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A Ghost Story


'A Ghost Story' (2017)



David Lowery's latest feels like a film that will be revered in 10 to 15 years time. I enjoyed 2013's 'Ain't them bodies Saints' - but this is a whole new ballgame. It's a complex, ambitious, minimalist almost 'art-house mystery drama' take on the human condition, existentialism and lets us realise that we are each a tiny pinprick of the bigger picture.

It does deal in death and grief, as you might expect. But the overall message is more along the lines of a love story, but not in the traditional sense. The way Lowery expands on the relationship between man and his surroundings and man and woman is breathtaking and just left me totally overcome with emotion towards the end of the film.

This movie will divide opinions. There will be those that think it's experimental, pretentious nonsense. But if you let it take you for a ride, and let it give you an experience rather than a traditional narrative, then it won't disappoint. Overall I'd describe it as a "rumination on the enormity of life, love and time". It's an abstract viewpoint. A visual poem. Plus, some of the photography is mesmerising, and the score by Daniel Hart is absolutely perfect for setting the tone. It's also shot in a square aspect ratio that gives you the sense that we are watching a very personal interpretation.

At the theatre I was in, 3 people walked out. One can only assume they were after some throwaway fright flick. They missed the film of 2017.