Review: Mouse — Crooked Marquee

Set in 2002, Mouse doesn’t only capture the vibe of that particular early-aughts era, when Lee Ann Womack’s “I Hope You Dance” felt like the right choice for an unironic tribute video and Michelle Branch’s “All You Wanted” was a viable option for scream-singing as you sped down the road. This follow-up to the acclaimed indie Ghostlight by directors Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson is also a snapshot of a particular moment in a teenage girl’s life, where she struggles with how to move forward after a shattering tragedy. Mouse is small and tender, the kind of delicate little movie that feels at once like real life and like so much more than what we often get on screen that purports to mimic our own experiences.

Inspired by an event in O’Sullivan’s own adolescence, Mouse centers on quiet Minnie (Ghostlight’s Katherine Mallen Kupferer), who is on the cusp of her senior year. She exists in the shadow of her best friend, Callie (Chloe Coleman), who is pretty, popular, and destined for bigger things, like going to Julliard to study theater. Trauma upends what was supposed to be a celebratory summer and an even bigger final year of school, and Minnie is left floundering, especially among her peers at school. She doesn’t get much support from her family, where her single mother (Tara Mallen, also of Ghostlight) struggles to connect with her daughter amidst a variety of stresses at home and at her job. So Minnie turns to Callie’s mom, Helen (Sophie Okonedo), who seems like the only person who can understand what she’s going through.

With its cast of mostly unknowns, Ghostlight felt like a find, the kind of movie that at once deserved hushed tones of awe and shouting from the rooftops about how good it was. Mouse shares a few of its themes, particularly around the power of art and human connection in times of grief, as well as a few familiar faces. Real-life mother and daughter Tara Mallen and Katherine Mallen Kupferer played parent and child in that 2024 drama, and they do it again in Mouse, but with a different dynamic — and absolutely nail it. Mallen Kupferer is a wonder as Minnie as she experiences myriad emotions, even beyond the standard teenage spectrum, and her constant embarrassment by her mother will likely feel familiar to anyone who was a teenage girl. As her mother, Tara Mallen perfectly captures a parent’s simultaneous feelings of exasperation and deep love for their adolescent child.

O’Sullivan and Thompson also bring on some bigger names for this go-round: the aforementioned, absolutely wonderful Okonedo who’s at the top of her game, as well as a warm David Hyde Pierce as Minnie and Callie’s drama teacher and a charming Iman Vellani (The Marvels) as Minnie’s love interest who works at a video store. Yet even with the more well-known faces, Mouse doesn’t lose any of their previous, smaller film’s sense of authenticity. These characters and their relationship with each other all feel true to life, and the friendship between Minnie and Helen seems like something we don’t get to see on screen that frequently, making it that much more precious.

Mouse might be a character-driven drama with some gentle comedy (including a very funny Osama bin Laden joke), but there’s equal care taken with its visuals. Director of photography Nathaniel Hurtsellers doesn’t let the often sad material dictate a darker style. Instead, the sun keeps on coming up both literally and metaphorically in Mouse, shining brightly into the camera and illuminating dust motes. Minnie wonders if she should feel guilty in her happier moments after the tragedy, but Mouse gives her the opportunity for joy in the midst of pain.

Mouse is a lovely little movie, full of empathy for its characters at the worst point in their lives. Yet despite the tragedy at its heart, it avoids being a downer. You’ll probably cry watching Mouse, but there are so many scenes that make you feel hope for Minnie’s life, in this moment and beyond.