Ghost World

I guess different people can extract different meanings from GHOST WORLD and all nail exactly why it was made. For me, it was the chronicle of that small group of people who don't, and probably never will, quite fit into this world. They're here on the fringes though, just existing in their own parallel universe, or their own "ghost world." Though it sounds depressing, this film is hardly a downer, it's full of humor, satire and acute observations on life. The overall production is excellent (the brightness and colors in the photography, costumes and sets is stunning)... plus it pulls off the impossible by successfully steering toward dead-on seriousness near the conclusion to drive it's point across.

It begins at graduation with Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson), two very perceptive high school outcasts who see right through the facade of their juvenile peers and want nothing to do with it. For Rebecca this self-ostracizing is just a passing phasing, but for Enid you get the strong impression this is going to always be her way of life. It's not that she doesn't get it, it's that she's doesn't understand IT or people or the games of life. There's a brief emotional turning point for Enid when a cruel practical joke backfires and she becomes involved with the target, the nerdy and very sardonic Seymour (Steve Buscemi), who may just be the kindred spirit Enid was looking for. The shared scenes between Enid and Seymour, though doomed to take a bad turn, are handled with tenderness by the director and actors and are quite memorable and touching.

Highlights are an excellent scene in a blues club that just about nails the American outlook on life and our lack of reverence and the ones in Enid's remedial art class, with the most misguided and pretentious teacher (Illeana Douglas) you could imagine. The girls are wonderful, and Steve Buscemi was unfairly overlooked at awards time (big shocker). Anyway, he's never been this good before. The fact this premise, these ideas and these original and interesting characters came from a comic book makes me realize I've completely overlooked the artistic possibilities within that medium.

Two female high school grads plan to get jobs and hang together, but bonds become frayed and paths separate after one of the girls ends up on an unintended journey of self-discovery. From the comic-book which takes a perverse delight in celebrating the geeky side of all of us, "Ghost World" is profane and cynical, but also surprisingly blithe and bright. I rather enjoyed it but realize it's not for every taste. Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson are incredibly rich and vivid in their roles (low-keyed, deadpan, but not blanks); their love-hate friendship is convincing and blessedly free of melodramatics--even they seem to cherish the personality conflicts that come up, it may give them more ammunition. As for the ending, I'm not sure whether it is ingenious or a cop-out, but it did leave me touched (in a bemused, nostalgic way). A movie with much to offer. *** from ****

If on day you ever wondered where it all started for Scarlett Johansson in film, before her regular Oscar nods and the well-established Marcel hero Black Widow, the archives would take you to North, a 1994 comedy-drama starring Elijah Wood, but one of her first leading roles was in Ghost World alongside Thora Birch - two late teens at the time, they rocked in Terry Zwigoff's production, proving a significant indication of what's to come for both actors in.

The story of neo-cool Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson) who, faced with graduation from high school, take a hard look at the world they wryly observe and decide what they really want. When Enid takes an interest in the offbeat Seymour (Steve Buscemi) and Rebecca focuses her attention on their mutual romantic fixation Josh (Brad Renfro), the girls' friendship is forever changed.

An eerie tone echoed through the narrative as we seemingly await the big punchline breakthrough which explodes to heighten the tension and develop the storyline, however, the film cleverly probes and anticipates its audience into a spiral of uncertainty and doubt. Adapted from the novel of the same name, Zwigoff ensures that the storybook feel is still present and acts as an enticing mechanism to achieving the act of conveying the movie's key message.

The idea of casting Steve Buscemi is genius, providing contrasts to the two protagonists, his character is ageing and lonesome, in light of the two youthful best friends the three bond in an unlikely fashion, though musical references in a time of prevalent anthems of the early 2000s / late 90s is a relatable, appropriate feature of the pictures excellence.

Ghost World is an ambiguous watch, which will leave you questioning the realms of fantasy and reality, an immersive, thrilling watch perfect for indulging away from the sameness of everyday life.

"Ghost World" is not a film for everyone. Its characters are certainly unusual but not necessarily crowd-pleasers. It also features a vague ending...something which most film viewers would not appreciate.

Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson) just graduated from high school. However, they are far from the typical 17-18 year-olds. In many ways, they are like hipster versions of Daria (from the wonderful cartoon series)...but with a darker, nastier edge to them. They don't fit in with those around them and seem to enjoy giggling among themselves about how stupid and ridiculous everyone else is. However, through the course of the film, these two sullen young ladies who try very hard not to care find themselves caring. Rebecca finds a job and Enid invests her energy in a social outcast, Seymour (Steve Buscemi). All the while, their own relationship with each other becomes strained...mostly because their lives now are taking different directions.

This film features some truly terrific acting. While Scarlett Johansson went on to great fame, the real stand out in this one is Thora Birch...who since has had a respectable but much more low profile career in pictures. The script also is very nice, with some interesting characters. I particularly thought the art teacher (Illeana Douglass) was fascinating...mostly because she was so very, very monumentally flawed as a human being. But it also suffers a bit because it's so very hard to care about these young ladies...at least until much later in the film. It would be easy to dislike them and just turn off the picture...which would be a mistake. A challenging and odd film...but worth seeing if you are patient and are looking for something different.

Movies that criticise the world can fall into many traps, leaving the viewer to feel jaded by the film's experience. Ghost World's witty appraisal of 'America' successfully avoids being childishly caustic or self-important and thus emerges as one of the best films of 2001. We sympathise with Enid (the luscious Thora Birch) without being expected to completely believe that her cynical world-view is necessarily the right one. Enid's (and her best-friend Rebecca's)negativity is turned on all around them, and their obsessive need to be cool but on their own terms sees them take post-modernism to its absurd conclusion.

Enid's bizarre costume choices mean that she stands out from the rest of her baggy-panted generation, and in one scene is infuriated that no-one, even Rebecca, understands her 'original 1977 punk look' she's testing out.

The fact that we should not fully empathise with Enid is shown by the contrasting character arc of Rebecca. There is a definite sense that she grows up over the course of the movie, but not in a "what have we learned about life" Disney way. Perhaps she has sold out to the conservative ideals that seemed so repulsive to them at the beginning of the movie, but just as Enid ultimately fulfils her desires, so does Becky live out her 'seventh grade fantasy'. The important thing is not the choices people make, but whether they make choices with which they are happy.

The movie's main targets are people who betray themselves in an effort to fit in, and their resulting stupidity by doing so. But the people who have remained true to their values (like Steve Buscemi's Seymour, in a performance that should have been at least nominated for an Academy Award), are portrayed as leading equally vacuous lives. Seymour's infrequent attempts to achieve 'normality' are galling for us to observe, and near soul-destroying for him to experience.

This is an excellent movie. Thora Birch gives her most confident performance to date, and Scarlett Johansson is superbly laconic as Enid's icy side-kick. The supporting cast all shine. Strongly recommended!