A Ghost Story (2017)
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A man becomes a ghost and remains in the house he shared with his wife, observing the passage of time and the lives of those who inhabit it.
The story
A woman (M) and her musician husband (C) experience tension regarding moving residences. After C is killed in a car accident, he awakens as a ghost, invisible to the living, and remains in their home. While M grieves and eventually moves on, C watches from the shadows, unable to communicate with her. He observes the house being occupied by various families over many years, witnessing the cycle of life, loss, and the eventual decay of the building as it transitions through different eras and inhabitants.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After C dies in a car accident, he remains in his home as a ghost covered by a sheet. He watches M grieve, eventually move away, and date someone else. He creates disturbances in the house out of jealousy. Over decades, he watches a Spanish-speaking family move in, followed by other occupants, until the house is eventually demolished to make way for a skyscraper. C then experiences a vision of the 19th century, watching a family build a house and meet a tragic end. Returning to the present, he sees a vision of his past self and M entering the house for the first time. He witnesses their final argument and the moment his past self sat at the piano, creating the 'bang' that originally startled them. Finally, C retrieves a hidden note M left for him, reads it, and disappears.
- First release year
- 2017
- Runtime (minutes)
- 92
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English; Spanish
- Directors
- David Lowery
- Writers
- David Lowery · writer
- Cast and characters
- Casey Affleck · C; Rooney Mara · M; Will Oldham · Prognosticator; Liz Cardenas Franke · Linda; Sonia Acevedo · Maria; Rob Zabrecky · Pioneer Man; Kesha Sebert · Spirit Girl; Jared Kopf · Magician
- Genres
- supernatural drama; drama
- Themes
- time; memory; spiritual connection; grief; attachment to physical spaces
- Tone and mood
- poetic; trippy; opaque; claustrophobic
- Premise and plot tags
- supernatural; haunted house; existentialist
- Reception
- The film received acclaim from critics, with Metacritic assigning it a score of 84 out of 100, indicating 'universal acclaim'.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 84 · scale: 100 · review count: 46
- Awards and nominations
- Revelation Prize · Deauville American Film Festival · win; Critics Prize · Deauville American Film Festival · win; Jury Prize · Deauville American Film Festival · win; Grand Special Prize · Deauville American Film Festival · nomination; Best Photography · Sitges Film Festival · win; Carnet Jove Jury Award · Sitges Film Festival · win
- Production trivia
- The majority of the film takes place within a single house that closely resembled the director's first home.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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