A Ghost Story: Review

I had strong feeling that my experience watching this movie would fuck me up but I had no idea it would fuck me up THIS MUCH.

David Lowery's A Ghost Story has been one of my most anticipated films of 2017 ever since I first heard about. I really love the way that Lowery builds his films. The two very different Ain't Them Bodies Saints and Pete's Dragon have a very distinct sense of warmth and empathy at the center. Not to mention, they both look and sound utterly stunning. If anything, A Ghost Story has now solidified Lowery's place as one of the most exciting fresh talents working in the business right now.

Simply put, A Ghost Story is unlike any film I've ever seen and it made me feel a way that I'm honestly not quite sure a film has ever made me feel. Shot in a rounded 1.33:1 aspect ratio, every frame of this film feels very soft and nostalgic; it draws you in, comforts you, and makes you feel a sense of connection to the setting. Within every long and still shot, there is a remarkable amount of emotion. Even though our titular ghost is robbed of any sense of his emotional expression, we know what he is feeling and why and it steadily breaks your heart as the film moves along. And yes, the chocolate pie scene is just as beautiful and emotional as you probably have heard it is.

This film was also a lot quieter than I expected it to me but once it set it I got used to it, and the quiet visual poetry of the film started to work its cinematic magic on me. I was wholly engulfed by the film only to be savagely yanked out by a very blunt and annoying sequence in which a pretentious hipster douche bag seemingly spells out the movie for the audience in the most on the nose way imaginable and it frankly pissed me off. Thankfully, the film course corrects immediately and leads its way to one of the most silently and profoundly heartbreaking finales I have ever experienced, and I had not even realized the impact the film had had on me until at least an hour after I left the theater. 6 hours later, I still find myself struggling not to just break down in tears thinking about the film.

If you're someone like me who frequently assigns a great deal of meaning to people, places, objects, and memories, then this films will fucking wreck you. I have a lot of trouble letting go of things and this film's focus on these aspects of life was the most contributing factor to my emotional experience. It's hard to let go of all the things in life that we develop deep internal connections to, especially our loved ones. These sort of things can keep me up at night and it morphed this experience into my own emotional wrecking ball.My own internal contemplations on life and death were brought to life in front of my very eyes.

This is one of the rare films where I fully understand whatever spectrum you fall on, whether it be of pure hatred, indifference, or love. For me, it is a profound and emotional piece of art that I was able to build my own personal connection to. We live and are able to leave behind our own legacy no matter how big it may be, but someday we will all simply fade away. Our connections to everything around us can be what keeps us bound to our existence. A Ghost Story may have one recognizably bad moment but it cannot stop this singularly soft and quite powerhouse. It's rare that we see something this depressing be this magical. (9.25/10) (This could certainly go up with further viewing and analyses)