I think with “St. Francis” and “Ghostlight” and now with this film. Alex Thompson and Kelly O’Sullivan are conveying that there is beauty in grief. Grief is never a smooth path. It leads to awkward encounters and awkward ideas or even awkward conversation, but grief also leads to better and improved relations to the people left to deal with it.  The event that leads to grief happens so fast but the effects of it sustain. Grief has steps but many varieties of paths. It is the slow, drumming on of life after a traumatic death.

Alex Thompson and Kelly O’Sullivan teamed up again for their third film together, their second directing together. “Mouse” is another of their films that focus on loss and grief, as well as, exposing the effects it has on children. In this they bring back Tara Mallen and her real daughter Katherine Mallen Kupferer from the last film “Ghostlight” to be mother and daughter again in this. “Mouse” is another depicting the trauma of an accidental death of a teen and the effect.  The result is a real tangible film on how grief can bring people together for a more healthy relationship and may in fact improve our lives.

“Mouse” is about teen Minnie and her best friend Callie. Callie is popular and able to make friends with everyone. Callie dies from a car accident and it downward spirals everyone’s relationships and lives. It also opens a possibility of Minnie finding a void of a mother through Callie’s mom that she couldn’t find in her own mom. It also brings out many different branches of dealings. At times for Minnie, it feels like a competition, it feels unreal. The film smartly brings for the real sensation of dealing with the loss of someone close. This is a good script and it hits the beats. There is a subplot of Minnie and Callie’s mom prepping for Minnie to sing at a Talent show dedicated to Callie that is shot and done so profoundly right showing that at times grief leads to people stray towards banality. That we will do things that we would never do without grieving. This film encapsulates that nearly flawlessly.

Much alike “Ghostlight” Thompson and O’Sullivan provide the palpable motivations that grief and trauma provide, but somehow improve lives. “Mouse” works best when it is acting, when it is just acting and actors doing acting. The script lets that happen.  That is where the film triumphs-the acting-it is wonderful.

“Mouse” is a great small film that will leave a huge impact. It might fly off people’s radar, nor be the film that people would look over to see because of its plot, but it is a wonderful film of people’s lives-going off script- as they say sometimes and how that trajectory may never come back but may lead to a better, richer path. “Mouse” probably be overlooked for accolades or nominations, but it is a terrific indie-style film. The subject of grief and loss is hard to digest, but Thompson and O’Sullivan are saying in this that not dealing with it will lead to things being even worse. Minnie pursues a surrogacy in Callie’s mom thinking that is what they both want, Callie abides knowing it will be temporary much like all things in life are. Minnie might even have a better life after the death of her best friend and be happy. 9/10