Parents' Guide to

A Ghost Story

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Moving, poetic meditation on life, death, love, place.

Movie R 2017 92 minutes
A Ghost Story Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 13+

Based on 8 parent reviews

doctora
doctora Parent of 5-year-old
June 4, 2022
age 15+

This film is more an experience than a linear project

A sloooooow film that takes place mostly in silence. It takes it's sweet time telling it's story but that is because it's primary goal is the manipulation of time. How do you present eternity in a linear film? How do you represent an infinity loop? The film animates a sheet in a spooky , beautiful, and ethereal way. it also displays loneliness through it's manipulations with time. It is slow but it doesn't let you go.
saidItoyou
saidItoyou Adult
September 19, 2020
age 10+

Poeticly good

See all 8 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In A GHOST STORY, a couple living together in a small Texas house argues. "C" (Casey Affleck) wants to stay in the house, but "M" (Rooney Mara) wants to move out. She's used to moving around and likes to hide little notes, stuck in the walls of homes she's lived in, as a way of leaving a piece of herself behind. The next day, C dies in a car crash, returning as a ghost. He silently watches M grieving, recovering, and -- eventually -- leaving. He watches others move into the house, sometimes haunting them, sometimes not. Time moves on, and things come and go. The picture grows larger and more cosmic, but the only thing the ghost really wants to see is what M left on her scrap of paper before she left their home.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (8):
Kids say (4):

This very special movie casts a fine, delicate spell; many may resist it, but those who go along with it may find themselves profoundly moved, transported to a soul-stirring, poetically cosmic place. In A Ghost Story, writer/director David Lowery (Ain't Them Bodies Saints, Pete's Dragon) has created a deceptively small movie, confined in space (it uses the squarish, 1-to-1.33 screen aspect ratio), with very little dialogue and simple, spare effects. (The ghost is very deliberately nothing more than a guy in a sheet.)

But this simplicity is used to conjure mighty emotional reactions. Long, slow, still shots allow viewers to reflect on grief, death, life, love, and other things, while more startling transitions -- such as breathtaking leaps through time -- arouse larger, more existential questions. The haunting sound design and music are always note-perfect, and rarely, if ever, break the mood. A Ghost Story is everything from a heartbreakingly simple love story to a rumination on the meaning of place in our lives to a pondering of life itself.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about A Ghost Story's violence. How frequently is it shown, and what is it meant to illustrate? How does it compare to what you've seen in other movies with supernatural themes? What's the impact of media violence on kids?

  • Is the movie scary? Have you ever seen a movie about ghosts that wasn't scary? Are ghosts inherently scary?

  • The "prognosticator's" speech makes it sound as if life is pointless. Do you agree or disagree with his ideas? What might be some issues with his thinking?

  • What do you think was written on the scrap of paper? Does it matter to the story to know for sure? Why or why not?

Movie Details

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Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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