--- title: "A Ghost Story: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/a-ghost-story/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/a-ghost-story" critics_score: 81 critics_reviews: 27 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # A Ghost Story (2017): what the critics said Critics' score 81 from 27 reviews: 26 positive, 0 mixed, 1 negative. The consensus on A Ghost Story is strongly positive: most critics find Lowery’s slow, spare treatment of grief affecting, with sadness taking precedence over scares. Praise clusters around the sustained shots, the editing’s handling of time and the expressive possibilities of a ghost beneath a sheet. Mara’s stillness and the lengthy pie-eating scene draw particular attention for making bereavement painfully tangible. Several reviews also credit the music with deepening the sense of loneliness without overwhelming the quiet filmmaking. Reservations centre on the patience required by the long takes, the minimal drama and the solemnity. Most critics accept these demands, though enthusiasm varies considerably. Vulture finds the film pretentious but lovable, while Slant Magazine supplies the lone negative verdict, rejecting the long-take style as empty imitation and objecting to its treatment of minority characters. The divide is chiefly over whether the sparse storytelling earns its emotional weight. ## Little White Lies — Adam Woodward Rating 3/5/4. 8 August 2017. An elegant slow-burner and one of the year’s most original films, it rewards patience with its meditation on time and loss. The unbroken five-minute pie-eating scene is singled out as mesmerising and devastating. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/a-ghost-story) ## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 6 July 2017. The spare, precise film is a simple, wrenching story of love and loss that opens a window onto eternity through patient observation of grief and solitude. It maintains sincerity and poignancy even in its idiosyncratic, slow-moving approach to the haunted-house premise. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-ghost-story-review-20170706-story.html) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 22 January 2017. Festival review. A small, simple story told with exquisite precision and control that overflows with feeling and grace. It strips away spectacle to focus on the pain of loss through its naturalistic treatment and resonant performances. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/a-ghost-story-sundance-review/5113969.article) ## Sight and Sound — Roger Clarke Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 8 August 2017. Lowery's risk-taking film is a beautifully crafted lyrical exploration of grief and loss. The central absurdist image of the sheet-draped ghost works gracefully on every level. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/film-week-ghost-story-explores-delirium-grief) ## The New Yorker — Richard Brody Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 11 July 2017. Lowery's film is a quietly grand romantic mystery and metaphysical vision of love, distinguished by its wildly inventive yet controlled handling of cinematic elements like time, space, and silence. Its audacious originality and sensuous splendor make it a supreme justification of the soul's existence. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/the-wildly-original-hauntings-of-a-ghost-story) ## The New York Times — A.O. Scott Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 5 July 2017. The film is an ingenious and affecting story that considers whether the dead have feelings too, focusing on a ghost's experience after his sudden death. It succeeds through fresh, inventive craft despite its literary ambitions, delivering a tour de force of sensation. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/05/movies/review-a-ghost-story.html) ## Evening Standard — Demetrios Matheou Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 15 November 2017. Lowery delivers a mysterious, poignant and profound left-field marvel about love, grief and the passage of time that succeeds despite its absurd central image. The performances, especially Mara’s expressive stillness in grief, and the original execution are singled out for praise. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/a-ghost-story-film-review-spirit-in-a-sheet-is-no-laughing-matter-a3682336.html) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 10 August 2017. The film is an audacious and affecting meditation on love, loss and letting go, haunted more by sadness than fear. It features a piercingly strange exploration of grief and the passage of time beyond individual lives. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/aug/10/a-ghost-story-review-rooney-mara-casey-affleck-david-lowery) ## Time Out — Joshua Rothkopf Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 7 August 2017. Hypnotically beautiful and strange, the film explores supernatural sadness more deeply than any thriller through its cosmic scope and slow pace. The ghost’s remarkably expressive presence and Mara’s long-take pie scene stand out. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/a-ghost-story) ## Empire — Phil de Semlyen Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 1 August 2017. Lowery has crafted a highly unusual, emotionally shattering existential fable unlike anything else, with gentle ruminations on death, mourning and time that cast a powerful spell. The languorous pacing, long takes and vast yet intimate scope are noted as both challenging and rewarding. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/ghost-story-review/) ## Radio Times — Emma Simmonds Rating 4/5. An unapologetically solemn and contemplative supernatural drama that feels all its own, soulfully scored and haunting. It combines Malick-like fluidity with eccentric atmosphere in its tale of a sheet-clad ghost’s lonely existence. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-elr31g/a-ghost-story/) ## The i Paper — Matthew Turner Rating ★★★★. 11 August 2017. This is a profoundly moving, haunting and beautiful film that powerfully explores grief and time through its simple tale rather than cheap scares. The long takes, contemplative atmosphere and emotional impact, including a standout pie-eating scene, are highlighted. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/a-ghost-story-review-haunting-beautiful-84266) ## The Times — Edward Porter Rating ★★★★. 13 August 2017. The film is a thoughtful tale confronting the transience of human life, with years passing as the house endures various residents. It offers a beguiling bittersweet wallow with precise absurdity in the ghost's appearance. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/film-review-a-ghost-story-and-atomic-blonde-2p6hs5cpz) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 22 January 2017. Festival review. The critic calls it a strange and beguiling poetic meditation on time, memory, and spiritual connection that is true to its title. They single out the power of the simple sheet-clad ghost image and the film's unexpected poignancy in its final scenes. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/a-ghost-story-review-965994/) ## The Independent Rating ★★★☆☆. 10 August 2017. The film is a quiet, reflective supernatural meditation on life, love and bereavement rather than a conventional horror or romantic ghost story. Its oblique, still style and lyrical images gradually cast a gentle spell despite the minimal drama. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/film-reviews-roundup-a-ghost-story-annabelle-creation-atomic-blonde-step-the-nut-job-2-a7886516.html) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 7 July 2017. The critic finds the film pretentious but lovable overall, with its arty ellipses and high sentimentality. They single out the indelible image of the ghost under the sheet and Lowery's lyricism in evoking the passage of time. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2017/07/a-ghost-story-movie-review-pretentious-but-lovable.html) ## Slant Magazine — Sam C. Mac Rating 1/4. 2 July 2017. The critic dismisses it as an empty exercise in imitative long-take aestheticism with no fleshed-out meaning or dramatic incident. They single out the silly visual gag of the sheet ghost and offensive tangents involving minorities. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/a-ghost-story/) ## HeyUGuys — Scott Davis Rating 5/5. 4 June 2017. Festival review. The critic describes the film as staggering and breathtaking, a rarity from Sundance that rewards patience despite subverting horror expectations. They highlight its emotional and visual impact as a ghost story about love, loss, and time. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/a-ghost-story-review/) ## /Film — Ethan Anderton Rating 9/10. 23 January 2017. Festival review. The critic calls it a challenging, breathtaking independent film and a rumination on mortality, legacy, and time. They single out the mesmerizing, lengthy pie-eating scene and the haunting score for praise. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/548860/a-ghost-story-review/) ## The Playlist — Kevin Jagernauth Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 22 January 2017. Festival review. The critic finds it an odd, experimental, and mesmerizing tale unafraid of silences and inaction, praising its grand vision on legacy and impressions left on others, with the house as a key character and a standout monologue on permanence. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/ghost-story-starring-rooney-mara-casey-affleck-weaves-mesmerizing-fascinating-tale-sundance-review-20170122/) ## The Ringer — Adam Nayman Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 11 July 2017. The critic calls it a profound rumination on loneliness, loss, and time that moves simultaneously in slow motion and hyperspeed, turning a standard runtime into a version of eternity. They single out the real-time pie-eating scene as a pivotal moment testing viewer patience and the film's reversal of supernatural tropes to emphasize isolation and the out-of-body sensation of life passing. [Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2017/07/11/pop-culture/a-ghost-story-movie-rooney-mara-review-204b969cf8bf) ## The Wrap — Steve Pond Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 6 July 2017. Festival review. The critic praises the film's ability to evoke deep emotion from a simple, seemingly comic premise of a ghost in a sheet, highlighting its graceful and beautiful portrayal of loss and acceptance. They single out the stillness of the cinematography and the evocative music for praise. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/a-ghost-story-sundance-review-casey-affleck-rooney-mara/) ## Collider — Matt Goldberg Rating B+. 6 July 2017. The critic finds the film deeply sad, melancholy, and somber yet constantly fascinating, respecting its minimalist narrative and ambition even if unsure about enjoying it. They single out the inventive, tragic storytelling and the bold choice to deprive Affleck of typical acting tools after his transformation into the ghost. [Read the review](https://collider.com/a-ghost-story-movie-review/) ## Consequence Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 3 July 2017. Festival review. The critic describes the near-wordless feature as a beautiful, quiet, delicate meditation on grief, loss, and time that lingers with clarity and grace. They single out the sustained shots, elliptical storytelling, and the way Lowery manipulates time through editing to explore the erosion of humanity and meaning in what we leave behind. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2017/07/film-review-a-ghost-story/) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 10 July 2017. The critic describes it as a hypnotic meditation on life, love, loss, and grief, commending the minimalist filmmaking and the performances, especially Mara's expression of grief. They note its personal and atmospheric quality. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2017/07/a-ghost-story-review-casey-affleck-rooney-mara-video-1202126090/) ## Den of Geek — Jules-Pierre Malartre Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 11 August 2017. The critic praises the film's unique blend of drama and the supernatural as a moving exploration of love, loss and time, noting its slow pacing and the effective sheet ghost will not suit everyone but strongly recommends seeing it. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/a-ghost-story-review-2/) ## The Skinny — Josh Slater-Williams Rating ★★★★. 21 July 2017. The critic describes it as a spellbinding exploration of the passage of time, blending ghost fiction with influences like Under the Skin and 2001 in an intimate format, and notes it is rewarding though hard to fully grasp on one viewing. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/a-ghost-story-casey-affleck-rooney-mara) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/a-ghost-story.md