A Ghost Story
would like you all to slow down and smell the roses for a moment. Take in a deep breath, examine your
surroundings, go to a place in your mind where you can meditate. You know, like ponder life and the universe
‘n shit. What does it all mean to you?
I know that sounds insufferable but I’ll give the movie some
credit for exploring the headiest of heady ideas in not the most pretentious way (still kinda
pretentious though). Casey Affleck (Triple 9) walking around as a ghost
trapped in his former house watching many different people live there over the
years, including his windowed wife (Rooney Mara (Song to Song)), does make you think beyond yourself. It does help to give perspective to your own
existence and how meaningful or meaningless that may make you feel. If you step outside yourself does your life
and everything in it seem more precious or less precious? These are all good notions to grapple with
and the movie mostly doesn’t shove it in your face that this is what you should
be thinking about, or ask: why haven’t you thought about this you selfish
asshole?
However, I do have an issue with the scene in the middle of
the picture where a guy at a house party spouts his own theory of the universe
and tries to sway the audience. I think
if this were done as a conversation between two or more individuals with some back
and forth it might’ve worked better.
Instead this guy basically delivers a monologue making him look more
smug than smart. Really I would’ve
preferred if this scene were cut entirely and people were left to come up with
their own philosophy of what the film presents to you.
Aside from the message/themes there are a bunch of pretty
visuals throughout, especially the old fashioned sheet with two eye holes cut
out ghost look. It’s a touch creepy but
sad too because the holes droop a bit and you know that a human soul is stuck
under there that can’t do much of anything.
The filmmakers were successful in making the sheeted ghost sympathetic
and real but also distanced from humanity.
You need to have patience with these ghosts and their
stories. They’ve got nothing but time on
their hands so they’re in no hurry to lay something on you. But if you’re willing to turn off the outside
world for a moment and let the movie wash over you it can be rewarding.
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