Day 168 - A Ghost Story

Day 168          A Ghost Story [2017]

                          

Screenplay                    David Lowery

Director                         David Lowery

Cinematography            Andrew Droz Palermo

Music                            Daniel Hart

Leads                            Rooney Mara, Casey Affleck, Will Oldham

Production                     Sailor Bear, Zero Trans Fat Productions, Ideaman Studios, Scared Sheetless

IMDb                                 6.9/10

Rotten Tomatoes                91%

When you watch a film a day for this long it becomes harder and harder to find something that catches you by surprise. Yet this one caught me out. There was something hauntingly fresh about it… Before I get into it you may watch it and think it is copying a few films but Lowery has openly named the films that inspired him in his quest to make something that was goofy but at the same time mesmerising. It’s incredible how Lowery has taken the stereotypical representation of a ghost and dressed it as a child would dress if they wanted to be a ghost at Halloween, and still made the film work without being silly. In fact, there is something truly creepy about Lowery’s ghostly figures. It is because you know there is a human under there, which makes it the perfect illustration of what a ghost is; a human who is no longer alive and yet remains unseen on earth (in this ghost story at least). I’m going to call spoilers here. Stop reading if you believe what I say and are going to watch this film – but before you stop reading I should point out this is not a scary film, so you can still watch it if you are not a fan of horror film. The acting is pretty darn good – Mara deserves an Academy Award just for a 5-minute scene where all she does is eat a pie in one go. Affleck* is good before he is under the sheet and incredible as the ghost, though anyone could have done this, and credit should mostly go to Lowery and the costume team for all the ghost bits. As I know is often the case on this blog Daniel Hart’s chilling soundtrack and Palermo’s soft camerawork are what make the film. Hart gave me more tingles than an ASMR video and I honestly nearly cried at the beauty of some of the shots in there. You could stop at almost any point in the film and the screenshot you took would likely win an arty photography competition. I felt a lot of emotions throughout and found myself questioning the meaning of life and life after death deeper than I have since my A-level theology classes. The protagonist's speech during the party scene in particular stirred up a lot of truths. I’m happy that this film blindsided me and it whizzes straight into my Hall of Film.

Acting                              3 / 4

Writing                          3.5 / 4

Cinematography               4 / 4

Music                               4 / 4

HWF rating                  4 / 4

*I am aware you probably want me to talk about the controversy surrounding Affleck’s acting career due to sexual harassment allegations. I have chosen to (for the most part) stop commenting on problems such as these if they don’t relate to the particular film. I may instead be handling them in mini essays elsewhere on the blog. Allegations such as those on Affleck should not be taken lightly and I adamantly protest against actions such as his, however I feel it is unfair to let this affect my judgement on films like this one.