Films > Film Reviews
A Ghost Story
Cinema City
14/08/17
Boo! The simple white sheet and two cut-out eye holes becomes more than just a silly Halloween costume with this film. The ghost of the title has depth and a rooted motivation to roam where it does.
I’d seen the trailer once a while ago and was coloured intrigued; upon seeing it I’m glad because it’s a strange almost haunting watch which gives the cinema something new. David Lowery has executed a brilliant idea in a nearly equally brilliant way as we stay with the ghost and watch the story play out. I won’t write the usual plot synopsis paragraph as any amount of detail can give away the special uniqueness of this movie.
It’s odd to have a film connect you to a ghost’s perspective and it work, but work it does. There are numerous times, especially in the first third of the film where scenes are slow and static. We’re left to linger on shots that outstay their welcome such as Rooney Mara’s M eating some kind of pie for what feels like an eternity. Floating into the better two thirds of the film there’s still a niggle or two. The major one being a pretentious spiel from a party guest about humans’ existence and the pointlessness of our efforts which sounds like monologuing for monologues sake. In addition to this I wasn’t keen on the speech because a lot of what we’d seen before was like a silent film with no dialogue or if any it was in another language or muted, and having this long-winded moment break out shattered that quality for me.
A scene where this lonely ghost watches its surrounding completely change is quite fascinating and backed by a truly excellent sounding piece of music from Daniel Hart. The rapid shifts in the ghost’s world make for an interesting commentary on life and loss and it’s something that bordered on being sad to watch - as I said you do strangely connect to this cloaked figure.
The film may stretch in places and have an eagerness to be one of those ‘clever quiet’ films but it’s like nothing you’ve seen before and that must be commended.
7.5/10