83
Metascore
16 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 91IndieWireKate ErblandIndieWireKate ErblandO’Sullivan and Thompson gently fold their story together, finding humor and heart at every turn . . . leading to the kind of ending that somehow inspired the film’s very first audience at Sundance to laugh and cry.
- 90VarietyPeter DebrugeVarietyPeter DebrugeAny critic sitting through their show probably wouldn’t have much patience for all the characters’ personal catharses, but seen from the right distance, as beautifully told as this, the experience amounts to something special.
- 90Screen RantMae AbdulbakiScreen RantMae AbdulbakiGhostlight bridges the gap between art and reality, blending a poignant narrative that aims to better understand a loved one and the expression of grief.
- 88Slant MagazineMarshall ShafferSlant MagazineMarshall ShafferDirectors Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson are extraordinarily perceptive in highlighting the instances where stagecraft informs everyday life.
- 87Paste MagazineAndrew CrumpPaste MagazineAndrew CrumpGhostlight is a comedy in a loose sense, a tragedy in another, and a redemption song in yet one more. More succinctly, it’s a Thompson film, meaning it gently, tenderly unpacks and embodies every single feeling its characters might have about their situation at hand.
- 83The PlaylistGregory EllwoodThe PlaylistGregory EllwoodAs the pieces of Ghostlight continue to unfold, it becomes increasingly clear what a smart and moving narrative O’Sullivan has put together.
- 80The GuardianAdrian HortonThe GuardianAdrian HortonThe Kupferer-Mallens are Chicago theater stalwarts, having founded their own company, and the affection everyone involved with this project feels for the stage – as an art, therapy and practice – is so evident as to be contagious, even in the film’s most theater-y meta moments.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterJon FroschThe Hollywood ReporterJon FroschO’Sullivan and Thompson’s touch isn’t subtle, but it’s generous and, at times, gently inventive; they don’t sidestep clichés so much as configure and reconfigure them in satisfying, sometimes stirring fashion.
- 75Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperChicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperGhostlight becomes a love letter to the power of theater, to the power of the timeless written word, to move us, to make us feel, to change us.