A grieving construction worker meets the Bard in “Ghostlight,” a small, sincere drama.
“A madness most discreet/ A choking gall, and a preserving sweet” is how Shakespeare has Romeo describe the contradictory nature of love in the opening scene of “Romeo and Juliet.” Those words could describe the act of mourning as well, and, in an oblique way, they get to the heart of the theater, too — the comedies and tragedies we stage to cast light on the chaos of life.
“Ghostlight,” a sincere and somewhat over-tidy modern-day drama, explores all three — love, grief and the healing nature of playacting — and their effect on one heartland family. Made without stars or much of a budget but with a lot of heart and good vibes, it’s an exemplary and moving independent film.
Keith Kupferer plays Dan, a burly Chicago-area construction worker who, when the movie opens, is at the end of his tether. He’s grown distant from his wife, Sharon , has had enough of his rebellious teenage daughter , and violently snaps when a rude driver gets in his face at a worksite. Clearly, something’s eating at the man, but what? Wonder on, till truth make all things plain.
“Ghostlight” was written by actress Kelly O’Sullivan and directed by her and Alex Thompson; it has a pleasingly handmade feel that extends to the casting of a real-life husband, wife and daughter — actors all — in the central roles. After a few serious but amusing misapprehensions, Dan’s family is drawn into the production, and the overlap between life and art becomes overt, then anxious, and finally the source of emotional resolution.
“Ghostlight” is a nice film and sometimes a lovely one about the therapy that can come with art and pretending, and its message is soothing enough to make one wish things always worked this way. As a reminder that sometimes they do, it’ll do. Like Mercutio’s fatal wound, the movie “’tis not so deep as a well, nor so wide as a church door, but ’tis enough.
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