The Ghost and the Writer: Hauntingly Sweet

By: burgundy bug

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The Ghost and the Writer promo

Source: The Ghost and the Writer | Christina Tucker

Witty and sweet, The Ghost and the Writer will warm your heart in just under 14-minutes.

The American short film The Ghost and the Writer premiered at the Media Theatre on Thursday night during the 12th annual Media Film Festival.

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Media Theatre

Souce: Media Theatre & The Ghost and the Writer: Hauntingly Sweet | Penelope Peru Photography P3 & The Burgundy Zine

Written and directed by Christina Tucker, the comedy stars Tristan Miller, a reclusive writer pestered by his roommate, Adler Roberts, a 20th-century ghost.

The short film is carried by the amusing banter between Miller and Roberts, highlighted by the cinematography and direction that play on the divide between the main characters.

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Stills from The Ghost and the Writer

Source: The Ghost and the Writer | Christina Tucker

Throughout the film, Miller is struggling to write a script, spending hours day after day engaged in a staring contest with the screen of his laptop (a strife any writer is all too familiar with).

Roberts encourages Miller to break free from the confining four walls of his bedroom and bounce his work off of his friends – perhaps even fellow writers.

Although Roberts’ intentions are as gold as his wavy locks, Miller inches closer and closer to his breaking point, insisting that his writing is not to be shared with others.

Tensions subside as the film draws to a close with the heartwarming dinner scene. While sitting on the couch with plates of rice, beans, and salad, Roberts’ expresses his concern over Miller’s lease on the apartment soon coming to an end.

Miller reassures Roberts that he will renew the lease because he’s comfortable there, but the smirk that paints itself across Robert’s face tells us they both know the real reason why Miller is renewing the lease; it’s not just the apartment Miller enjoys, but the roommate that comes with it.

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Dinner scene

Source: The Ghost and the Writer | Christina Tucker

The Ghost and the Writer is sweet, witty, and relatable. Regardless of whether you’re a writer or not, everyone has been subject to creative droughts.

The dynamic between the main characters is a fantastic depiction of writer’s block, much to the director’s intent.

“My goal first and foremost was to impart, utilizing supernatural elements in a poetic way, the feeling of depression and frustration that accompanied my first summer after graduating from college,” Tucker wrote in an official statement about the short film. “It was a period of time rife with feelings of stagnation and lack of direction. I felt the need to create but had no sense of connection or inspiration, and thus retreated into isolation and wallowed in these negative feelings.”

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Tristan Miller in The Ghost and the Writer

Source: The Ghost and the Writer: Hauntingly Sweet | The Burgundy Zine

Of the ten independent short films presented during the first night of the Media Film Festival, The Ghost and the Writer was a personal favorite as well as a favorite among members of the audience.

“The Ghost and the Writer was my favorite – I just found it amusing,” said Sam Thompson, a young man accompanying Alexandrea Dykes, a local who has patronized the film festival since high school.

Although Dykes favorite film was Why We Fight, a short documentary about the impact of Sunoco’s Mariner East Pipeline on Delaware County residence, she agreed with Thompson.

“I mean, a good comedy’s a good comedy,” Dykes said. “Can’t argue that.”

Overall? I’d give The Ghost and the Writer four out of five writer’s blocks – it had a message and executed it excellently between the acting, direction, writing, and cinematography.

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The Ghost and the Writer

Source: The Ghost and the Writer: Hauntingly Sweet | The Burgundy Zine

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