Review #1,272: 'A Ghost Story' (2017)

The premise of David Lowery's A Ghost Story is very simple indeed. A man (played by Casey Affleck) dies in a car crash, only for his spirit to remain in the land of the living to watch over his grieving widow (played by Rooney Mara). He stays with her in the home they made together - a home, we will come to learn, that she wanted to leave, despite his wish to remain in the quiet, isolated area he felt so comfortable in. It sounds like the stuff of emotionally manipulative Hollywood schmaltz, but Lowery's interests stretch much, much further than themes of sorrow and the search for closure. It reaches way into the cosmos, seeking to understand our place in the universe and within the infinity of time itself.

One of the most striking aspects of A Ghost Story is the appearance of the ghost itself. Draped in a white sheet complete with cut-out eye holes, Affleck drifts through the film with slow steps, longing stares and brief fits of rage. As his lifeless body lies on the mortuary table, the camera lingers for what seems like an eternity, as we wait for the jump-shock that horror movies have taught us to expect. However, when he sits up slowly, sheet still draped over his face, and begins to study his surroundings like a lost animal, the effect is miraculous. It's certainly chilling, but also oddly beautiful. I don't know if much thought went into the design and weight of the white sheet, but Affleck manages to express himself astonishingly well without the benefit of being visible. Things start to get weirder and more ambitious as Mara's character moves out of the house to move on with her life.

We witness the passing of time from the ghost's perspective. In the blink of an eye, a Hispanic family has moved in. This enrages him, and the family experience poltergeist activity. Then, some party-goers inhabit the house, before it is eventually knocked down and replaced by office buildings. Still the ghost stalks the corridors waiting for... something, occasionally conversing with the ghost next door. Time passes like half-remembered memories, and we eventually come full circle. Made quickly and cheaply shortly after post-production for Pete's Dragon had been completed and reuniting Lowery with his Ain't Them Bodies Saints stars, the slow and deliberate pace of A Ghost Story will likely put many viewers off, especially those seeking out a traditional spook tale. But patience is a virtue, and the effects are long-standing, resonating far deeper than most movies could ever dream of. 


Directed by: David Lowery
Starring: Casey Affleck, Rooney Mara
Country: USA

Rating: *****

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,263: 'Pete's Dragon' (2016)

As Disney wade through their back catalogue of animated classics to introduce to modern audiences, the wealth of pure quality at their disposal borders on the embarrassing. By the end of 2016, favourites such as Maleficent (a spin on Sleeping Beauty), Cinderella and The Jungle Book had already been and gone, to varying degrees of success. Next on the agenda, much to many people's surprise, was Pete's Dragon, a live-action remake of a pretty crappy mixture of animation and live-action from 1977, a film many won't have even heard of, and the few who have actually seen it will have long forgotten. The choice for the director's chair was also curious: The job fell to indie director David Lowery, who up to this point was known only for his little-seen outlaw movie Ain't Them Bodies Saints. It seemed as though Disney were taking a "may as well get it over with" attitude towards re-imagining one of their more obscure works, but 2016's Pete's Dragon is actually the best and loveliest of their recent crop.

It's the 70's, a five year-old Pete is heading on a road trip with his parents in search of adventure. The plan is turned on its head (much like their vehicle) when a deer runs out into the road, causing them to crash and killing Pete's parents in the process. Within moments of fleeing the wreckage and making it in the woods, Pete finds himself confronted by a giant dragon. Five years later, and Pete (now played by Oakes Fegley) has forged a bond with the dragon, who he names Elliot, and has turned feral in the forest. Their home is shrinking every day, thanks to a lumberjack crew ran by Jack (Wes Bentley) and his brother Gavin (Karl Urban), so it isn't long until their discovered. Luckily for them, Pete is seen by good-hearted park ranger Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard), whose father (played by Robert Redford), tells stories of the day he encountered a huge green dragon in his youth. As Pete longs to go home while also warming to his new surrogate family, Elliot misses his friend, and finds himself hunted by prize-seeker Gavin. 

This is a tried-and-tested Disney formula, so expect few surprises here. What is most surprising, and utterly charming, is the way Lowery goes about his business. There is plenty of genuine heart and care taken with developing its characters. Even the 'villain' of the piece shows genuine concern for Pete's well-being when he is discovered ragged and howling, and Jack isn't the cold habitat-slayer you would expect. Although there is an impressive CGI dragon complete with tail-chasing and a cute wet nose, the story stays remarkably low-key, comparable in many ways to Steven Spielberg's E.T. before the government goons enter the story. If there's a major criticism to be, it is that Gavin's sudden ambition to slay the dragon comes out of nowhere, and seems included simply to create a foe for Elliot while Pete is off in society. For a film that handles the human drama so well, it simply isn't needed, although it sets up a climax exciting enough to slightly make up for it. If you haven't seen the original, then save yourself the trouble, as 2016's Pete's Dragon is a rare example of a remake that leaves the original well in its wake. 

Directed by: David Lowery

Starring: Oakes Fegley, Bryce Dallas Howard, Robert Redford, Oona Laurence, Wes Bentley, Karl Urban

Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,032: 'Ain't Them Bodies Saints' (2013)

David Lowery's strangely-titled Ain't Them Bodies Saints doesn't just tip its hat to a bygone era of film-making, but attempts to completely recreate the heavily visual but emotionally complex work that swept through cinemas during the 1970's, especially in America. The early work of Terrence Malick is a particular inspiration here, as vast Texas fields and looming thunderclouds play as the backdrop to the doomed love-story at its centre. On top of being a love-letter to one of finest ever decades for cinema, it manages to tell a compelling, if often isolating, little story in its own right.

Bob Muldoon (Casey Affleck) and Ruth Guthrie (Rooney Mara) are two reckless young lovers. We meet them in the midst of an argument that is quickly laughed off as Ruth announces she is with child, but it doesn't take long for their passionate romance to be cut short. When Bob drags Ruth into his world of petty crime, they find themselves locked in a shoot-out with the police that ends when Ruth wounds Deputy Wheeler (Ben Foster). Bob takes the blame and is incarcerated for 25 years to life, and the two attempt to maintain their relationship through written correspondence. A few years later, Ruth learns through the lonely Wheeler that Bob has escaped from prison and is no doubt coming for her.

The film moves into more predictable territory following Bob's escape, as we follow him on his slow-burning journey across state lines, employing the assistance of friend Sweetie (Nate Parker) to help him creep gradually closer to Ruth without being detected. As Ruth struggles between longing for her true love and the realisation that running off with a now-hardened criminal may not be the best thing for her daughter, Wheeler lets his affections known. A gentle, morally-upright man respected in the community, he offers her a safe passage and undoubtedly a better life, but Ruth still finds herself drawn to the dangerous outlaw lifestyle. Her father Skerritt (Keith Carradine), having watched over Bob as a child, has a somewhat resentful sympathy for their love, and warns Bob of a group of ne'er-do-wells who arrives in town in search of him.

The cast are excellent in their roles and compliment Lowery's desire to tell an emotionally complex story with fewer words than you would expect. Affleck is at his best when he is carefully treading the line between volatile and gentle, injecting Bob with a sympathy despite his characters occasional dark turn, and Mara perfectly captures Ruth's inward struggle between comfort and danger. Yet most impressive of all is Foster, toning down his usual wide-eyed shtick and showing a softer side perhaps not seen since Six Feet Under. For all its melancholic poetic narration and tormented gazes into the distance, the film tends to betray this approach when the dialogue comes, as the character spell out their predicaments when there's no call for it. More frustratingly, Lowery keeps the mysterious aspects of his movie a bit too close to the chest, as the reasons behind the appearance of the men hunting for Bob's head is teased but left infuriatingly unexplained. A bit like the title, it is alluring but seemingly hollow.


Directed by: David Lowery
Starring: Rooney Mara, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Keith Carradine, Nate Parker
Country: USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie