When it comes to crafting movies about the lives of veterans of war, it can take a lot of effort to make sure that the story is told in a meaningful and accurate manner. My Dead Friend Zoe, a 2025 movie release from feature debut director Kyle Hausmann-Stokes, has received critical praise across the board for its emotional and authentic portrayal of PTSD. When asked what it takes to write a story that perfectly captures the essence of soldier life – both before and after – his tale was inspiring to me.
Hausmann-Stokes first formed the idea for My Dead Friend Zoe as a short film (titled Merit x Zoe). While the director himself is a veteran, when I asked what it took to create a movie like this, he said that you "don't need to be a veteran" to actually tell a story about war. However, there is one key thing you must do:
To tell stories about the military and veterans is no different than telling a story about anybody else. You just have to involve those people. I don't think that you have to be a veteran to tell a veteran' story. I don't think you have to have served in the military to tell a military story, but I do think you need to talk with those people and surround your film with those people. And so we got one veteran for free – me, as the writer, director of the film.
My Dead Friend Zoe stars former TWD star and Star Trek: Discovery lead Sonequa Martin-Green and Grey's Anatomy cast member Natalie Morales, and tells the story of a veteran who has PTSD and has visions of her squadmate, Zoe, who is a victim of the war.
The movie, which was executive-produced by Travis Kelce as part of his shift into Hollywood, is almost an "autobiography" of sorts, as it's inspired by two of Hausmann-Stokes' squadmates when he was in the Army. As time went on, the director created a cast that was "90%" veterans, and the two stars had their work cut out for them in terms of "research" to make their own performances feel authentic.
So, the script itself kind of started off a bit as a manifesto or an autobiography, but then we had a lot of veterans in the cast. We did 90% real cast, and Sonequa and Natalie were able to kind of 'osmosis' from those folks. They also did a ton of research. I think stories can be, as Sonequa says, 'the more specific, the more universal they are.'
The credits of the film show just how many people involved in the cast were a part of the armed forces prior to landing the Hollywood gig. Even one of the movie's main stars, Morgan Freeman, is an actor who served in the military, signing on with the United States Air Force from 1955 - 1959. It's incredible to see such an involved crew who also has the background that really guided Martin-Green and Morales to display such a beautiful story.
While some of the best war movies really focus in on combat, My Dead Friend Zoe is a breath of fresh air because of its take on the mental effects and trauma that can come afterward the uniform is folded up and the soldier leaves the war zone. While being a former veteran certainly helps, there's no denying the passion the director has for his cast and the story itself. See the comedy-drama for yourself when it officially hits theaters on February 28th.
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