A Ghost Story (2017)

It's thesis is great. It's locations and actions are minimal, which more often than not, is more powerful. But yet, A Ghost Story is one of the most pretentious films i've ever seen. I might be in the minority on this one, but you know what, let me make my case. 

There is a fine line between making a truly effective art film, and self-indulging yourself to the point of absurdity. A Ghost Story sways back and forth between that line, and that really disappointed me. There are so many instances where this film just shoves itself up it's own ass. Just because you can hold on a shot for a long period of time, doesn't mean that you should. There are so many one-shot scenes that go on for an eternity, without anything happening. I get it, it's a ghost story, so that's creepy and all. But it's not creepy, it's boring here. I kid you not, one of the pivotal scenes in A Ghost Story is watching Rooney Mara eat an entire pie.. FOR 5 STRAIGHT MINUTES! What's the point? Why was it necessary to hold on this micro action for so long? We get a little suspense when she begins emotionally stabbing at the pie, giving us the indication that she's breaking down over the loss of her boyfriend. We also see the Ghost staring at her doing this in the background. So the idea is having the Ghost voyeuristically watching the woman he used to love grieve over his death. I would would have tried many other micro-actions to explore, and I assure you, a pie wouldn't even be my last resort. My other issue was the overly dramatic musical score. If minimalism was the key, this film should have had no score. Cinema verite is what was trying to be accomplished here, and a giant orchestra kind of ruins the illusion. 

What disappoints me even more is when A Ghost Story shows us those glimpses of effective storytelling. There are a few great scenes here. Two that stand out to me is the unspoken dialogue between two next-door neighbor ghosts, and a deconstruction of a haunting that cleverly shows us how a ghost scares it's occupants. Also, the interpretation of ghosts looking like Charlie Brown's cut out, white sheeted costume was a great touch that added a nice balance of humor and poignancy. What's even better is knowing that Casey Affleck is under there, and you don't need to see or hear from him for the rest of the movie. Ah, I wish this was better. 2 and 1/2 out of 5 Stars.