Dear Zoe Review

4 star tender and emotional coming-of-age story.

Dear Zoe is a 2022 American drama film based on the 2005 novel of the same name by Philip Beard (Lost in the Garden) and adapted for the screen by Marc Lhormer. Directed by Gren Wells (The Road Within, A Little Bit of Heaven) it is available in the Uk on Digital Platforms from 7th November 2022, courtesy of Reel 2 Reel Films.

“I’m done talking and I won’t write in any stupid notebook. So you guys, you can enjoy your trip down recovery road, but I’m not going.”

Set against the backdrop of the 9/11 attacks, Dear Zoe tells us the story of Tess (Sadie Sink – The Whale, Stranger Things), a 16 year old girl living in Pittsburg. As the towers fell, her beloved younger sister Zoe (Mckenzie Noel Rusiewicz) was knocked down and killed in a hit and run for which she holds herself responsible. This film takes the form of a letter written to Zoe, by Tess, which she narrates as the story goes on.

She is finding it difficult to cope and so are her mother Elly (Jessica Capshaw – Holidate, Minority Report) and step father David (Justin Bartha – The Hangover, National Treasure), leaving her to try and help her other little sister Emily (Vivien Lyra Blair – Obi Wan Kenobi).

The final straw comes when she finds out that her mother has been secretly having an affair. They argue and Tess packs her bags and heads across town to turn up announced at the home of her biological father Nick (Theo Rossi –  Sons of Anarchy, Vendetta). Here she tries to find the space she needs to forget her grief and just live her life for a little while.

She is aided in this process when she meets shady next door neighbour Jimmy (Kweku Collins) with whom she is very taken, even though Dad doesn’t approve at all. Can he help her find her way back to her family?

“I didn’t think you’d come over on your own free will, or without calling, or in the middle of the night.”

Dear Zoe is a really good watch. Although the script is a little generic, the acting performances are excellent, with a standout performance from the very talented Sadie Sink. It is a shame that the characters are not a little bit more developed as the film relies heavily on those relationships.

It’s also questionable whether people should be encouraged to just ignore their grief in this manner, although her healing process is eventually explained, and very emotional it is too.

This is a great idea for a story, seeing how a family copes with their own grief in the midst of the mourning of a nation. It’s an interesting look at love and loss and I would absolutely watch it again.

Well worth a watch.

“I knew full well I didn’t deserve to be so happy, but in the moment it seemed convenient to just go with it.”

Dear Zoe is available in the UK on Digital platforms from 7th November 2022.