Arabella Oz’s Mallory’s Ghost Brings Introspection and Actualization to the 2026 deadCenter Film Festival
Think about the last painting you lost track of time staring at. The last poem you reread dozens of times in one sitting. Or the last movie that left you sitting in the theater long after the crowd dissipated. Whatever it was you experienced didn’t happen by chance or calculation. It happened because an artist, like the subject of Arabella Oz’s Mallory’s Ghost, made themselves painfully vulnerable. And that vulnerability, in turn, stirred something inside you.
Mallory’s Ghost is playing again on Saturday, June 13th at 5:15 PM in the Harkins Bricktown theater.
Directed, written and starring Oz — and co-directed and co-starring her spouse, Nick Canellakis — Mallory’s Ghost explores the sometimes painful and unintentional meditation that pushes an artist to find their craft. In it, Mallory (Oz) meanders through life while her partner, Sam (Canellakis), tries to rediscover the muse that kick-started his playwriting career. The couple travels to Maine with the hopes of triggering a creative spark. All while housesitting for Lorna (Delphi Harrington), Sam’s old writing mentor. Once there, Mallory learns how intimately and creatively connected Sam was to his ex, Louise (Anjelica Bosboom). Mallory starts catching glimpses of Louise, convinced that she’s being haunted by her, or at least the idea of her. Soon, Mallory realizes that understanding her ordeal is much more complicated than any good ol’ fashioned spectre.
While Mallory’s Ghost could easily drift into a self-indulgent exercise, Oz keeps her film grounded, easy to understand and undeniably relatable. Her natural chemistry with Canellakis also brings a welcomed realism to their performances. Humor, drama and tension propel Mallory’s Ghost, but none of it feels remotely stilted or forced, which is rare for relatively new directors. And despite the deeply personal subject matter, the film welcomes you in with its authenticity and relatability.
Jeff Griecci’s cinematography, along with the gorgeous setting, breathes life into the film and keeps it from being overly static. There are a few lone audio and visual hiccups that trip up the film, but ultimately, those can be easily forgiven for the power of its script. And despite the limitations of working in a set that you can’t easily modify, Oz strategic use of lighting helps bring an ethereal quality to Mallory’s Ghost, especially in the film’s third — and most metaphysical — act.
Another element that gives Mallory’s Ghost weight is Oz’s dialogue. Between its three leads, their conversations feel as fluid as they are funny and real. They’re still profound in their own right, but in a way that feels genuine and terrestrial, not reaching for some kind of cosmic epiphany at every chance. Because while art begs us to think beyond our own experiences, it still has to resonate within reason. This is the boundary that separates films that feel like they’re trying too hard from those that seem to connect with us effortlessly. To this end, Oz just gets it.
Perhaps more than anything, Mallory’s Ghost has an ample amount of heart. Oz doesn’t shy away from exploring insecurity, but she does so with a tact that doesn’t vilify Sam or Louise. The film channels strength through empathy, similar to how Celine Song’s Past Lives does. It’s easy to create antagonists, and while Oz acknowledges the tension, she takes the higher and much more interesting and challenging path, championing growth and self-actualization over spite and malice.
In an era where art itself feels threatened, Mallory’s Ghost reminds us that the artists shouldn’t be. Sure, we can make a living out of it if we’re lucky. But artistic expression’s real reward comes from self-discovery. With Mallory’s Ghost, Arabella Oz asks us to push ourselves and find the little artist inside all of us. And you should trust her, because they’re definitely in there.
Find more deadCenter 2026 coverage like this at The Cinematropolis.
