November 4, 2026
FILM: MOUSE
DIRECTED BY: KELLY O’SULLIVAN, ALEX THOMPSON
WRITTEN BY: KELLY O’SULLIVAN
STARRING: SOPHIE OKONEDO, KATHERINE MALLEN KUPFERER, TARA MALLEN
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
Grief is a subject that can be hard to tackle because everyone grieves in their own way. That is the focus of the new film from directors Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson. It is a moving and involving story of a high school girl who loses her best friend after a car accident. We’ve seen similar types of stories before but O’Sullivan and Thompson offer a fresh take on the subject which works exceedingly well.
At the start of the film Minnie (Katherine Mallen Kupferer) and Callie (Chloe Coleman) are just finishing up the last day of junior year in high school in North Little Rock, Arkansas. It is 2002 and Callie is a major school talent with dreams of being on Broadway. She’s clearly one of the most popular and beautiful kids in her class. Callie is also Minnie’s best friend but Minnie doesn’t have the same high profile status as Callie, in more ways than one. Minnie doesn’t have the talent and is barely recognized by Callie’s other friends. Minnie also lives with her mother in a very modest home whereas Callie’s parents are much more well to do with a big colonial home in another part of town.
The film foreshadows Callie’s death with scenes of high school students doing the things that many of them do: driving wildly, diving into rivers, and so on. When she passes, everyone is clearly at a loss, including her mom Helen played by Sophie Okonedo. What develops is a friendship between Minnie and Helen as they support each other during the grieving process. Helen sees Minnie as a substitute daughter and Minnie sees Helen as the more interesting and sophisticated mother that is the opposite of her own mother (played by Tara Mallen.)
One of the great things about the script and direction here is that it isn’t meant to be a somber and overly emotional experience. The characters feel the loss but how they feel it differs than what we might expect. There are definite moments of anger and sadness for sure, but the story is expressing something about a bond that develops between survivors as well as a hope that life carries on. The film is filled with popular culture references including the film Good Will Hunting and Cyndi Lauper’s bittersweet Time After Time which both explore similar themes.
This is also a film about friendship in the years before everyone texted. We see real phone conversations which emphasize the power of personal communication to grieve and move on. It’s also about finding a new sense of identity when someone you love dies. Minnie at first seems to want to be Callie even though their personalities are very different. She and Helen feel a need to redefine themselves in this new era of their lives.
All of this is very effectively done by a terrific cast. Okonedo, an Oscar-nominated actress for Hotel Rwanda in 2005, has a chance to really shine by infusing Helen with multiple layers which she expresses in subtle but very effective scenes. She gets a big moment to also really show her anger and grief in a powerful scene with Callie’s mother. Playing that role, Tara Mallen turns what could have been a very one-dimensional white trash character into someone that grows and communicates the many perspectives of her own role as a mother. David Hyde Pierce also turns up as drama teacher Mr. Murdaugh and offers a very moving speech during a discussion with Minnie.
Katherine Mallen Kupferer, who plays Minnie, made her screen debut in the Steve McQueen film Widows. She’s also appeared in Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret as well as O’Sullivan and Thompson’s last film, Ghostlight. She does very mature work here and easily demonstrates that she can be the center of a film.
Kelly O’Sullivan poured a lot into this script and her co-direction. She’s mentioned in interviews that she had a personal connection to the story. As a result, I think it’s the best work she and Alex Thompson have done yet.
Mouse played at the Chicago International Film Festival. It opens this week at the Music Box Theater in Chicago followed by a wider release on November 13th.
FILM: MOUSE
DIRECTED BY: KELLY O’SULLIVAN, ALEX THOMPSON
WRITTEN BY: KELLY O’SULLIVAN
STARRING: SOPHIE OKONEDO, KATHERINE MALLEN KUPFERER, TARA MALLEN
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
Grief is a subject that can be hard to tackle because everyone grieves in their own way. That is the focus of the new film from directors Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson. It is a moving and involving story of a high school girl who loses her best friend after a car accident. We’ve seen similar types of stories before but O’Sullivan and Thompson offer a fresh take on the subject which works exceedingly well.
At the start of the film Minnie (Katherine Mallen Kupferer) and Callie (Chloe Coleman) are just finishing up the last day of junior year in high school in North Little Rock, Arkansas. It is 2002 and Callie is a major school talent with dreams of being on Broadway. She’s clearly one of the most popular and beautiful kids in her class. Callie is also Minnie’s best friend but Minnie doesn’t have the same high profile status as Callie, in more ways than one. Minnie doesn’t have the talent and is barely recognized by Callie’s other friends. Minnie also lives with her mother in a very modest home whereas Callie’s parents are much more well to do with a big colonial home in another part of town.
The film foreshadows Callie’s death with scenes of high school students doing the things that many of them do: driving wildly, diving into rivers, and so on. When she passes, everyone is clearly at a loss, including her mom Helen played by Sophie Okonedo. What develops is a friendship between Minnie and Helen as they support each other during the grieving process. Helen sees Minnie as a substitute daughter and Minnie sees Helen as the more interesting and sophisticated mother that is the opposite of her own mother (played by Tara Mallen.)
One of the great things about the script and direction here is that it isn’t meant to be a somber and overly emotional experience. The characters feel the loss but how they feel it differs than what we might expect. There are definite moments of anger and sadness for sure, but the story is expressing something about a bond that develops between survivors as well as a hope that life carries on. The film is filled with popular culture references including the film Good Will Hunting and Cyndi Lauper’s bittersweet Time After Time which both explore similar themes.
This is also a film about friendship in the years before everyone texted. We see real phone conversations which emphasize the power of personal communication to grieve and move on. It’s also about finding a new sense of identity when someone you love dies. Minnie at first seems to want to be Callie even though their personalities are very different. She and Helen feel a need to redefine themselves in this new era of their lives.
All of this is very effectively done by a terrific cast. Okonedo, an Oscar-nominated actress for Hotel Rwanda in 2005, has a chance to really shine by infusing Helen with multiple layers which she expresses in subtle but very effective scenes. She gets a big moment to also really show her anger and grief in a powerful scene with Callie’s mother. Playing that role, Tara Mallen turns what could have been a very one-dimensional white trash character into someone that grows and communicates the many perspectives of her own role as a mother. David Hyde Pierce also turns up as drama teacher Mr. Murdaugh and offers a very moving speech during a discussion with Minnie.
Katherine Mallen Kupferer, who plays Minnie, made her screen debut in the Steve McQueen film Widows. She’s also appeared in Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret as well as O’Sullivan and Thompson’s last film, Ghostlight. She does very mature work here and easily demonstrates that she can be the center of a film.
Kelly O’Sullivan poured a lot into this script and her co-direction. She’s mentioned in interviews that she had a personal connection to the story. As a result, I think it’s the best work she and Alex Thompson have done yet.
Mouse played at the Chicago International Film Festival. It opens this week at the Music Box Theater in Chicago followed by a wider release on November 13th.