‘Do You Think I’m Going to Hell?’

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Early in the film Mouse, directors Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson create a strikingly realistic moment. A jogger quickly apologizes to high school student Minnie (Katherine Mallen Kupferer) – saying something like, “I’m supposed to say sorry, or whatever” – and runs off. The delivery is so casual and awkward that Minnie, and the audience, are initially confused. It’s only then that Minnie realizes something terrible has occurred.

Premiering at the Berlin Film Festival, Mouse is a film about fleeting moments, raw emotions, and characters who feel out of place. While dealing with grief, directors O’Sullivan and Thompson – known for their excellent Ghostlight, a standout film from 2024 that also explored the difficult period after loss – center the story on the messy, unpredictable nature of being human. We first meet Minnie as a quiet teenager overshadowed by her popular best friend, Callie (Chloe Coleman). Though very different – Callie is talented and outgoing, dreaming of attending Julliard, while Minnie is sweetly awkward – the two girls are inseparable. In fact, one girl candidly admits to sometimes forgetting Minnie is even there.

The movie Mouse beautifully shows how close best friends Callie and Minnie are, so when Callie unexpectedly dies, it’s deeply upsetting. Minnie struggles to cope and feels lost without her friend. Feeling ashamed of her mother’s hard work and their modest home, Minnie begins to spend time with Callie’s grieving mother, Helen, who seems much more sophisticated than anyone in their small town. Minnie even starts using Callie’s car and, for a school project, decides to perform a song Callie was learning. Without realizing it, Minnie is trying to fill the void left by her friend’s death.

In the film Mouse, characters struggle to connect with each other, constantly feeling like they’re saying or doing the wrong thing. Awkward moments abound – a coworker clumsily brings up adoption with Helen, and Minnie’s mother fails to offer condolences after Helen’s loss. Brad, Callie’s ex-boyfriend, shockingly confesses to Minnie that he had a sexual encounter the night of Callie’s funeral, and then asks if Callie could have witnessed it and if he’ll be punished. When Helen returns a very overdue copy of Good Will Hunting, she strikes up a friendship with Kat, a video store employee, but struggles to explain the delay. Both Kat and Helen are grieving the loss of their mothers, and they eventually fall in love, yet still find it difficult to openly discuss their pain. The film suggests that grief isolates everyone, trapping them in their own private sorrow.

Despite dealing with a heartbreaking topic, the film Mouse never feels bleak, a testament to the sensitive direction of O’Sullivan and Thompson. They avoid melodrama and heavy-handedness, allowing emotions and ideas to unfold naturally, trusting the audience to connect with the story on their own. This approach is beautifully supported by Okonedo’s nuanced performance as Helen, who conveys a quiet dignity masking deep sorrow. Her scenes with Kupferer, who previously impressed in Ghostlight, are particularly compelling, showcasing how actors can build a unique dynamic. The contrast between her character’s energetic, uncertain youth and his guarded, reserved nature—despite both being adrift—is striking. Watching them together reveals layers of meaning that might otherwise be missed, and this is true of the film as a whole. Mouse takes a well-worn, painful subject and presents it with a subtle, yet profound, new perspective.

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2026-02-13 23:54