Ghost World

For a few weeks, the daily life of Rebecca and Enid, two teenagers who spend their time complaining and pesting, with a decided opinion on almost everything, without any diplomatic filter. One could almost think they were educated in France, at least partially. Thus, following their 4381st perfidy of the week, they meet Seymour, a lonely middle-aged music aficionado. Surprisingly, in contact with Seymour, Enid discovers the concept of benevolence. Despite the 25-year gap, they seem connected with real affinities. In fact, the film takes place at a time when Rebecca and Enid have just graduated from high school, and what seemed to be gratuitous malice is probably more an uncontrolled anger based on the fear of leaving their adolescence to join a world they hardly appreciate: the adult society. They fear to grow up and move on. In a way, Seymour was a transition or a key milestone for Enid: the perfect guy, at the perfect time. Thanks to Seymour, Enid has matured and learned to live differently, with a significantly more open mind. The world does not revolves anymore around herself: she is now part of it. Time to take a bus to discover it! Like Jules Winnfield said during the coffee shop conversation, within Pulp Fiction (1994), she's now gonna walk the earth from town to town, meet people, get in adventures.

The movie is complex, smart and well constructed. And the cast is globally awesome, with a special mention to Steve Buscemi, Thora Birch and Illeana Douglas.

"We graduated from high school. How totally amazing", says a sarcastic Enid Coleslaw (Thora Birch, in the best performance of her career), at the beginning of "Ghost World". Enid and her best friend, Rebecca (a 15 year-old Scarlett Johansson) discuss how much they longed for their graduation day, and when it finally came, it wasn't as cheerful as they were expecting. While Rebecca finds a job and tries to move on, Enid doesn't know what to do with her life and spends most of her time with Seymour (Steve Buscemi, playing the most humane variation of all the 'losers' he's been playing his whole life, and that's why he's so great at it), a lonely older man whose biggest pleasure is collecting rare, old records.

The more I watch "Ghost World", the more I like it. This is a very special, really beautiful film, that speaks to the heart. It's both hilarious (really one of the funniest films I've ever seen - Enid's yard sale, her first day of work at a movie theater, just to name a couple of favourite scenes, crack me up every time) and moving, with a bittersweet feel to it that's underlined by David Kitay's musical theme. Terry Zwigoff's ("Crumb") script, co-written by Daniel Clowes based on his own comic books, has a remarkable respect for its characters, most of them adorable and pathetic at once - including Josh (Brad Renfro), a boy Enid and Rebecca love to mess around with. One week ago, when I was re-watching this movie with some friends who had never seen it, we commented on how miserable Josh is - and how sad it was to hear about Renfro's premature death a few days later.

If you ever felt lost in your own world, not knowing what do with your life, you're gonna relate to this film. The feeling I get from it is a little similar to THAT other film with Scarlett Johansson, the sublime "Lost in Translation". For me, any movie as sincere and well crafted as "Ghost World" and "Lost in Translation" is a classic, and deserves a spot on my all-time favourites' list. 10/10.

Ghost World is endearingly odd, a dryly funny satire of the awkward phase after high school and before adulthood. I greatly enjoyed it; my partner strongly disliked it, finding it awkwardand unfunny. It's certainly not a movie for everyone, and I suspect you'll know in the first half hour whether it's for you.

The movie is about Enid and Becky, two high school friends who seem to own the anti-cool clique and have no real plans for life after graduation other than to get an apartment together - though Enid has not officially graduated and needs to take a remedial art class in the summer in order to finish out her credits. (There's more than a passing resemblance to the Daria and Jane relationship, for those who remember that show.) Becky seems to be handling the transition better: she gets a job and picks out an apartment. Enid instead seems insistent on taking an apathetic, hipster approach towards everything and everyone, deeming it all so lame as to be unworthy of effort, other than her affection for Seymour, a dorky record collector many, many years her senior who has few friends and even fewer romantic prospects.

Without ever being in your face politically, Ghost World has great social commentary on art, relationships, and consumer culture. It's a weird movie, and you'll either love it or roll your eyes at it, but I hope it's the former.

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.

Terry Zwigoff has created an excellent parable about disaffected youth in "Ghost World". The character of Enid (memorably played by Thora Birch) is a sardonic iconoclast, and a bit of a hero to me. She has her own style, speaks her razor sharp mind, and truly doesn't care what people think about her. Picture a female, proactive version of Holden Caulfield. I desperately wish I were more like Enid when I was in high school.

Enid's partner in crime is Rebecca (Scarlett Johannson), who has one foot in the offbeat world Enid inhabits, and the other foot in the mainstream world Enid loathes. Rebecca's one of those types who never seem to mean what they're saying, not because of dishonesty, but because of lack of self-knowledge and security. When these two pals start to drift apart after they graduate from high school, Enid latches on to champion loser Seymour (Steve Buschemi, who seems to live for these kinds of roles), a devoted record collector. Through one long, seemingly uneventful summer, Enid takes a good look at the world around her, and a painful series of events force her to find her own place in it.

I adored this anti-"teen movie", and it was so refreshing to see a heroine who wasn't a blandly blonde, pool cue shaped cheerleader who spouted out adorable one-liners. Enid is a proud loner and rebel, who wears her crazy wardrobe and Truman Capote glasses with pride. Zwigoff never allows the movie to be Hollywood saccharine or indie film depressing. It's full of realistic, human characters we've all known at one time or another. I was further amazed by how true to life "Ghost World" is. Nothing in the film turns out the way you expect it to, but, really, isn't that just the same as life?