The filmmaking duo of Alex Thompson and Kelly O’Sullivan know what it’s like to ride the wave of festival buzz to critical acclaim. Their breakout film, 2019’s Saint Frances, was a SXSW award winner and led to an Indie Spirit Award nomination in the coveted John Cassevetes category. And now they’re back and shooting for similar success with Ghostlight, which was one of the most talked about films to emerge out of Sundance this year.
Directed by Thompson and O’Sullivan from a script by the latter, Ghostlight is one of those movies about the power of art and the creative process to change lives. It is also, like Saint Frances, a story that sounds like it might be downbeat, but that’s not the impression left by the new trailer. The story centers on Dan, a construction worker feeling a disconnect from his wife and daughter. He begins to find renewed purpose in a local theater production of Romeo & Juliet that helps to reconnect with his daughter.
The film stars Keith Kupferer, Tara Mallen, Katherine Mallen Kupferer, and Dolly De Leon.
Our writer Cortland Jacoby caught Ghostlight at Sundance and couldn’t have praised it more. Is this going to be another awards season darling for Thompson and O’Sullivan? We’ll find out when Ghostlight opens in select theaters on June 14th courtesy of IFC Films.
SYNOPSIS: When melancholic construction worker Dan finds himself drifting from his wife and daughter, he discovers community and purpose in a local theater’s production of Romeo and Juliet. As the drama onstage starts to mirror his own life, he and his family are forced to confront a personal loss.
