In the theater, a ghostlight is a single-bulb lamp left near center stage overnight or between productions for safety purposes so that anyone who may be wandering around can see where they are going.
This is how, despite its spooky title, Ghostlight gets away with not being a horror movie about ghosts.
Ghostlight is about a construction worker named Dan (Keith Kupferer from Monuments) who is working a job near a theater. He makes friends with one of the theater workers, a woman named Rita (Dolly De Leon from Triangle of Sadness), and strangely finds himself cast in their production of Romeo and Juliet. Soon after, his troubled daughter, Daisy (Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret’s Katherine Mallen Kupferer), also joins the play, and both quickly find that the story mimics events in their real lives.
Directed by Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson (the same pair behind Saint Francis) from a screenplay written by O’Sullivan, Ghostlight is two stories in one. The first is the underdog story of the theater getting its play produced with all the snags and setbacks that occur. The second is the family drama that mirrors the stage action, with Dan and his family working to cope with troubles after a tragedy and those troubles spilling over into his work life. The theater that connects the two stories is both Dan’s escape and his therapy.
From a narrative standpoint, Ghostlight meshes its two plots together seamlessly. At first, it just seems as if Dan is just a fish out of water within the theater. But once he finds comfort there, the details of his family’s story start to unfold. It’s within the little hints and nuggets of the event that tore Dan’s family apart that Ghostlight’s brilliance is shown. The slow reveal of the heartbreak and its relevance to the play keeps the audience completely engaged.
Keith Kupferer’s Dan may be the lead, but it’s Katherine Mallen Kupferer’s Daisy that steals the movie. Daisy goes from rebellious teen to responsible young woman, and while the arc may be typical, Mallen Kupferer manages to express real growth in her character. The turning point for Daisy comes right after she discovers her father’s “secret” life within the theater. She joins the cast at a karaoke bar and Rita gets her to sing “I Cain’t Say No” from Oklahoma!, a show in which Daisy once performed. Daisy nails the song and, thus, goes from her father’s troubled child to his co-star. And even the other cast members can’t help but keep their eyes glued on Katherine Maller Kupferer. She’s that good.
And speaking of the family unit, the last names of Keith Kupferer and Katherine Mallen Kupferer is not a coincidence. The family in the movie is a family in real life, with Kupferer’s wife, Tara Mallen (Fools) playing Dan’s wife/Daisy’s mom, Sharon. The chemistry between the three is undeniable because, well, they’re partially not acting. Of course, all are accomplished thespians, but the fact that the real family plays a movie family makes it all that much more believable.
One can’t really call Ghostlight a feel-good movie, as it deals with unresolved grief and that never really feels good. But it is a testament to the power of the theater, and how someone finding their tribe can help with healing. And anyone who doesn’t root and cheer for the theater production to succeed is a stick in the mud. Or maybe an emotionless ghost.
GRADE: B+
MPAA Rating: R for language
Release Date: June 21, 2024
Running Time: 115 minutes
Studio: IFC Films
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