(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“Emily, a troubled spirit, haunts her own house every day, wondering why she can't leave. With the help of Sylvia, a clairvoyant hired to rid the house of spirits, Emily is forced into a 'patient/therapist' relationship, uncovering disturbing mysteries about her past that may help her move on to 'the next place'.”
Like it or not, films are a conglomeration of good ideas and bad ideas.
Rarely does this confluence come together to produce the perfect experience both critically and commercially. Not all films are considered ones for the record book; and the general hope when undertaking any singular story is that all of the people brought together to produce the end result were ‘on the same page.’ Minimally, this gives the surviving picture the chance to then seek out and explore strange new audiences, delivering its message (or messages) in such a way as to endear those watching with some of the narrative pieces. However, the sad truth is that more films are forgotten than are ever truly remembered, so talent does need to work in sync – minimize those bad ideas and elevate the good ones – if they’re to have even a modest chance of being appreciated.
Of course, none of the above really even applies when if you’re talking about preaching to a niche audience; and that’s honestly the only hope an uneven spectral yarn like I Am A Ghost (2012) has. From what I’ve read, the film from writer/director H.P. Mendoza appears to have been assembled this little haunt as a traditional chiller, but the production has mostly been embraced by the trans community with its members largely seeing this tale somewhat quizzically as commenting on their unique lifestyle. Having seen it, I’m not entirely sure I’d concur with that statement; but – as I’m not transgender – perhaps I’m not qualified to speak on such particulars.
Sigh.
What I can say is that Ghost is a somewhat stupefyingly boring film.
Now, before all of you haters rise up and screech, let me remind you what I said above: flicks combine ideas both good and bad. Where I Am A Ghost fails is that there’s far too much weight given to what doesn’t work as opposed to those things that are, frankly, quite exceptional. Having written thousands of reviews over the years, I’m well aware that no reader wants to spend time parsing example after example of the triumphs over failures (and vice versa), so allow me to simply highlight a few of the reasons why Ghost missed where it should’ve struck chords and played like a symphony but didn’t.
Many, many times before I’ve harped on how some storytellers don’t have enough story to fill out, say, a two-hour production – certainly not enough to warrant the exploitation of resources involved – and that’s Ghost’s biggest sin. Even at its economical 76-minute running time, there just isn’t enough in here to keep viewers focused. Mendoza sets the stage with a seemingly endless series of choppy scenes, each and every one with broken endings to highlight things are amiss; and this goes on for far, far, far too long. In fact, an argument could be made that the first twenty minutes of the picture could’ve been trimmed to well under five minutes; and nothing would’ve been lost.
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“Emily, a troubled spirit, haunts her own house every day, wondering why she can't leave. With the help of Sylvia, a clairvoyant hired to rid the house of spirits, Emily is forced into a 'patient/therapist' relationship, uncovering disturbing mysteries about her past that may help her move on to 'the next place'.”
Like it or not, films are a conglomeration of good ideas and bad ideas.
Rarely does this confluence come together to produce the perfect experience both critically and commercially. Not all films are considered ones for the record book; and the general hope when undertaking any singular story is that all of the people brought together to produce the end result were ‘on the same page.’ Minimally, this gives the surviving picture the chance to then seek out and explore strange new audiences, delivering its message (or messages) in such a way as to endear those watching with some of the narrative pieces. However, the sad truth is that more films are forgotten than are ever truly remembered, so talent does need to work in sync – minimize those bad ideas and elevate the good ones – if they’re to have even a modest chance of being appreciated.
Of course, none of the above really even applies when if you’re talking about preaching to a niche audience; and that’s honestly the only hope an uneven spectral yarn like I Am A Ghost (2012) has. From what I’ve read, the film from writer/director H.P. Mendoza appears to have been assembled this little haunt as a traditional chiller, but the production has mostly been embraced by the trans community with its members largely seeing this tale somewhat quizzically as commenting on their unique lifestyle. Having seen it, I’m not entirely sure I’d concur with that statement; but – as I’m not transgender – perhaps I’m not qualified to speak on such particulars.
Sigh.
What I can say is that Ghost is a somewhat stupefyingly boring film.
Now, before all of you haters rise up and screech, let me remind you what I said above: flicks combine ideas both good and bad. Where I Am A Ghost fails is that there’s far too much weight given to what doesn’t work as opposed to those things that are, frankly, quite exceptional. Having written thousands of reviews over the years, I’m well aware that no reader wants to spend time parsing example after example of the triumphs over failures (and vice versa), so allow me to simply highlight a few of the reasons why Ghost missed where it should’ve struck chords and played like a symphony but didn’t.
Many, many times before I’ve harped on how some storytellers don’t have enough story to fill out, say, a two-hour production – certainly not enough to warrant the exploitation of resources involved – and that’s Ghost’s biggest sin. Even at its economical 76-minute running time, there just isn’t enough in here to keep viewers focused. Mendoza sets the stage with a seemingly endless series of choppy scenes, each and every one with broken endings to highlight things are amiss; and this goes on for far, far, far too long. In fact, an argument could be made that the first twenty minutes of the picture could’ve been trimmed to well under five minutes; and nothing would’ve been lost.
Again, this isn’t to suggest in any way that there wasn’t room for more story to be told. The point is that these small vignettes build a foundation perfectly fine as they are; and yet well after their purpose is served Mendoza keeps layering them on and on and on. Essentially, what’s happening here is that our lead character Emily (played by Anna Ishida) finds herself being ‘haunted’ by various loops of her existence – i.e. she’s the ghost reliving significant moments leading up to her demise – with some minor changes taking place in subsequent reels. Far too long after the audience is in on the idea, Mendoza kept reminding them; and such re-runs were exhaustively unnecessary.
Now, there is a bit more context to what we see and learn in these loops. As I said, minor changes happen here and there; and I suspect that Mendoza’s method to this madness was that Emily’s story as it unfolded had some details cleverly withheld. (We learn as much once the first twist takes place.) My problem remains that there just wasn’t enough story in this endless parade of reframing to warrant spinning them for as long as the director believed was necessary, and the loss of forward momentum kills the picture, mostly because that’s the only trick Mendoza uses even when the tale becomes more involved, so its effect has worn off.
However, Ghost’s biggest secret is that Emily discovers there is something more to her story – she’s not exactly trapped in here alone. Sylvia (Jeannie Barroga) is a medium who has been hired by the house’s owner (in the present day) to apparently cleanse the home of the wandering spirit; and it’s this development that really gives the film its greatest chance to shift directions. Our two actresses make the most of some key scenes because of Mendoza’s smart writing; and yet their exchanges eventually return back to the same old time loop format that hamstrung the production from finding its legs in the first place. Thankfully, Emily’s demon shows its face – and genitals, even – in the second half, giving the flick the chance to dabble in some interesting jump scares (if nothing else); but it’s far too late to really salvage what becomes little more than a paranormal identity crisis … one we’ve already known about (or suspected) since the film’s beginning.
Because I’m at heart a good guy, I will say that I don’t find it surprising in the slightest that the project has been a bit of a critical darling. I Am A Ghost is exactly the kind of entity that does well on the film festival circuit where it garners the attention of folks pushing social causes or celebrating niche storytelling to the delight of small groups. The trouble there is that – from my experience – those winners rarely translate to big box office or crowd acclaim. It’s a good effort, but it’s only going to be celebrated amongst those who live and die for such highbrow attention. Still, congrats to all involved.
I Am A Ghost (2012) was produced by Ersatz Films. DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been coordinated by the fine folks at Level 33 Entertainment. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I found the provided sights-and-sounds to be quite good throughout: there’s a bit of low-level visual trickery here and there, but it all works well enough to support the slim story. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? There are a few extras … and here’s the cautionary thing: when the extras are more interesting than the picture itself, then you can be sure this isn’t going to please everyone.
Alas, this one is hard to recommend.
I Am A Ghost favors filmmaking techniques over storytelling, trying to weave a rather simple affair with perpetual visual misdirection to the point of near absurdity. As a result, the audience is propelled into a macabre and uninteresting carnival attraction that’s seemingly unending even though they all know they’ll still be getting off safely when the ride stops. Because there just isn’t enough story to bear the weight of these experiences, Mendoza’s point could easily have been made in a much shorter flick – maybe 30 minutes – as opposed to what feels wasted here.
In the interest of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Level 33 Entertainment provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray of I Am A Ghost (2012) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
Now, there is a bit more context to what we see and learn in these loops. As I said, minor changes happen here and there; and I suspect that Mendoza’s method to this madness was that Emily’s story as it unfolded had some details cleverly withheld. (We learn as much once the first twist takes place.) My problem remains that there just wasn’t enough story in this endless parade of reframing to warrant spinning them for as long as the director believed was necessary, and the loss of forward momentum kills the picture, mostly because that’s the only trick Mendoza uses even when the tale becomes more involved, so its effect has worn off.
However, Ghost’s biggest secret is that Emily discovers there is something more to her story – she’s not exactly trapped in here alone. Sylvia (Jeannie Barroga) is a medium who has been hired by the house’s owner (in the present day) to apparently cleanse the home of the wandering spirit; and it’s this development that really gives the film its greatest chance to shift directions. Our two actresses make the most of some key scenes because of Mendoza’s smart writing; and yet their exchanges eventually return back to the same old time loop format that hamstrung the production from finding its legs in the first place. Thankfully, Emily’s demon shows its face – and genitals, even – in the second half, giving the flick the chance to dabble in some interesting jump scares (if nothing else); but it’s far too late to really salvage what becomes little more than a paranormal identity crisis … one we’ve already known about (or suspected) since the film’s beginning.
Because I’m at heart a good guy, I will say that I don’t find it surprising in the slightest that the project has been a bit of a critical darling. I Am A Ghost is exactly the kind of entity that does well on the film festival circuit where it garners the attention of folks pushing social causes or celebrating niche storytelling to the delight of small groups. The trouble there is that – from my experience – those winners rarely translate to big box office or crowd acclaim. It’s a good effort, but it’s only going to be celebrated amongst those who live and die for such highbrow attention. Still, congrats to all involved.
I Am A Ghost (2012) was produced by Ersatz Films. DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been coordinated by the fine folks at Level 33 Entertainment. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I found the provided sights-and-sounds to be quite good throughout: there’s a bit of low-level visual trickery here and there, but it all works well enough to support the slim story. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? There are a few extras … and here’s the cautionary thing: when the extras are more interesting than the picture itself, then you can be sure this isn’t going to please everyone.
Alas, this one is hard to recommend.
I Am A Ghost favors filmmaking techniques over storytelling, trying to weave a rather simple affair with perpetual visual misdirection to the point of near absurdity. As a result, the audience is propelled into a macabre and uninteresting carnival attraction that’s seemingly unending even though they all know they’ll still be getting off safely when the ride stops. Because there just isn’t enough story to bear the weight of these experiences, Mendoza’s point could easily have been made in a much shorter flick – maybe 30 minutes – as opposed to what feels wasted here.
In the interest of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Level 33 Entertainment provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray of I Am A Ghost (2012) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
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