When a group of passionate stage actors finds themselves isolated from the outside world due to a global pandemic, the very meaning of their lives is threatened. As these members of the theatre community set forth on a journey into an unknown world in which all public performance spaces are shut down, each must adapt while redefining what it means to be human and proving that love will prevail in the shadow of loss.
As an experimental passion project, writer/director Tatyana Yassukovich’s Ghostlight is like peering into a time capsule to witness the impact the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 had on the theatre community and daily life worldwide. Originally released in 2021 with a re-release in 2024, this is a film that will resurrect vivid memories for those who experienced those times, making it feel as if they were only yesterday.
We meet Maisie (Suli Holum), a passionate actress, as she learns the news that the production of King Lear, in which she is starring, has been moved to Zoom, the online video meeting platform. Tito (Eduardo Machado), a school teacher, and his partner Jorge (Joe Quintero) have a love infused with the romance of the musicals they love so dearly, while Alice (Cerris Morgan-Moyer) is about to be flung into a spiral of loneliness. As these characters adapt to the switch to remote school, work, and—on center stage here—live theatre itself, the thought that life as we know it is over and that live theatre is dead remains palpable. This cast consists of actual members of the community they represent, which lends the film a level of lived-in authenticity that no Hollywood production could replicate.
“…like peering into a time capsule to witness the impact the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 had on the theatre community and daily life worldwide…”
From a technical perspective, Yassukovich’s Ghostlight is an excellent example of human innovation and perseverance. Faced with the restrictions brought on by the lockdown, the production staff had to capture all footage from the cast and crew’s personal laptops, mobile phones, and webcams. The fact that the sets are all the actors’ own homes, complete with personal clutter, adds a raw, voyeuristic intimacy few films can match. Yassukovich and the production team at Taffy Films artfully whisk these elements together, resulting in a film aesthetic that can only be described as “found footage” or “desktop cinema.”
Although viewers will relate to the isolation of the pandemic, this film’s focus on the theatre community is more likely to resonate with a niche audience. With a cast of eight primary characters, the desire to learn more about them becomes a crescendo with a sudden curfew. Overall, the love put into Ghostlight is evident on the screen. As a slow-burning character study, the personal toll that the virus and isolation begin to take is reflected on the screen to the viewers who lived through it. Spanning March to September of 2020, I recommend Ghostlight to those who want a glance back at this tumultuous moment in time.
"…With a cast of eight primary characters, the desire to learn more about them becomes a crescendo with a sudden curfew."
