Directors Kelly O'Sullivan and Alex Thompson reunite after Ghostlight to make Mouse, a drama centered on grief following a tragedy. The film stars Katherine Mallen Kupferer as Minnie, a quiet high school student whose best friend Callie (Chloe Coleman) dies in an accident on the last day of school in 2002 Arkansas. After Callie's death, Minnie and Callie's mother Helen (Sophie Okonedo) must each navigate their own forms of mourning.
O'Sullivan, who wrote the script, explores Minnie's insecurities about her working-class background and her fears of never finding herself after years in Callie's shadow. Helen faces her own anxieties about life after losing a child. The film balances grief with moments of discovery, including Minnie's first crush and first kiss, complicated by classmate homophobia and her mother's intrusive presence.
Mallen Kupferer carries the film through its heaviest moments with subtlety, embodying Minnie's struggle to process grief through silence and rage. Her expressions convey pain without explanation, and her outbursts read as those of a hurt child rather than a bratty one. Okonedo matches her intensity as Helen, torn between wanting to stay connected to Minnie and processing her own separate loss. The two desperately need someone to confide in, and that person is no longer alive.
O'Sullivan and Thompson avoid melodrama, instead striking balance between solemnity and heartbreak. Cinematographers Nate Hurtsellers and Luke Dyra shoot the film to resemble photos from the era of disposable cameras, enhanced by period details like old ringtones and Nelly's "Hot In Herre." The idyllic suburban setting fails both characters in different ways. Mouse releases November 6, 2026.