Interview: Kyle Hausmann-Stokes on Conveying an Authentic Veteran Experience in ‘My Dead Friend Zoe’

In director Kyle Hausmann-Stokes’ My Dead Friend Zoe, Merit (Sonequa Martin-Green) returns home from Afghanistan accompanied by the very vocal presence of her friend Zoe (Natalie Morales), who won’t leave her side even after she was killed. Merit has trouble adjusting back to normal life and communicating what she’s going through as she deals with pressure from her VA group counselor (Morgan Freeman) and her grandfather (Ed Harris), whose memory is fading but hasn’t forgotten about his own very different experience in the war.

Awards Buzz spoke with Hausmann-Stokes about looking at his own life and turning it into something cinematic that would allow audiences to begin to comprehend what it’s like to be in the military. Watch the video above to hear how he hopes the film will resonate with both those who have served and those who haven’t.

My Dead Friend Zoe had its world premiere at the 2024 SXSW Film & TV Festival and will be released in theaters on February 28^th, 2025.