 | When I first watched “A Ghost Story” just over 2 years ago I found myself more bemused than amused. My experience was somewhere between fascination and boredom. (Odd how the one can fall into the other so quickly, especially if there is a hypnotic effect.) But (and I know no other way to say this) it continued to haunt me. I took that as a good sign. I knew I’d be watching it again. And I did, last evening. The title might lead you to think this a horror movie. It’s anything but. However, if you find meditations about the vastness of the Universe, or perhaps better Time and Space, and the insignificance of human life measured against that, perhaps for you this will be a horror movie. |
| The movie is shot in the 1:33 ratio, which provides an image onscreen just a tiny bit wider than it is tall. The director, David Lowery, has said, "It’s about someone basically trapped in a box for eternity, and I felt the claustrophobia of that situation could be amplified by the boxiness of the aspect ratio." Colors are soft and muted, pacing is slow and meditative, and |  |
editing is delicate and does not call attention to itself. The only noticeable special effect is that sheet covering the ghost, which is a bit more complicated than simply a plain white sheet tossed over an actor. That that is the effect of costume design, not something computer-generated.
 | There is minimal dialogue, but there is a long (more than 10 minutes) speech delivered by a secondary character mid-movie, someone we know nothing else about other than this speech. So what do I think now? I find it even more fascinating. And yes, at times the hypnotic effect can make my eyes glaze over a bit. Do I like it? I’m not sure that is a relevant question. Will I watch it again? Most definitely. |
“A Ghost Story” is strange and unusual. Both count a lot with me. And it most certainly inspires meditation and contemplation. Both while I am watching and when I look back on it.
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