Ghost follows Tony Ward, who has just gotten out of prison after ten years. He meets up with his son Connor, who is now a young man living on his own and supporting himself. As he tries to connect with his son, there's an understanding that the past that landed Tony in jail may be catching up with him now that he's out. What that past is, we're not sure. As the day goes on, we see the father and son trying to catch up, but not exactly knowing how to do that given the circumstances of their relationship--and the son also had issues in his own life that he needs to deal with, so these strained interactions with his father aren't helping. The question is, will they get the chance to work all of that out before Tony's past comes knocking.
This was an intense ride. Even when it wasn't supposed to be intense, we could feel the tension lurking in the background so we could never fully relax. There were a lot of long takes as well, which may have been a result of this being shot on an iPhone, but also meant that it was asking a lot of the actors involved, and they all delivered. At the same time, the relationship between Tony and his son Connor felt authentic--as authentic as it could feel when the father has been in prison for 10 years--and that relationship anchored the entire thing to make it all work. I just thought this was good all around.
I was amazed in watching this that it was all shot on an iPhone. When I think of iPhone videos, I think of something handheld that might be bouncing up and down, but this looked like a modern digital movie. We didn't just have still shots either, there were times when the characters were walking and the camera tracked behind them, and you'd never know the difference. I think that's important for people to keep in mind, because the IMDb description mentions that this was shot on an iPhone, and while this was made on a tight budget, it wasn't a home movie, this is a professionally made film that fully looks and feels the part.
As I mentioned above, there were some great long takes in this, the kind of thing that if it were De Niro in a Scorsese film or Fassbender in a McQueen film, we'd be all over how great it is, so the fact that it happens here I think should be equally applauded. There were a few with Tony (played by Anthony Mark Streeter) and Connor (Nathan Hamilton) where I'd watch and think "they haven't cut at all, this conversation is all in one take!" The same way the actors would have to really trust the director's vision when they hear the film is being shot on an iPhone, the director really has to trust his or her actors to be able nail takes like that, and it felt like that symbiosis between director and actors came through in the finished product, which did a lot to make this whole thing work.
The dynamic of the father and son came off really well. In one scene, Tony needs a place to change into the suit he's picked up at a charity shop, and he needs to rely on his son for this, which is the opposite from how it's supposed to work--the parent is supposed to provide the shelter for the child. In other parts, they're almost more like friends than parent and child as they work out the complexities and awkwardness of this unnatural situation they've been placed in by society. The struggle comes through in Connor wanting a father, but also having been used to not having a father for so long. He doesn't want to be told what to do, but he wants someone to take care of him and give him advice. It's something that worked so well that the movie could have just been that, but we have the Chekhov's Gun that was Tony's past looming the entire time that needed dealing with as well.
People hear me complain a lot about how much action a movie has, and may see this and think "why aren't you mad at this movie for not having a lot of action?" I consider action to be a lot of things, whether it's car chases and explosions in an action film, kills in a horror, or jokes in a comedy, the action can take on many forms. The key is, the film can't be spinning its wheels. The thing is, it's harder to pull of in the context of a drama than it is in an action film or a horror film, which is why I get on those films more--like just blow something up! What made this so remarkable, was there was plenty of action, but again, it was done in a the context of a drama, often in long-take scenes. At the same time, there's a sense that all of this has been set on the stove, and someone is turning the heat up slowly until we reach a boiling point, so that when the kettle goes off it's shocking. This had a lot more action in it than an action film that blows up a few cars and then has nothing happen in between.
On that note, that's is a good place to leave this. I believe it's currently available in the UK, and then in the US we should be able to get it on Prime on July 10th. Using your clicks and your streams to boost a film like this in the algorithms is not only a great way to support indie films, but I think you'll really like this as well, so you'll be entertained while you do your good deed.
For more info: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10244008
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