Ghost World

Haunting and Enriching

Cast: Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Buscemi

Director: Terry Zwigoff

Ghost World is really a two-hour short story, transported to screen. Enid (Birch) and Rebecca (Johansson) have graduated from high school, in a scene where we can see that they are the detached outsiders, too cynically intelligent to fit in with the rest of their peers. They decide to move in together, perhaps unwise as Rebecca seems a bit more determined to get on with her life. One day Enid answers a personal ad on a whim, just to see who may answer. It turns out to be Seymour (Buscemi), a rather sad loner who pours his curbed passion into record collecting. At first Enid strings him along, but we can see that they both are of the same type: a bit worn, a bit weary, and underneath hoping to connect with someone and afraid that they will.

This story certainly shies away from the predictable, which is very refreshing. We watch as these characters pull closer and share parts of themselves and their lives. Enid even tries to find a woman for Seymour, which pulls forth my most favorite line of any movie from him: “I don’t want to meet someone who shares my interests. I hate my interests.”

This is the type of movie to watch when you are feeling introspective, and wish to compare your life with something else. It is true to the characters and does not pull any punches, especially the ending, which fits perfectly with the entire tone.