Part of Midnight Movies
Terry Zwigoff’s first fiction film, adapted from a cult-classic comic by Daniel Clowes, is an idiosyncratic portrait of adolescent alienation that is at once bleakly funny and wholly endearing. Set during the malaise-filled months following high-school graduation, the film follows the proud misfit Enid (Thora Birch), who confronts an uncertain future amid the cultural wasteland of consumerist America. As her cynicism becomes too much to bear even for her best friend, Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson), Enid finds herself drawn to an unlikely kindred spirit: a sad-sack record collector many years her senior (Steve Buscemi). With its parade of oddball characters, quotable, Oscar-nominated script, and eclectic soundtrack of vintage obscurities, GHOST WORLD is one of the 21stt century’s most fiercely beloved comedies. (Synopsis courtesy of Criterion Collection)
“See it for Birch's hostile stare and Johansson's devastating monotone.” —David Denby, New Yorker “Offers an exquisite tour of the twilight zone between high school and the so-called real world, as well as between bohemian subculture and the even stranger culture of America at large.” —Andrew O’Hehir, Salon
