Ghostlight Parent Guide

Daisy (Katherine Mallen Kupferer) is so full of pain and rage that she can’t keep it inside. After assaulting a teacher, she’s suspended and sent to mandatory therapy. But at least she’s getting some help.

Her father, Dan (Keith Kupferer), is a stoic construction worker who can’t even talk about his anguish, until one day he explodes in an uncharacteristic act of violence. His actions are observed by the cast of a local community theater, who invite him in. The most experienced member proposes that he join, suggesting that he “might want to be someone else for a while”.

Much to his surprise, Dan finds himself returning again and again to the theater, eventually being cast as an unlikely Romeo in the upcoming production of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy. Embarrassed by his new source of emotional support, Dan keeps his activities secret from his daughter and long-suffering wife, Sharon (Tara Mallen). Like all secrets, this one eventually comes out, with unexpected results for the entire family.

Perhaps my greatest frustration with Ghostlight is the extremely limited nature of its release. This is a gem of a film, one that deserves more of an audience than it managed to find over the summer. (Hopefully it will be more widely viewed now that it’s streaming on Apple TV.) The movie is filled with believable characters who I came to care about as I watched them struggle, move ahead, and stumble. Their pain and heartache is so real, I felt myself tearing up in key moments of the film. The main cast – Keith Kupferer, Tara Mallen, and their daughter, Katherine Mallen Kupferer – are family in real life and I would love to see at least one Oscar on their bookshelf after awards season wraps up.

I do have a couple of issues with the film, starting with the profanity. The two dozen f-bombs give Ghostlight its Restricted rating and they will deter viewers who dislike movies with lots of cussing. I also find the show’s first act a bit ponderous, but I can’t complain about the emotional finish, which is rich and rewarding. Spoiler and trigger warning: I should point out that the film contains frequent discussions of suicide, which could be very distressing for anyone affected by this complicated form of bereavement.

For viewers who are willing to overlook the profanity, there’s a powerful story here with gut-wrenching portrayals of grief, loss, heartbreak, and the slow process of healing. There’s also a touching depiction of the power of community. We rightly say that every child needs a village but every adult needs a village too. Grief is too big a burden to carry alone, and as Dan’s journey demonstrates, sharing challenges makes them easier to bear. In addition, this film demonstrates the power of the arts: our cultural heritage doesn’t belong to elite institutions but to us all. Great art, literature, and drama are great because they honestly tackle the joy and agony of the human experience. I’m not saying that Ghostlight qualifies Shakespearean-quality art, but it has a story to tell that’s worth watching.