I finally got around to watching A Ghost Story (2017), an interesting and somewhat unusual film about loss, love, death, and time. The movie also features a beautiful song that plays a prominent role. Upon hearing the song, I had to track it down.
First, a few comments about the movie. Without going into an extensive review, I found it fascinating. As others have noted, it is a little slow, but if you are in the right mood and patient, you might get a lot out of A Ghost Story. I found myself slowly getting sucked into where the movie had a big emotional impact.
A Ghost Story stars Casey Affleck (as “C”) and Rooney Mara (as “M”) portraying a young couple living in a house when Affleck’s character is killed. Without giving too much away, Affleck sort of rises from the dead as a ghost, returning to the house to haunt the house through time. While one might expect the film to feature Affleck’s ghost interacting with his lover throughout the rest of the movie, the movie travels further through time, both forwards and backwards.
Director David Lowery made an interesting choice to have Affleck portray the ghost underneath a sheet with two eyes. Or so it appears at first, because the costume designed by Annell Brodeur is actually more complex. But it is a simple, recognizable ghost image without distracting special effects, serving the simplicity of the story.
There is little dialogue in A Ghost Story, as the ghost never makes any verbal sounds. So, much of the movie plays like a silent film. Again, some may find it boring, but if you are willing to invest in the movie, you might find it captivating.
“I Get Overwhelmed”
The movie also features a song that C plays for M when they are together. And M later listens to the song after C has died. Like the film, the song captivates you in a hypnotizing way. The song is “I Get Overwhelmed” by Dark Rooms.
Is your lover there?
Is she wakin’ up?
Did she die in the night?
And leave you alone?
Alone.
Dark Rooms features Daniel Hart, a performer and composer from Dallas, Texas. Hart has created music for other films and TV too. Dark Rooms’ first album, which includes “I Get Overwhelmed” from A Ghost Story, is Distraction Sickness, released in September 2017. The band is working on another album in Los Angeles.
Distraction Sickness is available from Dark Rooms’ Bandcamp website and at Amazon
What did you think of A Ghost Story? Leave your two cents in the comments.
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