I Am a Ghost

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colin n I have watched many horror films over the years, and out of those, supernatural horror is one of my favorite genres. It is a rare thing indeed, for me to see something that Hasn't been done before, but I AM A GHOST pulled it off. Yes, we have seen many twists on the ghost genre (The Others and The Sixth Sense come to mind), and I thought that maybe this was going to take that route, but this feeling was quickly dispelled as the movie went on. While it is probably too cerebral and requiring more patience than the jump scare ADD generation will be capable of handling, the rewards of this one are great. The viewer is taken along on a seemingly endless loop as Emily, the titular ghost, exists in a Groundhog Day-type situation; a holding pattern or purgatory of sorts, while Sylvia, a flustered spiritual medium hired by the current family residing in the house, attempts to ease Emily out of their home and transition into Whatever Is Next in her afterlife. One interesting thing is that Sylvia is never seen, only heard, and she and Emily share a speakerphone-type friendship, working together to solve the problem of why Emily cannot seem to transition out of the house. Shot on a shoestring budget, with a terrific performance from Anna Ishida, the movie is impressive for what it is able to deliver. Ishida is very watchable and a solid anchor for the film, and a heroine to root for. Director/screenwriter H.P. Mendoza lays out the puzzle pieces of mysterious bumps, moans, and frying eggs with care, and before it all feels too repetitive, wisely changes the angles or tweaks these moments, which all lead to a lovely "aha!" segment where all of Emily's daily routine scenes gel. While not outright scary for the most part, there is a creepy unease that colors most of the film, and what keeps you watching is wondering where it's all going. The final stop is where the terror hits. Throughout the film, despite Sylvia and Emily's talk of looking for the transitioning light, there is the underlying notion of a lurking darkness in the house. Emily has glimpses of this darkness a couple of times in the movie, and these sights contrast strongly with the daily routine scenes which are bathed in daylight. The discovery of this darkness leads to the frenzied finale, and an encroaching blackness. The fate of Emily will largely depend on one's own interpretation of what's been learned about the character and what it could possibly mean for her future. Is the light ever really coming? Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 10/03/23 Full Review J N Innovative and gripping, looking forward to more from the writer/director. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 06/24/23 Full Review T F Unable to sleep, I searched for a ghost story and happened upon I Am a Ghost; settled into my chair waiting to be completely uninspired and was not disappointed for about the first 5 minutes but hung in there. This developed into an entertaining story from the ghosts point of view and an interpretation of what a spirits purgatory might be, while she was completely unaware of its existence, I thought. It kept my interest and did the trick and when finished, I was finally able to fall asleep and also very glad I made it to the end. An interesting twist on "go to the light" at the end. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 04/01/23 Full Review Audience Member An artistic ghost story is all well and good, but a little more exposition might have helped. Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Great and fascinating movie. I was slightly disappointed with the ending, as usual. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review nilufer e I watch every ghost movie ever and I've never seen anything like this before, it was impressively original but not really frightening. It was simple yet quite interesting. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews

I Am a Ghost

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