A Ghost Story review

Zach Attacks Film
Jul 30, 2017 · 3 min read

A very thought provoking look at loss.

After being very disappointed by Atomic Blonde, I felt the need to cleanse my palette. I was struggling to find a movie that peaked my interest at the big theater, so I looked into a local theater that shows independent films. I saw that A Ghost Story was playing, and I had heard good things about the film. The theater is a fifteen minute bike ride from my house, so I decided to check this one out. I sat down with a cup of coffee and I hoped that this would at least be a good movie, and it wasn’t a good movie. A Ghost Story is a masterpiece.

This movie really struck a very emotional chord with me, and I was fully connected from the movie from beginning to end. When the film was over, I sat in silence through the credits cogitating on what I had just witnessed. This movie has practically no dialogue and I would say that 98% of this movie counts on visual story telling, and the story telling really works. My hat is off to Oscar worthy writer/director David Lowery because this movie completely thrives on his vision. A Ghost Story is able to say a lot and ask the audience a lot of questions without the characters saying a word, while the actors all give incredibly subtle and nuanced performances. There’s a scene where a character sits on the floor eating pie, and that was the most emotionally resonate scene that I have seen in a movie all year!

I truly think that your reaction to this will depend on what you’re looking for. This film is thought provoking in the moment. When you leave, you’ll have a lot to think about, but every shot in this film gives you something to think about. This film is filled with very long, still, and mesmerizing shots. This movie is filled with stillness, and it’s up to you to think about what each scene means. I don’t think that anyone will have the same opinion on this film. I really believe that everyone will pick up something different from this movie, and every reaction will be different.

Daniel Hart delivers a hauntingly beautiful score. Yeah, I’ve listened to the score on Spotify a few times. The score adds such a beautiful texture to the movie

Personally, I think that this film is about how we deal with loss. How do we move on after we lose something? How do we feel about other people losing us from their lives? What kind of people do we want to be with the life that we have? You might think that this film is saying something completely different, and you know what? I think we can both be right.

I can see a number of people hating this film. Almost no dialogue, shots with people just sitting, no exposition, no “action”, I understand that this movie isn’t for everyone. I’m not saying that those people are wrong, I’m saying that people go to the movies for different things. This one is for people who want to think very deeply about this films themes. Honestly, I would compare this movie to Spike Jonze’s Her. If you just look at the surface of this movie, it’s easy to be dismissive. You have to dig into the film emotionally in order to get the full experience.

As far as flaws go, there is one scene where a character gives a very nihilistic and pretentious speech. This is an issue because I can’t tell if the director is criticizing this characters way of thinking, or if that’s what Lowery truly thinks. Also, to have a speech in a film that relies almost solely on visual story telling…I don’t know, man. Everything else in this movie was perfection, but that speech really did stick out like a sore thumb.

If this movie looks like your cup of tea, I strongly suggest that you check this one out. If you view cinema as an art form, I think that you will really love this movie. I know I do. There are a few films that have left a emotion bruise on me. Films such as Where The Wild Things Are, Her, and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Add A Ghost Story to the list.

A Ghost Story A

Zach Attacks Film

“I’m proud to be a duck, and I’d be proud to fly with any one of you.”

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