Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson’s films are undeniable yet deeply felt portraits of other people seeking to do the right thing for themselves and forming deep connections with others and within themselves along the way.
The Chicago-based filmmakers and life partners made their film debut in 2020 with “Saint Frances,” written by and starring O’Sullivan, directed by Thompson, about an aimless thirty-something who discovers a friend in the 6-year-old woman. she cares. . . Their second feature film is “Ghostlight,” which they co-directed from a script by O’Sullivan, a similar small-scale indie drama with a huge center that fearlessly addresses the kind of big emotions that can appear. drive.
As this is a family affair behind the camera, it is also a family affair in front of the lens. O’Sullivan had long had an idea of Chicago actor Keith Kupferer for the lead role of Dan, a stumbling employee of the structure. In a chain stage production of “Romeo and Juliet,” in a time of personal turmoil, Kupferer has an actor. His daughter, Katherine Mallen Kupferer, and his partner, Tara Mallen, a mainstay of the Chicago acting scene, who fits perfectly into the roles of Dan’s feisty daughter, Daisy, and his wife Sharon. With such a close circle of relatives that make up the production, “Ghostlight” is a film of unusual intimacy, a reliable feature of O’Sullivan and Thompson’s work. .
The duo make refreshing films packed with characters that look like other genuine people going through real-life situations. The cases of “Ghostlight” are somewhat exacerbated, and perhaps too much by chance, but, once again, life is also exacerbated.
It’s more productive to leave the emotional mystery of “Ghostlight” to the viewer, as Dan’s story unfolds like the petals of a flower opening to reveal a devastated inner core. At first, he tries to manage an era of significant stress, struggling to keep his family together, along with his troubled daughter and long-suffering wife. One afternoon, Rita (“The Triangle of Sadness”, Dolly de León), an actress at a local network theater, sees Dan explode in a driver while he is running in his path and takes him inside to participate in a reading of “Romeo and Juliet”. “What is it?” He asks. ” Your salvation,” she replies.
Creating a networked theater involves begging, borrowing, and stealing to put on a show. Therefore, it is not excluded that Rita simply cajoles an employee like Dan into participating in a trial. What is remarkable is that he returns, participating reluctantly. in improvisation games, guided meditation and script work. These other eccentric people turn out to be an escape for him, strangers from his network who allow him to exist in an area where he can be someone else for an hour or two. He wants it. More than what will follow, and little by little, O’Sullivan’s script shows that the quirks of “Romeo and Juliet” hit Dan in tactics he never anticipated.
Kupferer immediately convinces on the screen. It is a bit like calling its functionality a great advance, given his long career in theater and television; He has made that impression in films through Christopher Nolan, Michael Mann and Steve McQueen. But this kind of starring role in film is new territory for him. Mallen Kupferer is also a discovery, a firecracker who also conveys a more nuanced adolescent attitude. With her Daisy directing her repressed father, it’s not easy for him to meet her at her explosive point of excitement.
De Leon, a mainstay of the local theater scene in the Philippines, is a perfect fit for this Midwestern company and delivers a seductive and energetic performance as a serious New York actor who discovers himself in Chicago to play with locals on stage. They give as a kindred spirit: they want a helping hand, to get them out of their routine and give them the jolt they want to gain some attitude and knowledge. His character is a magical device at the service of history. , however, De León imbues the captivating Rita with so much life and unpredictable energy.
With an understated yet tactile beauty, O’Sullivan and Thompson create cinematic worlds that you just need to stay in, populated by characters who are recognizable with family issues, but who take on each challenge with a little more empathy, grace, laughter, and creativity. than we can see in everyday life. They allow us to see other people overcome emotional obstacles, opening hardened hearts to let their humanity go free in waves of hurt, shame, anger, love, and forgiveness.
It’s a superbly thought-provoking fable about the healing power of art, but it’s actually the other people who create the art who do the work. “Ghostlight” is a surprising and incredibly moving triyete of this process.
Katie Walsh is a critic for the Tribune News Service.
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