Ghostlight

Ghostlight, 2024, 3 ½ stars

Wherefore art thou, Dan?

Exclusive to MeierMovies, April 15, 2024

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet.”

Turns out Shakespeare was right, at least in the case of construction worker Dan, who, through a bizarre set of circumstances, is cast in a community-theatre production of Romeo and Juliet. Though the play is, of course, mostly fictional, Dan finds that the famous plot mirrors his own life. Indeed, he identifies with the characters in such a way as to stretch believability – if not for the well-placed ambiguities and subtle reveals of Kelly O’Sullivan’s sensitive script.

Ghostlight – named for the mysterious tradition of never leaving a theatrical stage unlit – is the first directorial collaboration for O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson, who previously teamed as writer and director, respectively, on Saint Francis (2019). Though it’s a tad pedestrian, especially in its first act, it’s ultimately memorable not just for its almost Shakespearean plot, wherein art imitates life, but for the strong chemistry between its leads (Keith Kupferer as Dan, Tara Mallen as his wife and Katherine Mallen Kupferer as their daughter), who form a real-life family. The younger actress is particularly strong and should expect to see ghostlight turn to spotlight soon for her.

© 2024 MeierMovies, LLC

This capsule review is part of my coverage of the 2024 Florida Film Festival. To find out when this movie is playing and buy tickets, go to FloridaFilmFestival.com. For more information about the event and an index of reviews of other festival films, go here. For more information on this movie, visit IMDB.