I can see what it was trying to do, but I really didn't care as the first half is dull and pretentious. The monologue in the middle is great and leads you into a better second half. But ultimately your still left as empty as the first half, the lack of script and the lack of subtitles for everything Casey Affleck says. (Or ever said for that matter!) Watch if you're an insomniac, you'll be asleep in no time. Or read the subjects of the IMDb reviews, that's far more entertaining.

Was delighted to find this on Netflix after not making it to the cinema to see it. Last night, I watched it and it was quite unlike any other film I've ever seen. It's not a horror, it's not a drama, a thriller or a comedy. It's a fantasy but it's also completely unlike any film I've ever watched. The premise is simple. Casey Affleck (C) and Rooney Mara (M) are a couple and the film starts with scenes of their domestic lives. C is then killed (not a spoiler) and M has to identify his body. So far, so familiar. What follows is film-making of a different kind. Yes, the idea of a dead person revisiting their loved one isn't new (Ghost, for example) and neither is the idea of a film from the point of view of a ghost (The Others) but the way it's done here is completely original and brilliantly effective. It's a brave move to design the ghost as a sheet with eye holes (much like a five year old would draw a ghost) and it shouldn't work but it does. At no point is it comical or absurd; once I'd got my head around it, I accepted it completely. C's ghost returns to the home and then plays silent, invisible witness to M's life as she grieves and moves forward. There is one remarkable scene (lasting a good few minutes) that shows only M eating a pie before being sick. C's ghost doesn't move throughout, watching and observing but unable to connect. It's a scene that drifts towards being too long before becoming more powerful. The rest of the film then plays with time, perspective and every other dimension going. The idea of existentialism rears its head constantly, particularly in one long speech (especially noteworthy in a film low on dialogue) by a house member who questions just how much we have to do in life (and how we nearly all fail) to ensure that we will be remembered by more than the next generation. All the while, C is there, watching and observing. He learns to affect the material items around him but ultimately, he is trapped. C is trapped in death and can't move on, M is trapped in grief but can move on. This dreamlike, hypnotic film will be a Marmite experience. For the many who will watch it and think "what the hell was that dull, dreary nonsense all about?", there will be someone who just falls in love with it. There's no storyline to unravel, no dialogue to quote and requote, no action, drama, car chases or raucous laughs, just a series of scenes and images that I couldn't get enough of. It's like watching a beautiful and completely original dream and it's a dream I'll watch again. 8.5/10

If I could give this movie negative stars I would. I couldn't even get through 30 minutes before I turned it off. A complete snooze fest that borders on the insanity of the human mind. This is a classic case of movies that try too hard to be artsy. Trying to fulfill some deeper and more meaningful existence of blah blah blah we get it, you're an imaginative wizard. Don't waste your time with this nonsense. There is no plot, no dialogue, no characters driving the piece, it's just a straight up bore fest that only critics would love. There's nothing special here.

I'm not going to pretend to have a clear idea of what the flick's about. But there are certain base level impressions which, on their own, suffice to motivate me to come here to rate and pronounce on the flick's value.At its simplest level, it's a flick that attempts to take you into "ghost time".And that's really all you might need to know as you begin to watch the film.What it might mean beyond that I'll leave to you and my future self (as I ponder--and I *will* continue to ponder "A Ghost Story"!).