals at the most appropriate moments.