Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson’s ‘Mouse’ centers on Minnie, a shy high school student whose life changes when her lifelong friendship with the outgoing Callie comes to an abrupt end. The film premiered at the 2026 Berlin Film Festival and is scheduled for a limited theatrical release through IFC Films on November 6.
The movie reunites the filmmakers with Katherine Mallen Kupferer, who previously appeared in ‘Ghostlight’. She plays Minnie, a reserved teenager who has spent much of her life orbiting Callie, portrayed by Chloe Coleman. Set in the early summer of 2002, the story begins as the two friends finish their junior year and look toward a senior year that promises very different futures for each of them.
Callie is popular, confident and focused on her performances and eventual plans to attend Juilliard. Minnie, meanwhile, struggles to claim a space of her own. Her uncertainty extends beyond the friendship, affecting her understanding of her sexuality and her difficult relationship with her overworked mother. A connection with Kat, a local video store clerk played by Iman Vellani, helps Minnie begin to confront some of those questions.
After the friendship ends, Minnie finds unexpected support in Helen, Callie’s mother, played by Sophie Okonedo. Their relationship becomes a source of stability for both characters as they cope with their feelings about Callie. The film presents their bond as something more complex than a simple path from loss to recovery, emphasizing the uneven ways people respond to emotional upheaval.
The story also examines the cruelty that can hide behind claims of honesty and friendship. Early on, Callie’s social group plays a game called “Personal Feedback”, an exercise that allows the teenagers to criticize one another. Minnie nearly avoids the experience simply because one of the participants forgets she is there.
That moment reflects the film’s central concern: the damage caused when people are overlooked or reduced to someone else’s expectations. Through Minnie’s experience, O’Sullivan and Thompson argue for the importance of seeing people who are quiet, uncertain or easily ignored. Their approach continues the deeply empathetic perspective found in 2020’s ‘Saint Frances’ and 2024’s ‘Ghostlight’, while making ‘Mouse’ their most accomplished collaboration to date.
Sources: IndieWire.