A Ghost Story: She has succumbed to sorrow. She packs her stuff in cardboard boxes and empties the house. He stands there, motionless, ebbing with pain and longing to be felt again. She drops in a small note in a crack in the wall and drives off. He looks at her for the last time, through clouded window, a prisoner of death, as the house disintegrates into a mere reflection of a love story. He feels alone, sits in the center of the hall, reeling under the unimaginable solitude of afterlife.
It felt like being suspended in thin air, hinged to an anchor which is giving away under the emotional wave of every passing second. I was constantly grasping for breath, awed at the sheer marvel of execution and gaped open mouthed at the audacity of David Lowery. There were instances when I was unable to watch certain sections due to the emotional turmoil they were creating inside me. A Ghost Story was an experience I was not prepared to process.
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The fact that A Ghost Story is nearly stripped of dialogues and says a world of things only through its visuals is point blank fascinating. It constructs itself with themes centering upon cyclic nature of time, the necessity of an individual to be remembered and tears us apart with the eventual pointlessness of the lives we lead.
Casey Affleck gives another subtly affecting performance as a heartbroken presence looming across in shadows as Rooney Mara recovers from his death. The pain is visible in her eyes and loss pulses through every nook and corner of her body. David Lowery’s vision is unique and the decision to film in 1:33:1 rounded edge frame gives the movie an immensely personal touch, like going through a private diary not supposed to be seen. The overwhelming soundtrack, nuances of lighting and the absolutely stunning cinematography ensures the emotional wallop such high art of a script deserves.
A Ghost Story is an utmost delicate existential poetry lying on a featherbed of grief. Through the hollow eyes of a white sheeted ghost, it delves into mystic exploration of death, love and loneliness on a grand cosmic scale. It’s ambitious, soul crushing and utterly haunting.