Mouse
When an introverted high-schooler in small-town Arkansas loses her best friend to a car accident, she forms an unexpected bond with her friend’s mother while navigating the fraught, fragile, and often funny stages of grief. (NR, 120 min.)
It's 2002, and best friends Minnie (Kupferer) and Callie (Coleman) are heading into their senior year of high school, with Minnie long living in the protective shadow of the charismatic and admired Callie. When their friendship is suddenly upended at the start of the summer, Minnie struggles to define her own identity and forms a complicated relationship with Callie’s poised, attentive mother (Okonedo), pulling her further from her own chaotic home. [Independent Film Company]
Starring: Katherine Kupferer, Sophia Okonedo, Tara Mallen, Chloe Coleman
Director(s): Alex Thompson, Kelly O’Sullivan
Genre: Drama, Comedy
"A warm, tender, bittersweet, honest and funny coming-of-age movie"
— Avi Offer, NYC Movie Guru
"I cannot say enough about the performance of Mallen-Kupferer, who is perfectly cast and will simply break your heart."
— Pete Hammond, Deadline Hollywood Daily
"Featuring a potent turn from Frasier star David Hyde Pierce as the school's theatre teacher, this is a thoughtful, classy drama."
— James Mottram, Radio Times
"Mouse is a rich, emotionally satisfying and superbly acted bittersweet drama about the bumpy journey of coming to terms with loss."
— Wendy Ide, Screen International
"With award-worthy performances at its centre, Mouse portrays grief and all its complexities via heartbreaking humanity and zinging humour."
— William Stottor, Loud and Clear Reviews
"For all the inherent sadness of its subject matter, Mouse is never depressing, thanks to the delicacy of O’Sullivan and Thompson’s filmmaking."
— Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine/Vulture
"This is subject matter that might sound heavy, but the difficult feelings dredged up never overwhelm the film’s gentle, character-driven approach."
— David Robb, Slant Magazine
"The story is emotionally gripping while also having fun and not shying away from its coming-of-age sensibilities. It is a naturalistic gem that demands to be seen."
— Ben Rolph, Next Best Picture
"O’Sullivan and Thompson may make it look easy themselves to create a world in which no one feels out of place, but "Mouse" sneaks up to pack a wallop because of everything going on below the surface."
— Stephen Saito, Moveable Fest
"Lead actress Katherine Mallen Kupferer anchors this tension with remarkable restraint. Her performance is subtle but deeply affecting, portraying Minnie not as a passive victim, but as a young woman tentatively shaping her identity through loss."
— Mia Pflueger, Awards Watch
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