Film Review: MALLORY’S GHOST: Arabella Oz Lights Up the Screen in a Talky, Intriguing Character Study [SXSW 2026]

Mallory’s Ghost Review

Mallory’s Ghost (2026) Film Review from the 33rd Annual South by South West Film Festival, a movie directed by Nick Canellakis and Arabella Oz and starring Arabella Oz, Nick Canellakis, Angelica Bosboom, Delphi Harrington, Shahjehan Khan and David L. Vincent.

Filmmakers Nick Canellakis and Arabella Oz bring to life Mallory’s Ghost, a fascinating story of insecurities and the apparitions that could accompany them. This film is distinguished by Arabella Oz’s appealing screen presence which keeps her down-to-earth character relatable even if she seems, at times, to be losing her sanity. Oz portrays Mallory, a creative but grounded, woman whose artsy writer boyfriend, Sam (Nick Canellakis), needs inspiration for his work. Sam seemingly loves Mallory with all his heart. One problem, though: Sam’s pesky ex, Louise (Angelica Bosboom), keeps coming into conversations and that makes Mallory a little intimidated. It’s not that Mallory isn’t attractive, but she wonders why Louise keeps coming up in topics of conversation if Sam has put her behind him.

This movie takes us from the city to Maine as an old teacher of Sam’s named Lorna (Delphi Harrington) entertains the idea of allowing Mallory and Sam to stay in her fancy home as a learning exercise. Louise’s name once again comes up even though Lorna admits that she doesn’t know her all too well. Mallory starts to see a woman outside the home staring at her who looks like it could be Louise. Sam, of course, thinks she’s seeing things. What’s Mallory to do except grow more insecure as to why Sam can’t just focus on her and let go of Louise completely? The plot thickens as Louise appears to Mallory and the pair begin engaging in discussions about life and love.

Mallory’s Ghost is all the more enjoyable because of Oz’s very easy to understand character. Despite her complexities which are revealed in a couple of scenes where Mallory’s own ghost appears late in the movie, she seems pretty simple on the surface. She may not want to move on with Sam unless she knows he’s going to be fully committed and when things get complicated as Mallory reads some of Sam’s “fictional” work, Mallory makes the descent into confusion where things will have to make sense in order for her to move forward.

Nick Canellakis plays Sam as a normal guy, but Sam sees to have a lot of subtext underneath the things he says that Mallory reads into, especially when Louise keeps coming into the equation in one form or another. There’s a great scene where Lorna has Sam and Mallory look into each other’s eyes and try to connect with one another. Canellakis and Oz have a good rapport on-screen which makes the movie something that fans of Woody Allen movies would like except this time there’s a supernatural twist thrown in, for good measure. Harrington is a joy to watch as the wise teacher whose wisdom Sam seeks out to overcome the hurdles he faces in trying to create new work. Harrington has that elegance and sophistication that the story line needs in order for the plot to be at least somewhat believable.

Oz and Bosboom light up the screen in their unusually creative scenes together. Bosboom has a familiar, graceful presence on the screen that makes me feel as if I’ve seen her before even though I’m not sure I have. To see two girlfriends of the same man interact in any way shape or form is certainly an interesting enough concept to behold and the film deals with the idea well. However, it must be said that when the two Mallorys engage in conversation, it makes for the best scenes of the film, though, as “one” of the Mallorys wears a crown and one ponders the meaning of it all. They may, in fact, both be the same Mallory, but I’ll leave the development of the plot for the viewer to discover.

Canellakis and Oz have crafted a thoughtful, engaging character study about a genuine set of relationships that has some meandering moments, but still mostly proves to be seriously on-point. Oz’s performance hints at great things to come for the actress who makes a name for herself here with her clever line deliveries and overwhelmingly likable screen presence. The camera loves her and the audience will as well. While Mallory’s Ghost may be a bit too smart for its own good at times, it’s entertaining and ends with a nice walk in the snow that shows how the couple has evolved through the events that occur in the movie. Mallory’s Ghost is thoughtful and intelligent entertainment from beginning to end.

Rating: 7.5/10

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