Dear Zoe

Dear Zoe is a poignant coming-of-age drama that explores grief, guilt, and emotional healing through the eyes of a teenage girl. Based on the novel by Philip Beard, the film centers on Tess DeNunzio (Sadie Sink), a 16-year-old grappling with the tragic death of her younger sister, Zoe, who was killed in a hit-and-run accident on the same day as the September 11 attacks.

Consumed by guilt and resentment, Tess feels emotionally abandoned by her mother and stepfather, who seem unable to confront the trauma directly. Seeking escape, Tess runs away to live with her estranged biological father, Nick (Theo Rossi), a small-time marijuana dealer with a complicated past. Though he's far from a model parent, Nick offers Tess an unconventional kind of comfort-one rooted in honesty and shared pain.

As Tess adjusts to her new environment, she forms a connection with a quiet, artistic neighbor named Jimmy (Kweku Collins), who encourages her to confront her grief and embrace vulnerability. Through their growing relationship, Tess slowly begins to find her voice and reframe her understanding of love and loss.

The film is driven by Sadie Sink's raw and empathetic performance, capturing Tess's inner turmoil and search for meaning. Dear Zoe does not dwell on melodrama; instead, it offers a grounded and intimate portrait of a teenager navigating the emotional aftermath of tragedy. It also underscores the different ways people process grief-some with silence, some with anger, and some by running away.

Ultimately, Dear Zoe is a meditation on healing, forgiveness, and the enduring bonds of family, reminding viewers that even in moments of deep sorrow, there is still room for growth, connection, and hope. Quiet yet powerful, the film resonates with emotional authenticity.

Review written by artist jayakumar jrain.

Which is a GOOD thing, if you are a young actress with a long career stretching ahead of you. I am honest in all my reviews, and this one is no different. I watched mainly because, as a fan of Stranger Things, I wanted to see if she had the acting chops to carry a film on her own? She does. This young lady has the look and the talent to become an A-lister. But here is the kicker. A lot of viewers will be drawn to Dear Zoe for the exact same reason I was, figuring that if the film is any good, that is just a bonus. The film, the story, is somewhere between average and below-average. About bad choices made by young people. This particular lead actress, on the other hand, has only good choices ahead of her. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

Great movie. I really enjoyed and loved every second of it. Sadie Sink and Theo Rossi did an amazing job. It's really interesting the way they pulled out this story to be the way it should be told. What I mean by that is that they told a very uncomfortable story in very light way without making it hard to be watched or without making it to be something it shouldn't be. We don't have that much stories that are close to this one and that are made by really good actors. Nowadays we only have some sci-fi movies which are not connected to reality or the movies where we see way too much romance. For me this is the movie which should be an example for more movies to be made like this and on similar topics.

I watched this story about a family going through turmoil after a tragic loss simply because Sadie Sink starred. I was not let down by my choice.

The story itself is a simple one of happiness turned to grief, then grief turned to acceptance, and I agree with some that it is slightly predictable and slightly melodramatic.

However I forgive all of that for 3 major reasons.

Sadie Sink is fabulous. She's very expressive and very intelligent with how she is viewed and therefore how she must portray her character. She carries this film easily.

The story is perfectly delivered with all main characters delivering quality results. Some of the dialogue is quote worthy: I loved the Before/After narration at the end. And the directing is very much top level. I loved the way all the characters were developed properly (except David for some reason) and I did feel a connection with each of them as a result.

It would have been easy with the handsome Jimmy and the lovely Tess to have had them fall in love instantly and give us a steamy sex scene to show their passion for each other. However, they were very reserved, only enjoying the odd, brief kiss now and again for some time.

When they did get passionate everything was suggested or hinted. There was not one single bit of passionate face smashing, or orgasmic thrash, or bare breasted chest heaving like we see so much of.

I gave it an extra point just for that. But the other 7 I gave because it truly is a great film about loss and coping and recovering.

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"Dear Zoe explores the grieving process with sweet messages, but in addition to being extremely generic, Gren Wells makes questionable creative decisions that remove emotional impact from the narration-dependent narrative. Typical film that's worth watching more for the extraordinary performances of the cast than for the formulaic screenplay.

Kweku Collins impresses on his debut, Theo Rossi demonstrates his underrated range, and Sadie Sink continues to prove why she's one of the most fascinating, talented actresses of her generation."

Rating: C.