In the summer of 2002, a 17-year old must navigate the earnest pressures of teenage life – identity, family, and friendship – while burdened with the profound weight of grief.
The ensemble meshes together beautifully, reflecting the idea that none of these characters knows quite how to navigate the situation. They’re all fumbling, convincingly so, from the adults to the kids.
Mouse 2026
Indie filmmaking duo Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson follow up their award-winning feature debut Ghostlight with a bittersweet coming-of age-story steeped in the pre-social media innocence of the early 2000s.
Mouse follows the story of best friends Callie and Minnie. Callie is the golden child of their suburban American community and a prodigal theatrical talent. Minnie, by contrast, lives a much quieter, constrained life, shaped by the responsibilities of a working-class household led by her solo mother.
As the pair approach their final year of high school, their relationship is suddenly upended, leaving Minnie adrift in unfamiliar social and emotional territory. Struggling to find her footing, Minnie struggles with the vulnerabilities of teenage life, and in the process, forms an unexpected and deeply affecting bond with Callie’s mother, Helen.
Voted second runner-up for the popular Panorama Audience Award at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival, Mouse is a heartfelt, and tender indie gem.
– Heperi Mita