Watching A Ghost Story for the first time is an experience that I'll never forget, I haven't been able to shake it from my mind since.

The story follows Affleck, who, after passing away, returns as a white-sheeted ghost to his suburban home where his bereft wife still lives. The ghost being our vessel throughout the film. A Ghost Story explores grief, life, death, time, legacy, meaninglessness and consequence (or lack thereof), tackling several existential questions in doing so. There are three issues/complaints people tend to have with this film and I want to address them all in my review (this one is more of an analysis).

Two ideas that the film addresses early are time and grief, they are tackled brilliantly in the infamous, lengthy pie scene, a common complaint I see of the film. I think it's great for three reasons:

- The length of this scene (and the scene where they are in bed together) demonstrate how the perception of time can vary. Important moments in your life (time with your loved one, seeing them upset) linger in your memory. Time spent watching a loved one so upset but being able to do nothing about it would last an eternity.

- The passage of time throughout the film parallels the passage of time in life - the older we get, the quicker time seems to pass. Later in the film, we see time pass extremely quickly when the ghost can't keep track of the years (also backs up the first point, nothing significant is happening to the ghost in this period). This passing of time needs the opposite in the first half for it to make sense. The filmmaker (David Lowery) talks about this here.

- We observe this film from the perspective of the ghost who is going to feel really uncomfortable watching this scene, so, we should also feel uncomfortable watching. This scene is long enough that it forces us to notice what is happening, it makes the viewer feel uneasy.

Now perhaps the most controversial part of the film is the monologue scene which directly addresses themes of life, death, legacy, consequence, and meaninglessness. It puts across the haunting idea that whatever we do in life will ultimately be forgotten, no legacy, no meaning, no consequence. I've seen many people saying this is too on the nose, that the film is being too direct with its message and that it's out of place. This was my thought when I first watched the film but I've since encountered a theory which completely flipped my opinion.

The depressing monologue is not what the movie believes, it spends its third act disproving it. I believe the movie has a thesis, antithesis, synthesis structure with the monologue being the antithesis. I think the message of the movie is that our life does have meaning, the connections we make are important and our actions matter because of the impact they make in the present not how they will be remembered in the far future. Lowery states he doesn't agree with the monologue and that the movie argues against it. A Ghost Story gives a more open-ended, hopeful outlook on life and the afterlife. In fact, Lowery says right here that A Ghost Story is meant to be a comforting film.

In a Q&A, Lowery talks about how personal this film is to him, he put himself into it - all his fears, experiences, and worries. The themes of meaninglessness and consequence were on his mind before and during production on this film. I think A Ghost Story reflects his headspace at that time. The shouty, obnoxious monologue represents a thought that I'm sure everyone has had at some point in their lives, one that was troubling Lowery. The third act of the film goes onto give an alternative, more pleasant conclusion, the same one Lowery came to.

The third complaint I've seen others have of A Ghost Story is that it doesn't go far enough into the future. I don't think showing a future in which humans don't exist (or anything beyond that) would be beneficial. It's best to leave these questions unanswered as to not conflict with anyone’s religious beliefs, keeping the film relevant to any viewer. The film does have a cute alternative explanation for being haunted by a ghost which, along with some ghost subtitles, make for some humorous scenes, giving relief from the heavy subjects.

In the end, it comes back to the ghost finally getting that piece of paper out of the wall. What is wrote on the paper in completely left open to interpretation, like other subjects in the film. Ultimately, it doesn't matter, this scene shows the ghost finally being able to move on, this is what frees him from the 'limbo' state he is in as it the only thing left tying him to the past and that location.

On top of elegantly handling some huge topics in such a beautiful way, the film is beautiful from a technical standpoint. It is visually mesmerizing with gorgeous cinematography and flawless editing. I love the 4:3 aspect ratio with rounded edges giving a limited, claustrophobic perspective similar to how the ghost would have. This aspect ratio also has a nostalgic feel to it giving a personal feeling which works really well. The actors manage to portray so much emotion with limited dialogue. The characters and their relationship are so believable and developed in such a short time. The great soundtrack also deserves a mention, particularly the song from the trailer 'I Get Overwhelmed' which matches the tone of the film extremely well.

A Ghost Story hit me hard, left me completely speechless in the most bittersweet way. Lowery had complete artistic freedom and it is apparent, he was able to create his original vision the way he wanted. I'm sure A Ghost Story will mean different things to different people depending upon the interpretation but there is no denying that it is a unique, thought-provoking, personal experience. This is a beautiful, emotional film, possibly my favourite of all time. A masterpiece.