A.J. Bermudez, a visiting assistant professor of creative writing at the University of Miami College of Arts and Sciences, is making an impact in the film industry with her latest screenwriting project, “My Dead Friend Zoe.” Co-written with director Kyle Hausmann-Stokes, the dark comedy dives into themes of friendship and loneliness while exploring veteran experiences.
“This was a deeply personal story for the director, and I was honored to be invited into that collaboration,” Bermudez said. Hausmann-Stokes, an Iraq War veteran and paratrooper who was awarded a Bronze Star, had previously written several drafts of the script when he invited Bermudez to collaborate with him. Together, they reworked the project, creating a film with the goal of making it feel deeply personal.
“One of the most inspiring parts of the process was ensuring that the story is both intimate and communal,” Bermudez explained. “It’s about friendship, family, and the power of human connection—themes that resonate universally, regardless of background.”
Set to release in theaters on Feb. 28, 2025, “My Dead Friend Zoe” stars Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris, Sonequa Martin-Green, and Natalie Morales. The movie tells the story of Merit, a female veteran of the War in Afghanistan, played by Martin-Green, and her relationship with her best friend from the Army, Zoe, played by Morales.
The film has already generated attention for its thoughtful exploration of the veteran community and how people navigate grief and connection. Bermudez credits the success of the film to the seamless collaboration she had with Hausmann-Stokes. “I feel like I got lucky in this partnership,” she said. “We worked well together, which made the process both enjoyable and rewarding.”
The writers paid attention to every detail, ensuring that every line and element of the script served to deepen the story. “A challenge with any script, with any movie, always is not just, ‘How do I say the thing?’ but ‘How will it be received? How do I build the thing in a way that invites an audience to really experience it to the utmost?’” Bermudez noted. “Every detail was intentional.”
At early film screenings, audiences have praised the film’s ability to balance humor and heartache, making the story accessible while tackling heavy and hard-to-talk-about themes.
“Personally, loss often shows up in the work that I write—screenwriting, books, all of it,” said Bermudez, who is also an award-winning director. “This film is infused with dark humor but also carries a deep emotional core reminding people that they’re not alone, even in their hardest moments.”
As a visiting assistant professor in the college’s Department of English for the 2024–2025 academic year, Bermudez teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in creative writing, with a focus on fiction. She says she encourages her students to “take risks, be true to their voice, and to be generous to one another as everyone comes to the table with their own sets of goals, strengths, interests, and challenges.”
While “My Dead Friend Zoe” takes center stage, Bermudez is already hard at work on her next creative endeavors. Through film, literature, and teaching, her work exemplifies the power of storytelling to connect and inspire. With “My Dead Friend Zoe,” she has crafted a film that is a testament to the resilience and strength of human connection.
