a) STORY
Is the story, idea, plot, dialogue authentic and believable? Is it original?
On the surface, "A Ghost Story” may seem like a slow movie starring a cliché ghost with little to no dialogue, nameless characters and a weird aspect ratio, but in actuality, the film is a hauntingly poetic story of time, legacy and loss. The film has no plot, nothing happens, but it is all about hanging on to every moment. Time for this ghost is non-linear, sometimes days, years and even decades pass with a simple cut while other moments are drawn out forever. Instead of telling this story with words, David Lowery chose to do it with everything but, the entire look of the film delivers meaning, you feel as if you are peeking into the life of someone mourning the death of a loved one. The minimal dialogue in this film is very effective, there is a monologue at the 75% mark really made me think, the way the scene was written and delivered was meant to portray someone having an existential crisis and thinking out loud, the points they make have merit but the point of the film is to rebuke everything said in that monologue. There are also 2 scenes that feature a neighboring ghost that are extremely emotional, the ghosts can’t speak so their thoughts are shown in the form of subtitles, simple thoughts with a huge emotional punch.
Did you care about the main characters, why?
Although the characters are nameless, they are listed as “M” and “C” in the credits, David Lowery does a lot to make sure we are as emotionally invested in them as he is. The start of the film shows the two characters linger around their house unhappily. “C” loves the history that they have in the house, the familiarity, but “M” hates the place, she feels as though they are stuck in a rut, holding on to history that doesn’t matter. When “C” dies and becomes the ghost, he walks back to the house and watches as “M” mourns his death. Overtime the years he surveils as she mourns, subdues her pain and moves out. He remains in the house in the hopes that she comes back, waiting and watching as the house goes through different owners and eventually gets torn down and built into a high-rise building. He comes to the realization that she isn’t coming back and attempts to kill himself (again) by jumping off the building, instead of killing him, it sends him back in time to re-witness the history of the house and his naïveté as both a person and a ghost.
Why would you, or wouldn’t you, recommend it to a film class?
I think this is the type of a film that is taught to a film class. It’s multi-layered, it sticks with you for days and always finds a way to come back to you. This would be a good accompaniment or example on a potential unit in Film or VP on visual storytelling; Camera placement, lighting, mise en scene, body language, music, editing, etc.
Story Score: 100/100
b) ACTING
Were the actors believable, natural?
It is truly as if you are watching someone’s real life, unaware that they are on camera, people just living, the highs and lows, thick and thin, slow and fast.
What was the best acted scene in the film, why?
I think the monologue is well done but the best acted scene is the pie scene. In the scene, Rooney Mara (M), has just come home from the morgue and her friend has left a pie at her place as a gift, the 5 minute, single shot scene just shows Mara, eating the entire pie, on the floor, crying. The raw emotion from Mara coupled with the way Lowery chose to frame and shoot the scene turned what could have been a very boring scene into a heartbreaking one.
Who was the best actor? Why? Would you cast the actor? For what role?
I think all the actors did a really good job. Casey Affleck was under the sheet for the majority of shooting, it’s really hard to emote with your eyes and face covered, but Affleck really gets the emotion across and has you invested in his character with nothing but his movements. That being said, Rooney Mara is box office poison and Casey Affleck has been tangled in some controversy so I wouldn’t cast either of them in anything.
Acting Score: 100/100
c) TECHNICAL
How did the following elements influence the mood of the film:
Cinematography?
Showing this film in 1.33:1 is a brilliant choice. It draws your attention to the center of the screen, it adds to the eerie, ghostly feel of the film with its old polaroid look and thematically, it shows how the main character is trapped in a box, unable and unwilling to set himself free.
Editing?
The way they show the passage of time in this movie is creative. Instead of having fades, wipes or whatever other clichés some filmmakers use, this movie passes through time with a simple cut. As time isn’t linear for our protagonist, it isn’t for us either, it gave you a feeling of uneasiness and slight confusion. Some people say this movie moves too slowly but having “M” sit there and eat a pie for 5 minutes shows you how long 5 minutes is when you have just went through a loss or are suffering from depression, how slow time seems. Sometimes time goes by so fast and sometimes it feels like an eternity.
Audio/music?
The use of music in this movie is remarkable. Most of the film is silent, you are sitting there, listening to nothing but the surroundings and your thoughts, but they added music in the perfect spots to further add to the story. The song in the film, “I Get Overwhelmed” gets me every time, the chemistry between the instruments and the vocals are perfect and it fit well with the tone of the film.
Lighting/Colours?
The lighting, shadows and the bland colors flawlessly add to the chilling tone of the film.
Costumes?
The simplicity of having the ghost be portrayed by a man under a bedsheet with holes gives the ghost an innocent, childlike quality which makes the viewer uneasy. It helps you connect with him despite him not speaking, and the actor not being able to emote.
Technical Score: 100/100
d) ADD
“When I was little and we used to move all the time, I'd write these notes and I would fold them up really small. And I would hide them.”
“What'd they say?”
“They're just things I wanted to remember so that if I ever wanted to go back, there'd be a piece of me there waiting.”
Add up the marks of your review
300/300.
Give the film a total percentage.
100%
Make a concluding sentence or paragraph.
I watched this movie 3 years ago at International Village, it was a matinee and it was just me and 2 other people there. After the film ended, we all literally sat there looking at the screen then each other, no words. I have never had a movie stay with me and impact me as much as “A Ghost Story.” I listened to the song recently and wanted to re-watch the movie, I watched it with a couple friends over Skype, during the movie they were bored and slowly lost interest but I made them watch until the end. I got a text from my friend telling me that while she was on her morning jog, she told me that she couldn’t shake the movie and she kept thinking about it. This is a film you either will love or hate, you will either give it a 100% or a 0% but it’s still worth a stream as long as you are in the right mindset.
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