So, I didn't really know anything about La Mirada Film Festival, apart from a very misleading and pretentious trailer that was shown before every film at Nova for about month. But even though the trailer wasn't very enticing, I thought I'd check out the program. Partly because Pedro Almodovar is co-programmer, and partly because from my experience with film festivals (particularly the Russian one) I've learnt that there is always one little mainstream oddity that finds its way into the festival amid all the other serious drama and arthouse fair. I think I found the oddity of La Mirada, and the bad news is that the festival has already passed and you can't see it on the big screen anymore. The good news is that it is excellent.
Ghost Graduation follows Modesto (Raúl Arévalo), a school teacher who has the unusual ability to see and interact with ghosts, something which he views more as a curse since it interferes with his everday life, causing him to be fired from every school in his area. When he arrives at the prestigious school Monforte, he finds that it is haunted by five dead highschoolers, bad boy Dani (Alex Maruny), pregnant Elsa (Aura Garrido), nerdy Marivi (Andrea Duro), jock Jorge (Jaime Olías) and party boy Pinfloy (Javier Bódalo), all of them killed in a fire that happened in the 80s. During their time as ghosts, the five have made the high school a haunted house, occupying their time scaring and annoying everyone who goes and works there. Modesto is asked by the principal Tina (Alexandra Jiménez) to get the ghosts to finish their unfinished business, which Modesto believes to be finishing the last year of high school, and to get them to leave the school before Founders Day. But it's not that easy when he has to contend with five impatient ghosts who have been stuck at school for the past 26 years.
Now, while researching, I found out that there is going to be an American remake helmed by Will Smith's production company Overbrook Entertainment, and I am not at all happy about it. And let me tell you why. In a nutshell, I have never seen a subtle American teen movie. They are all filled with the same sex jokes, bodily fluids and crude humour (American Pie, I'm looking at you), and while those things are in Ghost Graduation, they are pretty much all presented to you in the trailer. The rest of the film is more restrained, allowing the characters to grow through actions rather than long rambling explanations (Mean Girls, I'm looking at you). But most of all, there are serious and quiet moments, and considering that the film is basically about five teenagers coming to grips with their own deaths, you reall do need some quiet moments in the film for the characters to reflect on what they haven't done. The only person I would like to see attempt a remake of this is John Hughes, and since he's dead, I don't think it's very likely that he'll be heading the project. So, I'm sorry America, but after the 80s, your teen movies got really shit, and incredibly silly. I'm just scared that this will become another notch of failure in the genre. (I'm not saying that all teen movies after the 80s were bad, it's just that most of them were not good.)
But let's get on to the actual film, which I found excellent and refreshing. It riffs on both the teenage coming age/ high school movie genres, and also on the horror/ ghost story genres. But it's not scary, let's just get that out of the way first. It's not in the least bit scary at all. But that doesn't matter. It's funny, and that's what counts. So how does it put a spin on the old tropes? Well, for starters there's the basic plot, which is essentially Breakfast Club meets Heart and Souls, that's new! Then there's the actual teens, who look like they belong in Power Rangers. While they are all stereotypes, they are stereotypes done well and they aren't one dimensional, and they do react to things in a natural way. And the ghost movie tropes are used well also. Things aren't really explained, like why Modesto can see ghosts, and what powers they posess, but I like the fact that things aren't explained for the audience, it means that the makers believe that the audience are smart enough to make up their own minds about things.
The other thing that isn't explained is the actual nature of each teens unfinished business, which is also good. While I did like Heart and Souls, they were very keen to explain every characters motivations and used a lot of expositional dialogue at times. They don't do that here. Instead, throughout the film, as we follow the ghosts journey, we begin to pick up little cues that might explain why they are still here, but nothing is outrightly said. And I am so glad of this! I prefer to be kept in the shadows about some things, so that I can come up with my own theories as to what it all meant. The only ghost that we do know specific things about is Pinfloy, and that's more for comic effect than anything else. Plus, his story is actually funny. You can tell that the writers put a lot of effort into each character since they all have character arcs, even the ones who are alive, and it makes this movie feel more heartfelt.
And then there's the acting. I haven't seen any of these actors in any other film, but from watching this, I know that all of them are excellent comedic actors. Especially Raúl Arévalo as Modesto, who is dead-pan and expressionless for most of the film and consequently has most of the best lines. Even some of the minor characters, who have less development, have great actors, though they are a bit more exaggerated and spoofy. And I have to give a shout out to the extras, who usually have to act like there's no one there when someone is throwing books or chairs at them. There is also an excellent soundtrack here, featuring a lot of songs from the 80s, and a lot of songs from Spain. Though I should warn you, if you don't like Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart" then you may want to cover your ears. She gets a lot of airplay in this. The special effects are good, and not many are used. A lot of the believability of the ghosts being invisible comes from how the extras react to what happens to them, another reason why they are awesome!
The one thing I haven't really talked about is themes, and that's cause this isn't the deepest of movies. There is stuff there to talk about moving on in death, and how the living cope with death and dying, but it doesn't go into too much detail. Like I said, this is more of a coming of age story rather than a ghost story, and if you go see it with that in mind, then it is rewarding. Apparently, this did get a mainstream release in the US, or at least was meant to (I wouldn't know, what with living in Australia and everything). I just hope that next year it comes out through Palace or gets a showing at the Nova or something. Because more people should see this film. It was one of the most popular films in Spain when it came out earlier this year, and we don't get much Spanish cinema outside of Almodovar and del Torro. If you get chance, see this. I think you can tell by now that I love it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go learn Shakira's "Estoy Aqui" in English on my accordion. Until next time, readers.
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