Movie Breakdown: A Ghost Story

Pre-Screening Stance:

I loved what writer/director David Lowery did with Pete’s Dragon.  A Ghost Story, I imagine, is not going to be similar in any way, but because he’s attached and it’s an A24 film, I’m down to give it a go.

Post-Screening Ramble:

If you’re peering at A Ghost Story and thinking it’s some sort of mid-summer indie horror flick, then you should look away because it isn’t that at all.  This film is a quiet, slow affair that requires a real good pair of patience pants to enjoy.  It begins with an introduction to C (Casey Affleck) and M (Rooney Mara), a couple preparing to move out of the home they’ve been in for a long time.  Before that happens though, C is in a car accident and dies.  He awakes in a hospital as a ghost (complete with a sheet that has eye holes cut in it), and then he spends the rest of the movie just watching things happen in the home that his special lady friend no longer occupies.  I know that doesn’t sound particularly interesting, but the film is actually pretty solid since it ditches the usual afterlife type stuff and instead focuses on time.  C is tied to his former home, and as he watches that space transform over the years, you’re reminded of the history that fills everything around us.  I found this to be a great angle, and even now, a few weeks after having seen the movie, I still finding myself thinking about it.  What a nice thing to have during the flashy blockbuster season.  I say see A Ghost Story.  Again though, be sure to note that it’s a real thinker and isn’t scary at all.

One Last Thought:

While watching this movie I couldn’t help but wonder what sort of notes Casey Affleck’s ghost received during filming.  You can’t see anything beneath his sheet, so I like to think it was stuff like “slump more” and “be ghostier.”