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While we will be dropping work again after a short break, we are hoping to highlight someone in need with each piece dropped. The Soto family lost everything due to the Eaton Fire. If you can make a small donation, here is their GoFundMe.

Performing on stage is not for the faint of heart.  It takes a lot of courage to be expressive and vulnerable in front of a live audience.  But when the material hits close to home, you witness the performance of a lifetime.

Keith Kupferer steps into the role of grieving father Dan, who after losing his son to suicide, is asked to join a local community theater’s production of “Romeo and Juliet.”  There are so many emotions he is able to convey throughout the film that he will have you belly-laughing in one scene and crying your eyes out in the next.  Dan does not start off as a likeable character – physically assaulting a motorist while on the job – but the longer he absorbs the role of Romeo, he transforms into the patriarch his family deserves. 

What sets Kupferer apart from other leading men is the vulnerability you can see through his character.  He is a powerhouse that has the responsibility of being unlikeable, funny, open and suffering throughout the film.  Every scene he is in is better than the last with it all culminating in his heartbreaking monologue during the deposition for his son’s wrongful death lawsuit. So much time, emotional energy, and money in hopes of bringing justice to their son comes pouring out of Kupferer, bringing tears to his eyes and the audience’s.  We also have a final standout scene when Dan and Dolly de Leon’s character, Rita, share the emotional final moments between Romeo and Juliet at the end of the play, continuing the tears that started from the deposition scene.  Everything about Kupferer is raw and perfectly conveyed throughout the film.

  Ghostlight is also a special film because Kupferer works alongside his real-life wife and daughter to bring the Mueller family to life.  The strained relationship between Dan and daughter Daisy at the beginning of the film is later repaired thanks to theater.  When father and daughter are on screen talking about Shakespeare and the meaning behind his words, the tenderness they share is radiated through both performances.  Kupferer is able to show what it means to be a fun dad while he tries to learn how to act from his theater kid daughter.  When you are surrounded by so much sadness, seeing these scenes of genuine happiness makes you feel warm inside.  Every emotion can be felt when Kupferer comes on screen, especially when working with his daughter, making the film extremely magical.

While he may be a dark horse in a small film, Keith Kupferer deserves his flowers for his layered performance who learns the importance of vulnerability through theater, really showing how art imitates life.

Ghostlight is now streaming on AMC+.