Rarely does a movie with such a large scale, some scenes being hundreds of years apart, feel so intimate. But "A Ghost Story" is not a traditional film in any sense. It's probably the only movie about a ghost that I've seen that isn't a horror movie. The main character (only credited as "C") is only alive for a few scenes, then spends the rest of the film in complete silence draped under a white sheet. Time isn't constrained in any way, many scenes take place in one, long, silent, static shot, and in many scenes C stands in one place as time around him moves and his surroundings change. Yet despite C being passive by nature throughout the majority of the film, he remains a character who has desires and motives and reacts to the things around him. The title says it all - it's a ghost's story, from his perspective.
The relationship between C (Casey Affleck) and M (Rooney Mara) is tested as they are moving out of their home. Then suddenly and off- screen, C dies. How he dies is irrelevant, hence not showing it in the film. What this film is about is what happens after his death.
M's grief is still a part of the movie, and M is always in the foreground of what C is seeking, but the only common thread throughout the entire film is the location and the ghost. Now, I realize how strange and cliché it may seem for the representation of a ghost to literally just be a man with sheets draped over him, especially in such a serious film, but somehow the film is able to be somewhat self aware about using this goofy horror trope while not sacrificing its tone, clearly referencing certain ghost story clichés while putting an entirely different, poignant spin on it.
The film's unusual square aspect ratio with rounded corners, almost gives it the appearance of an old home movie, giving this cosmic, thought provoking film a nostalgic, and personal feel. As time in the film is relative to C, all the editing feels very deliberate, apparently even mentioning shot lengths in the script. The soundtrack is used sparingly, but adds an entire new level of emotion to the scenes it is used in, even playing a direct role in the story.
In the middle of the film, a man at a party delivers a long, passionate, and somewhat rambling rant about the ultimate meaninglessness of human life. It's an entrancing monologue, as everyone in the party slowly gathers near him, and for a while it seemed as if this nihilistic outlook was the point of the movie. And don't get me wrong, everything he says is true and nothing in the movie contradicts its validity, but what I failed to realize was how quickly everyone around him goes back to partying and having fun, despite this existential realization. Even though all human life and remnants of it will be completely gone and there probably won't be much closure, moments can't be erased from existence, and if you realize that then every moment of existence means something.
The relationship between C (Casey Affleck) and M (Rooney Mara) is tested as they are moving out of their home. Then suddenly and off- screen, C dies. How he dies is irrelevant, hence not showing it in the film. What this film is about is what happens after his death.
M's grief is still a part of the movie, and M is always in the foreground of what C is seeking, but the only common thread throughout the entire film is the location and the ghost. Now, I realize how strange and cliché it may seem for the representation of a ghost to literally just be a man with sheets draped over him, especially in such a serious film, but somehow the film is able to be somewhat self aware about using this goofy horror trope while not sacrificing its tone, clearly referencing certain ghost story clichés while putting an entirely different, poignant spin on it.
The film's unusual square aspect ratio with rounded corners, almost gives it the appearance of an old home movie, giving this cosmic, thought provoking film a nostalgic, and personal feel. As time in the film is relative to C, all the editing feels very deliberate, apparently even mentioning shot lengths in the script. The soundtrack is used sparingly, but adds an entire new level of emotion to the scenes it is used in, even playing a direct role in the story.
In the middle of the film, a man at a party delivers a long, passionate, and somewhat rambling rant about the ultimate meaninglessness of human life. It's an entrancing monologue, as everyone in the party slowly gathers near him, and for a while it seemed as if this nihilistic outlook was the point of the movie. And don't get me wrong, everything he says is true and nothing in the movie contradicts its validity, but what I failed to realize was how quickly everyone around him goes back to partying and having fun, despite this existential realization. Even though all human life and remnants of it will be completely gone and there probably won't be much closure, moments can't be erased from existence, and if you realize that then every moment of existence means something.