I'm relieved that I waited to watch David Lowery's atmospheric meditation on time, love, and legacy on streaming because goddamn, would it have been anxiety-inducing to watch in theaters--and not because it's scary (it isn't, despite the fact that a ghost is the main character), but because it's very slow, has minimal dialogue, and is just an anti-movie movie. By watching it alone, I was spared that weird feeling I get when I watch an ~**artistic**~ film in theaters, which is: "Does everyone else hate this movie? What's going to happen? Why is Rooney Mara eating a pie for 20 minutes??*"
But because I watched it on my couch, alone, I was able to truly appreciate A Ghost Story for what it is: a meditation, as I call it above. It's meant to provoke thoughts and feelings more than to entertain.
Shot in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, A Ghost Story looks and feels stripped down and simultaneously empty and expansive, which makes sense given that, to me, it is a film about the vastness and elliptical nature of time. A man (Casey Affleck) and a woman (Rooney Mara) live together. They argue about whether or not to move out of their modest home (she wants to, he doesn't). The man is killed in a car accident and "wakes up" in the hospital as a ghost. For the rest of the movie, Affleck wanders around covered in a sheet with two eye holes, much like the ghost costume I made in fourth grade for Halloween. And while the image of ghost that looks like something straight out of Looney Tunes might invite mockery, I understand why Lowery chose to cover Affleck in a sheet for 80% of the movie--it makes him both impossible to ignore, as he stands in the background, watching his girlfriend move on with her life, but also easy to project your own thoughts and emotions onto. It removes the "acting" part of an actor. The ghost is both there and not there, as a real ghost would be. Present, but invisible.
The ghost watches his girlfriend mourn and then move on and, eventually, move out. A new family arrives and the ghost terrorizes them by throwing plates against a wall. Then there's a party, where a guest (played by Bonnie Prince Billy, of all people) has a monologue about how trying to create a legacy, whether you do it by having kids or by writing a symphony, is pointless because everyone dies and, eventually, the universe will die. It was a little on the nose, but I actually enjoyed the scene a lot. Probably because I agree with the overarching idea that time erases all things and all that really matters is the present moment, which we need to be present for, fully, before it slips away.
The ghost observes his own house bulldozed, and then watches as a skyscraper is built. He eventually "commits suicide" by jumping off the building and lands in the same location, only in the 19th century. He observes as a family of pioneers prepare to build a home, only to be killed by Native Americans. Finally, he ends up back in his original home, watching his own living self with his girlfriend, before he is finally able to move on and disappear into nothingness.
If all that sounds like a pretentious load of garbage, well, you wouldn't be alone in your opinion. You need to be in the right frame of mind to appreciate this film and you also need to be open to its thesis which--again, this is my interpretation--is that what matters in life is the love we can give one another (and to ourselves) in the limited days and years we have. The scene with the pioneer family really hit this idea home for me: one minute they're discussing their plans to build a house, the next minute they're all dead--including the children. There are many scenes in A Ghost Story that play with time. For example, when the girlfriend brings home a date (presumably some months or years after the man's death), the ghost becomes upset, making the lights flicker and causing books to fly off a bookshelf...but when the woman goes to retrieve the books, she's wearing a different outfit. Or the ghost will walk through an empty house and into a room...where a party is taking place. I thought about Slaughterhouse-Five as I watched this movie: "Billy Pilgrim has come unstuck in time." The ghost, through death, is no longer traveling on a linear time line...although he does appear to be stuck in one location.
I really liked A Ghost Story. It truly made me think about the nature of time and how even if you don't believe in ghosts, our ancestors and loved ones who have died have a way of sticking around--if only in our memories. Director David Lowery took a lot of risks in making this film, and I think it paid off. It's a beautiful, contemplative film that will leave you with a lot to consider.
Grade: A-
*j/k, the pie-eating scene is actually only 4 minutes long.
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