[SXSW 2024] GHOSTLIGHT -- A Flawed but Powerful and Deeply Humanistic Family Drama

Review by Sean Boelman

After premiering at the Sundance Film Festival to raves, filmmakers Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson’s Ghostlight made a stop at SXSW, where their debut Saint Frances premiered in 2019 to win the top prize. Poignant and emotional, Ghostlight is flawed, but those rough edges are part of what makes it feel so profoundly humanistic.

In the film, a grieving construction worker finds solace in the most unexpected of places — with a community theater troupe putting on a production of Romeo and Juliet. However, as he begins to dive into the art and craft of acting, he finds similarities between the drama in the play and his own life.

One of Ghostlight's strongest aspects is its cast, and no one stands out quite as much as Keith Kupferer. Kupferer has a pretty robust career as a background and character actor, which is exactly what a role like the lead in Ghostlight calls for. He has an everyman quality about him that allows the character to be intensely sympathetic and relatable. However, there’s a poignant, subtle emotion to his turn that really shines through.

Although Kupferer is the cast's clear high(ghost)light, the rest of the ensemble isn’t too shabby, either. The most recognizable face is probably Dolly De Leon, who is going strong after her breakout in Triangle of Sadness. Her performance is charming and tender — maybe not what one would expect, but incredibly powerful nonetheless. Other memorable supporting turns come from Katherine Mallen Kupferer (who plays her actual father’s daughter; no wonder they have great chemistry) and Tara Mallen.

The problems with the film come in with its dialogue and editing. Much like a theatrical production, Ghoslight is full of exposition — failing to trust the audience to come to their own inferences regarding the conflict. There’s no denying the power of some of the film’s moments, but others feel so on the nose that they nearly ruin the narrative's authenticity.

Additionally, the film’s scenes are cut in a way that makes it feel like there is little to no breathing room. It falls victim to the editing problems that affect many dialogue-heavy dramas, namely cutting immediately after lines are delivered or actions end. Each scene feels like it could use at least 2 or 3 more seconds to sit with the emotion; though, with a runtime of an hour and 50 minutes already, this might have caused the film to feel a tad bloated.

Still, O’Sullivan’s script succeeds in giving the audience a set of incredibly sympathetic characters. Although the meta-narrative structure of the film isn’t exactly innovative (Drive My Car recently did the same thing incredibly well with Chekov instead of Shakespeare), O’Sullivan keeps the film feeling authentic and never veers into gimmicky territory.

Ghostlight has many incredible elements that make it a stirring, emotional watch. Although some aspects of the film could have been refined, like its dialogue and editing, the performances are so phenomenal that they absolutely speak for themselves.

Ghostlight screened at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival, which ran March 8-16 in Austin, TX.

​Rating: 3.5/5