A24 have started to make a name for itself on the low budget, indie movie scene, distributing such great and ambitious films as; The Lobster, Moonlight, Swiss Army Man and Enemy. A Ghost Story is their latest ambitious effort, starring Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara, and written and directed by David Lowery. Just two days after he had finished the Disney Blockbuster, Pete's Dragon, director David Lowery began shooting A Ghost Story, in secret for an absolute fraction of the price of the live action, Disney feature. The film tells the story of a couple, C and M, living in their suburban home, until one day C, played by Casey Affleck, dies in a car crash and proceeds to haunt/ watch over M, played by Rooney Mara, and their house as a Ghost. If you know anything about this film, you will know that Ghost in this film is dressed as you would a child, last minute for Halloween, some might call it its 'gimmick'. However, similar to many of A24's ambitious work, A Ghost Story does not solely rest on this surreal image, the film takes something that even the director found laughable, and turns it into something emotionally profound and extremely thought provoking. A Ghost Story is an unconventional gem.
When you hear 'A Ghost Story' do not expect a horror film, because you will be disappointed. A Ghost Story does play with certain horror traits such as; flickering lights and bumps in the night, but in a way the subverts our understanding of horror films Does a supernatural being have to be malevolent? No, it could just be frustrated, confused and/or lost, and that is just one small way that A Ghost Story excellently subverts expectation to provoke discussion. As I have said, A Ghost story is not a horror film, it is an unconventional drama that explores emotional and thought provoking themes such as; grief, time, space, existence and its meaning, or lack there of.
Another way in which the director, David Lowery is experimental, is with his use of shot duration. Lowery, having come from an editing background in film, as well as, being inspired by the use of long shot duration's in European and Asian cinema, has taken the long take to the extreme. Shots linger for minutes at a time to the point were, as Lowery himself stated, you forget you are expecting something to happen. There is a 9 minute scene of Rooney Mara eating an entire pie and vomiting it back up That is all you need to know about how long Lowery lets the camera roll for. The use of long take is great as it does feel like you are watching life happen, due to the unedited nature of those shots, and it really does make for a truly unconventional film. I can however see some people getting bored and giving up on this film, due to this technique being heavily used in the films first act, but I do urge those people to please give the film the whole 90 minutes, as it is definitely worth your time.
Now whilst on the subject of time As well as having extremely long takes, this film also has pretty much every kind of cut you can think of, fast cuts, jump cuts, cuts to flashback, intercuts, elliptical cuts spanning years, decades and even centuries, the list goes on. This film is about time and how it waits for no one, even when we die time keeps on going, and Lowery has excellently used editing to illustrate this and play with time. He has said that he believes it is time, and the editing of time, that makes film stand out as an art form. Lowery's editing is seamless and complex as he manipulates time in a varying number of ways throughout the film. My personal favourite instance of Lowery's time manipulation is C's song scene, Lowery intercuts between a warmly lit flashback and a dull and cold looking present as C's song plays in both shots. Plus the added proxemics between M and the Ghost makes for a deeply emotional scene that hit me hard.
The entire film is best summed up in the films final act, with a series of elliptical jump cuts involving a little girl. This was perhaps Lowery's best use of editing and direction in the film, as it so perfectly, and rather cynically, explores its main theme of the film; does anything matter? We all die eventually, and our aim seems to be, to create something that will outlive us, but that will surely die too right? Maybe someday soon or far in the future when the world is nothing but a wasteland. And so we have gone full circle and ask again. Does it matter? As everything dies in the end, but also the Ghost sees all, it lives on so in a way things do matter don't they? It's an ongoing debate that A Ghost Story sophisticatedly explores, the answer is entirely subjective to the individual audience member.
A Ghost Story is a emotional, extremely thought provoking and unconventional movie that people have to experience for themselves. With excellent writing, editing and directing from David Lowery this film will leave you utterly speechless. The film takes its 'gimmick' and makes you sympathise with it as you watch the Ghost yearn for the the business and people it's left behind. Beautifully shot by Andrew Droz Palermo and with a home movie styled aspect ratio that further elevates the Ghost's feeling of entrapment, A Ghost Story is a work of art that I truly hope means something in the long haul
When you hear 'A Ghost Story' do not expect a horror film, because you will be disappointed. A Ghost Story does play with certain horror traits such as; flickering lights and bumps in the night, but in a way the subverts our understanding of horror films Does a supernatural being have to be malevolent? No, it could just be frustrated, confused and/or lost, and that is just one small way that A Ghost Story excellently subverts expectation to provoke discussion. As I have said, A Ghost story is not a horror film, it is an unconventional drama that explores emotional and thought provoking themes such as; grief, time, space, existence and its meaning, or lack there of.
Another way in which the director, David Lowery is experimental, is with his use of shot duration. Lowery, having come from an editing background in film, as well as, being inspired by the use of long shot duration's in European and Asian cinema, has taken the long take to the extreme. Shots linger for minutes at a time to the point were, as Lowery himself stated, you forget you are expecting something to happen. There is a 9 minute scene of Rooney Mara eating an entire pie and vomiting it back up That is all you need to know about how long Lowery lets the camera roll for. The use of long take is great as it does feel like you are watching life happen, due to the unedited nature of those shots, and it really does make for a truly unconventional film. I can however see some people getting bored and giving up on this film, due to this technique being heavily used in the films first act, but I do urge those people to please give the film the whole 90 minutes, as it is definitely worth your time.
Now whilst on the subject of time As well as having extremely long takes, this film also has pretty much every kind of cut you can think of, fast cuts, jump cuts, cuts to flashback, intercuts, elliptical cuts spanning years, decades and even centuries, the list goes on. This film is about time and how it waits for no one, even when we die time keeps on going, and Lowery has excellently used editing to illustrate this and play with time. He has said that he believes it is time, and the editing of time, that makes film stand out as an art form. Lowery's editing is seamless and complex as he manipulates time in a varying number of ways throughout the film. My personal favourite instance of Lowery's time manipulation is C's song scene, Lowery intercuts between a warmly lit flashback and a dull and cold looking present as C's song plays in both shots. Plus the added proxemics between M and the Ghost makes for a deeply emotional scene that hit me hard.
The entire film is best summed up in the films final act, with a series of elliptical jump cuts involving a little girl. This was perhaps Lowery's best use of editing and direction in the film, as it so perfectly, and rather cynically, explores its main theme of the film; does anything matter? We all die eventually, and our aim seems to be, to create something that will outlive us, but that will surely die too right? Maybe someday soon or far in the future when the world is nothing but a wasteland. And so we have gone full circle and ask again. Does it matter? As everything dies in the end, but also the Ghost sees all, it lives on so in a way things do matter don't they? It's an ongoing debate that A Ghost Story sophisticatedly explores, the answer is entirely subjective to the individual audience member.
A Ghost Story is a emotional, extremely thought provoking and unconventional movie that people have to experience for themselves. With excellent writing, editing and directing from David Lowery this film will leave you utterly speechless. The film takes its 'gimmick' and makes you sympathise with it as you watch the Ghost yearn for the the business and people it's left behind. Beautifully shot by Andrew Droz Palermo and with a home movie styled aspect ratio that further elevates the Ghost's feeling of entrapment, A Ghost Story is a work of art that I truly hope means something in the long haul