Review of A Ghost Story (2017) by Patricia W — 11 Apr 2018

Shortly after his passing a man returns to his house as a white sheeted ghost to reconnect with his wife.

At first glance the premise may seem a little ridiculous but it is the cinematography and the way that the story is brought to life that makes it impactful and a truly moving experience.

There are only two main characters that we spend a significant amount of time with and their performances are excellent. Casey Affleck is C, a struggling musician who has trepidations about moving house and is met with an untimely death. Although we don't see Affleck's face for the majority of the film it is a strangely haunting and moving performance that relies on stillness and slow, purposeful movements. Rooney Mara is also excellent as M as she explores the gambit of emotions in a very raw and realistic manner.

The first act of this film is extremely slow paced and there is one scene in particular that will test a lot of audiences patience as it appears to grind to a halt for 5 minutes. However, once you get past this point you are rewarded for your patience as the plot really picks up speed and the realisation of what is happening to this person sets in.

The music and the sound design for this film also add a great deal of depth and weight to the film's most moving moments and really enhance the feeling of loneliness and separation from the world the protagonist feels. It also adds a great deal of emotion as the dialogue is very sparse in this film and this combined with excellent cinematography manages convey a lot while saying very little.

There is one scene that felt a little too expository for me and unnecessarily explained the films intention but it doesn't ruin the flow of the narrative and isn't a very long scene.

Unfortunately there will be a lot of people that leave this film too early and miss out on a great cinematic experience that explores grief, loss and a very human fear of being forgotten. This is a heavy film that is worth settling into and left me with a profound feeling of melancholy for some time afterwards.