I Am a Ghost

I'm a fan of paranormal and ghost movies. I Am a Ghost felt "new", a unique voice standing apart from other films. I had no idea what to expect and I wasn't disappointed. It lingered with me for days. I don't want to give anything away, but the movie provides a slow moody build up before unfolding its mystery. I want to watch it again to catch clues. Initially, you watch the main character Emily go through daily, mundane routines at home, and there is repetitiveness in order to illustrate an important point. Throughout these daytime scenes, you quickly realize that something is awry. There were some truly scary parts. The main character is living in this creepy, out-of-time, old house. Even in daylight, the house manages to feel oppressive and terrifying.

While the vast majority of Hollywood movies are made on a budget of millions, an amount of money I can't even fathom seeing over the course of my life, the budget for I Am a Ghost couldn't even afford you a decent used car. While this doesn't excuse a boring picture, it seems amiss to not at least consider when judging the success of the film. So it does occasionally look cheap, especially in the effects of the eventual "monster" and for some reason the obvious wig that near solo actress Anna Ishida wears throughout. It also greatly overplays it's hand at repeating various scenes. While I understand this is a plot device used to show the redundancy of the ghost's rituals, one can't help but wonder if the filmmakers leaned into this to pad out an already lean run-time to feature film length.

Otherwise, the movie does succeed beyond it's limitations. There's a clever premise at the core, flipping a haunted house movie to the ghost's perspective, which I can't say I've seen explored much before. Anna Ishida does a bang up job expressing the confusion of the situation. There's a pleasant, Lynchian abstraction that floats around the movie, and even the aforementioned repetitive editing does effectively convey how the fabric of reality has broken down. This is all the more impressive when you realize what they were working with and makes it easy to forgive many of the film's shortcomings.

I Am a Ghost (2012) is a movie I watched for free off Amazon Prime last week. The storyline focuses on a woman, Emily, who is a ghost that gets randomly contacted by a clairvoyant who is trying to release her as a spirit within a house. To convince Emily she is indeed a ghost and walk her through how to leave the house the clairvoyant will need to walk Emily through her death, her life that led to her death and help her overcome her inner demon(s). This movie is directed by H. P. Mendoza (Rodents of Unusual Size) and stars Anna Ishida (Bitter Melon). The storyline for this picture is actually pretty interesting and a unique take on the poltergeist genre. The movie dragged during some parts in the middle but I really enjoyed the ending and how the pieces/parts came together. I strongly recommend watching this if you're looking for something different. I'd give it a 7/10.

There have been an undeniable amount of ghost pictures in our history. But only a teaspoon of them can make you sit back and question yourself on what might actually happens when we die.

Presented in a very original and artistic screen with some stunning visuals and shots, we follow the story of Emily (Anna Ishida) in what is a long opening act as she goes about her day. Now, this will put most people off but, bare with it, as everything that happens during the entirety of the film is apparent and necessary. 99% of the picture is carried by Anna Ishida. A very small cast is used here and that makes for an excellent ghost film.

One of the key points about 'I am A Ghost',that ANY film enthusiast will feel comforted by is this, 'I am A Ghost' doesn't treat you like a moron. Many films similar to, or just plain complicated will retract back to earlier scenes to tell you, 'Hey, dumb ass, remember this bit? Yeah, this bit means that bit. Okey carry on watching I'll be back to remind you again in 3 minutes'. Everything compiles into a well structured plot that even if you feel lost part way, will eventually be clicking your fingers saying, "Oh Blimey! That's what that was".

Now why didn't I give this a whopping 10/10? In truth, the opening act is long and repetitive, even if it is key, it still feels like a fist- in-cheek 'chop chop hurry up' moment. Next, is some of the effects used are poor and feel a little bit silly for a picture that is so good, but aside that, the plot keeps it strong.

Now, notice how I am not saying an entire amount about this picture? Well the plot that floats about and even on this site explains more than enough. And I quote~ (*If you refuse to read the plot on this site, skip to the next paragraph, if you don't give two-damns, please, continue reading as I detest spoilers more than anything on this floating rock we call Earth!*)~~ 'Emily is a troubled spirit. 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'.~~ End Quote So to say more than that is more than enough and even that itself is far too much information!

Conclusion. This is a smart, gorgeous, underrated must see! This shall be placed high on the shelf along side The Others, Sixth Sense and Martyrs. A single actor throughout most (if not all) the film. Wonderfully directed by H.P Mendoza, showing off his style by not filming what is not needed, then giving us visual chocolate. An incredibly eerie and haunting soundtrack that fits into place like a Soul-mate (Oh I am scandalous!) And most of all, an ambiguous ending.

I'm going to open by saying, none of the positive reviews on this movie are "fluff reviews" they are genuine reviews by people who watched this movie and enjoyed it like I did. Now that that is out of the way, on to discussing the move at hand. I think my biggest enjoyment was getting to watch something original and not formulaic or that has already been done 100 times. Not that I'm against that, when a formula works, it works and you keep using it. It's just hard to find new creative ideas for movies this day in age and this movie has done just that. There is no twist in my opinion, this movie is very open and upfront about what it is. We the viewers are experiencing the "ghosts" side of the story as opposed to the living and "mediums" side which is how almost every other ghost story is told. I'm going to leave it at that because if that doesn't interest you enough to go watch this movie, then you probably wouldn't have liked it anyway. My only complaint really is the opening sequence gets a little mundane and could've been shortened and if time needed to be added to make to for that, we could've delved into the back story of the main character more, because they're are questions that get brought up, but never answered. One big question that is brought up though, but not verbally answered I feel is answered by the movies scenery, props, and the main characters attire. The ending is left a little open but I think if you sit back and take a little time to think about it, you can come to your own solid conclusion of what happened. That being said, I think that's why the director took the ending in that direction. In closing, I felt I need to write a review about this movie due to the not so intelligent people leaving negative reviews about not understanding what this movie is about and making false accusations against the positive reviews left about this movie. Currently, it is available for free, with ads, on vudu. So go watch it