A Ghost Story

Reviewed by Alan Pavelin

David Lowery's A Ghost Story is one of the most unusual films I have ever seen.  It tells of an unnamed couple (Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara, each fairly ubiquitous these days) living in a Texas bungalow.  

Early in the film Affleck dies in a car crash, after which he reappears as a ghost, covered completely in a white sheet, with large eyeholes.  He spends the rest of the film, unseen by Mara, simply observing her grief and the ensuing events.  He even comes across another ghost in a neighbouring house, and they communicate by telepathy (with subtitles).  

In one much-commented-on extended scene, Mara consumes a huge chocolate cake as Affleck looks on (one wonders if she had a previous rehearsal, or perhaps another take!)  After Mara moves out, replaced by a Spanish-speaking family (without subtitles, implying that the ghost doesn't understand them), the ghost has a flash forward and flashback, showing what will happen, and did happen many years ago, to the location of the house (which we see being demolished).

Unlike his tremendous performance in Manchester by the Sea, Affleck doesn't have much acting to do here; in fact I read that he had a replacement for much of the time.  Mara is wonderfully luminous, I could watch her face all day.  I love long takes in films, and this has them in spades, creating a sense of real sadness and melancholy.  

Two or three reviews I read referred to the influence of Terrence Malick, though I couldn't see that because Malick's films, certainly the recent ones, have little pre-planning, unlike this film. But when, in a late scene, the ghost is actually seen by two children, it suddenly clicked as to the film I was reminded of, namely Wim Wenders' Wings of Desire, about two angels unseen by all except children.

We don't have to believe in ghosts in order to be fully involved in this beautiful film (unusually for me, I didn't check my watch at all during the screening).  It's one of those films you either love or hate.  I'm very much in the former category.