A dark comedy about PTSD in ‘Friend Zoe'
LOS ANGELES, March 11, (AP): Even for a film titled 'My Dead Friend Zoe,' the opening scenes of Kyle Hausmann-Stoke's movie have a startling rhythm. First, two female American soldiers are riding in a Humvee in Afghanistan 2016 blasting Rihanna's 'Umbrella.' They are clearly friends, and more concerned with the music coming through loudly than enemy fire. Zoe (Natalie Morales) tells Merit (Sonequa Martin- Green) tells that if they ever set foot in 'some dopy group therapy,' to please kill her. Cut to years later, they're sitting in a counseling meeting for veterans and Morales' character has a sour look at her face. She turns to her friend: 'Did we survive the dumbest war of all time just to sit here all broken and kumbaya and ouchie-my-feelings?' But after this rush of cavalier soldiering and bitter sarcasm comes a sobering moment. Merit blinks her eyes and is instead staring at an empty chair. Zoe isn't there at all.
'My Dead Friend Zoe,' co-starring Morgan Freeman and Ed Harris, confronts a dark reality of post-combat struggle with as much humor and playfulness as it does trauma and sorrow. It comes from a real place, and you can tell. Hausmann-Stoke is himself a veteran and 'My Dead Friend Zoe' is dedicated to a pair of his platoon mates who killed themselves. The opening titles note the film was 'inspired by a true story.' Audience disinterest has characterized many, though not all, of the films about the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and the output has pretty much dried up over the years. 'My Dead Friend Zoe' feels like it was made with an awareness of that trend and as a rebuke to it. This is an often breezy and funny movie for what, on paper, is a difficult and dark story. But the comic tone of 'My Dead Friend Zoe' is, itself, a spirited rejection to not just the heaviness of many films about veterans but of the grief that can consume those who have dealt with loss and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Throughout the film, Zoe appears only to Merit, ala Brad Pitt in 'Fight Club,' singing alongside her as she drives or impatiently waiting for Merit to come home from a run. Whether this, following some unspecified end to Zoe, is a healthy thing or not for Merit is increasingly in doubt. Merit needs to cling to her friend, or her memory of her. But Zoe also rolls her eyes at any suggestion of talking through her feelings. Zoe, as an apparition, is both the cause and relief to her pain. There are a few other points of view, courtesy of two of our finest actors. Freeman plays the counselor of Merit's mandatory group sessions. He refuses to let Zoe coast. To pressure her to share and participate, he threatens withholding Zoe's certification. Meanwhile, Merit's grandfather, Dale (Harris), a Vietnam vet, has just been diagnosed with early Alzheimer's. Merit is tasked with keeping an eye on him at his rural lakeside cabin and helping him into a retirement community – a prospect that infuriates him. As Merit's original inspiration for joining the army, Dale – stubborn and tight-lipped – epitomizes an earlier generation of soldier. In toggling between the present and wartime flashbacks, 'My Dead Friend Zoe' is sometimes a bumpy ride.
The interplay between Merit and Zoe also shifts, beginning more like a buddy comedy and veering toward horror-film haunting, especially when Merit hesitantly agrees to a date with a worker at the prospective retirement home (Utkarsh Ambudkar). But the movie's earnestness carries it through these less smooth moments. So does the cast. Any opportunity to see Freeman or Harris, still at the top of their games, is a chance to be treasured. Freeman is typically sage and Harris characteristically fiery. But the leads are even better. Morales is at her finest as a cynical soldier, devoted to her friend but little else. And with compelling poise, Martin-Green ('The Walking Dead') carries a movie that at times can feel scattershot but never not sincere. 'My Dead Friend Zoe,' a Briarcliff Entertainment release, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association for language. Running time: 101 minutes. Three stars out of four.
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Arab Times
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Tony Awards laud 'Maybe Happy Ending' and 'Purpose'
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"Eureka Day,' Jonathan Spector's social satire about well-meaning liberals debating a school's vaccine policy, won best play revival. The original cast of "Hamilton,' including creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, did a victory lap dressed in black to mark the show's 10th anniversary on Broadway, with a medley including "My Shot,' "The Schuyler Sisters,' "History Has Its Eyes on You' and "The Room Where It Happens.' First-time host Cynthia Erivo kicked off the show from her Radio City Music Hall dressing room, unsure of her opening number. As she made her way through the backstage warren, she ran into various people offering advice until she reached Oprah Winfrey, who advised, "The only thing you need to do is just be yourself.' Erivo then appeared at the stage in a red, spangly gown with white accents, hip cocked, as she launched into the slow-burning original "Sometimes All You Need Is a Song,' written by Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. 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She and Sara Bareilles dueted for a moving in memoriam, singing "The Sun Will Come Out' from "Annie,' and honoring its composer Charles Strouse as well as George Wendt, Richard Chamberlain, Athol Fugard, Joan Plowright, Quincy Jones, Linda Lavin, James Earl Jones and Gavin Creel. Erivo was an amiable host, at one point appearing in the second mezzanine to comment that everyone likes the view from theater balconies - except perhaps Abraham Lincoln. She had fun with Winfrey later on, telling her to check under her chair, where she found a gift bag with a toy automobile. "You get a car!' Erivo cracked. The best book and best score awards went to "Maybe Happy Ending,' with lyrics written by Hue Park and music composed by Will Aronson. Its director, Michael Arden, won - "Happy Pride!' he said - and it also picked up best scenic design. Justin Peck and Patricia Delgado won for choreographing "Buena Vista Social Club' and Peck noted a song from the renowned original album was played at their wedding. The musical takes its inspiration from Wim Wenders' 1999 Oscar-nominated documentary on the making of the Cuban album. It won four Tonys. Best costumes in a play went to Marg Hornwell for "The Picture of Dorian Gray,' while "Death Becomes Her' won the musical counterpart for Paul Tazewell months after he became the first Black man to win an Oscar for designing costumes. Harvey Fierstein, the four-time Tony winner behind "Torch Song Trilogy' and "Kinky Boots,' was honored with a lifetime achievement Tony and became emotional during his speech. "There is nothing quite like bathing in the applause of a curtain call, but when I bow, I bow to the audience, with gratitude, knowing that without them I might as well be lip-syncing showtunes in my bedroom mirror," he said. "And so I dedicate this award to the people in the dark.'
Arab Times
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Swiatek extends Roland-Garros win streak, sets up clash with Sabalenka
PARIS, June 3, (AP): Four-time champion Iga Swiatek's 26th successive win at Roland-Garros set up a French Open semifinal clash against top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka on Tuesday. Swiatek defeated Elina Svitolina 6-1, 7-5 to extend her impressive run. The consecutive wins record on the Parisian red clay is Chris Evert's 29. Having been searching for her best form in recent months, Swiatek, who struggled in the previous round, was in total control in the opening set. She was made to work harder by her 13th-seeded Ukrainian rival in the second set, dropping her serve in the fourth game after hitting two straight unforced errors into the net. But Swiatek broke back immediately and took advantage of Svitolina's poor service game to break again with a thunderous forehand return and move up 6-5. Swiatek sealed the win with a final ace. Swiatek dropped outside the top four before the French Open and has not won a title or reached a final since her victory at Roland-Garros last year. Sabalenka defeated Zheng Qinwen in straight sets to reach the semifinals for the second time. Chasing her first title at Roland-Garros, Sabalenka overcame a shaky start and windy conditions to prevail 7-6 (3), 6-3 and extend her record against the Olympic champion to 7-1. The score did not fully reflect the closeness of the quarterfinal, though, with so little separating the rivals. But Sabalenka demonstrated why she was No. 1, making the difference on big points, while Zheng struggled with her serve in tense moments. Sabalenka will try to reach her sixth Grand Slam final, and first at Roland-Garros. Sabalenka lost her most recent match against Zheng last month in Rome, having previously dominated their first six encounters. She said that loss was a good thing in the middle of an already exhausting season.
