Review of A Ghost Story (2017) by Benskylerhill — 12 May 2018

Let us be known that A Ghost Story is not a film for the casual moviegoer. This is a work of complex art and it should be viewed as such. There is very sparse dialogue throughout as it relies mostly on visual, symbolic storytelling to convey its message of how grief, the passage of time, and love affect the human soul. And I must say, it accomplishes this beautifully.

There is very little acting and there are few spoken lines in this film, but when these things are made manifest, they don’t distract from the visual narrative but rather add to it. The performances are so emotion-packed even though they hardly speak, and when they do speak there’s so much depth to what’s said that it’s worth watching the movie a second time to unpack the layers of symbolism beneath.

The cinematography is near perfection. Every shot, every scene, every camera angle, every colour is perfectly suited for the tone of the scene and it’s combined with music that’s hypnotic and pierces the soul with a shot of emotion and contemplation.

A Ghost Story is not built for an ordinary watching experience. It’s an intricate allegory about human nature and life and death. People who are not interested in thinking hard about a film will be bored out of their skulls, but for those keen on art, it’s the best piece of storytelling through imagery since Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Story: 10.

Acting: 9.

Script: 10.

Visuals/Sound: 10.

Entertainment Value: 8.

OVERALL SCORE: 9.