Ghostlight

Here’s another gem that flew under the radar earlier this summer: Ghostlight doesn’t have movie stars (well, Filipino actress Dolly de Leon may qualify) but it has emotional connection in spades, and enough going on for two or three films. Dan (Keith Kupferer) is a construction worker struggling to keep it together after his teenage son’s death. Daughter Daisy (Keith’s daughter, Katherine), is also acting out. Dan gets suspended from work but doesn’t tell his family. Daisy begins to think he’s an having an affair. The truth is stranger: he’s rehearing a play…

It’s a gentle story, full of tender moments, and knowing that the parents and daughter in the main cast are a family in real life increases the warmth. There’s a complexity to their conversations, the way their interactions are never one-note (as parents and teens often are in films), that you can sense has its roots in real life. By the end of the film, their emotional bond carries the story. Have a few tissues on hand.

Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times

A film about the world-changing power of artistic communion, about how creativity, compassion, and forgiveness — of oneself and others — are all pit stops on the same human journey.

Bilge Eberi, New York Magazine

A beautifully woven tale on the constructive ways that life and art reflect, propel, and imitate each other, offering human beings curious enough to welcome artistic pursuits into their lives a path forward.

Tomris Laffly, Harper’s Bazaar

O’Sullivan has a natural storytelling gift, coupled with a knack for comedy. Here, she takes… grieving families, difficult teens, small-town communities — and rearranges them into a surprising and moving narrative.

Peter Debruge, Variety