Director David Lowery’s A Ghost Story was one of the big success stories of this year’s Sundance Film Festival, with critics describing it as unforgettable, ambitious and powerfully poetic. The recently released trailer seems to support those opinions, giving us a glimpse into a weird and moving alternative ghost movie in which the titular spook is a decidedly lo-fi dude in a sheet with eye holes.
Casey Affleck plays the titular ghost, returning home after his untimely death to solemnly haunt his grieving widow (Rooney Mara) as she mourns him. He soon realizes that as a ghost, time has become somewhat slippery, observing his wife getting over him and growing increasingly disconnected from his mortal life as the years slip through his spectral fingers. What follows is billed as “a cosmic journey through memory and history, confronting life’s ineffable questions and the enormity of existence.”
Bold claims, but by all accounts, they’re ones that the film delivers on. If you’re wary of the trailer for revealing spoilers, a brand new still – seen above – gives us a little taste of the aesthetic here, with muted naturalistic colors anchored by the whites and greys of the ghost costume.
A Ghost Story is being released by A24, known for The Witch, as well as The Blackcoat’s Daughter, Green Room and Ex Machina, all of which were outstanding efforts that reached way beyond their indie constraints. Even better, the film isn’t that far away. The release date in the US is July 7th, with Picturehouse Cinemas partnering on the UK release on August 11th.
