Parents' Guide to

Ghostlight

Movie R 2024 110 minutes
Ghostlight movie poster: Keith Kupferer hugs Katherine Mallen Kupferer

Common Sense Media Review

Monique Jones By Monique Jones , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 15+

Compassionate drama about grief, theater; strong language.

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This drama is a wonderful character study of a family dealing with intense grief, particularly when it comes to father/husband Dan. Dan feels deeply, but, as he admits, he's part of a generation that was taught to bottle up their emotions. His lack of training around feelings makes him lash out or flee instead of expressing himself. He quickly finds out that those reactions do more harm than good, but -- as he gets deeper into the world of the theater -- he also realizes that his emotions can serve him in positive ways. The way that Dan's personal life ends up paralleling parts of his stage life in Romeo and Juliet feels a bit forced at times. But aside from that, Ghostlight is a loving tribute to dealing with grief and the idea that healing can come from unexpected places. And the fact that the three actors playing the central characters -- Kupferer; his wife, Tara Mallen; and their daughter, Mallen Kupferer -- are a real-life family gives the whole project an extra layer of poignancy.

If you or someone you love need mental health support, call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

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