Stars: Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Buscemi, Brad Renfro, Illeana Douglas, Bob Balaban, Teri Garr, Bruce Glover, Teri Garr, David Cross, Ezra Buzzington

Director: Terry Zwigoff

Summary: After two girls, Enid and Becky, leave high school, neither of them know what they really want from life. On answering a personal ad Enid meets Seymour, a middle-aged odd-ball, and from then on the girls' friendship is changed forever...

Terry Zwigoff finally follows up his 1994 breakout success, CRUMB, with this infectious, insightful, and ultimately sad look at teenage angst and boredom in suburbia that recalls such films as WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE and RUSHMORE as well as MTV's excellent DARIA series. The screenplay, written by Zwigoff and Daniel Clowes, is based on Clowes's underground comic book, GHOST WORLD. Best friends Enid and Rebecca have graduated from high school, and now they need to figure out what comes next. Rebecca gets a menial job at a coffee shop and starts looking for an apartment, while Enid wallows in her miserable (Daria-like) worldview, in which all jobs are sellouts and nearly all people are creeps, geeks, and losers. But when she plays a practical joke on the biggest dud of them all, Seymour, a lonely man who lives only for his collection of classic 78s, her life gets turned upside as she finds herself needing him in ways she never thought possible. Thora Birch (Enid) and Steve Buscemi (Seymour) are nothing short of marvelous in their complex roles, and they receive ample support from Scarlet Johansson, Bob Balaban, Teri Garr, Brad Renfro, Illeana Douglas, and the great David Cross. The excellent soundtrack includes songs by Skip James, Blueshammer, the Buzzcocks, Lionel Belasco, Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks, and Mohammed Rafi, among others. Note to Buscemi fans: There's a small bit at the end of the credits, so stick around.

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In an inspired opening, Ghost Worldbegins with a montage from a 1960s Bollywood video and voyeuristic shots of the neighbours of the eponymous suburban town. This is teenage angst taken beyond the realms of the pure sexual frustration of American Pie, onto the level of displacement.

Just what lies in store for two girls after school has finished? Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson) mull over life, love and the weird and wonderful inhabitants of the small town of Ghost World. But while Rebecca attempts to "grow up" by getting a job and an apartment, Enid is forced into summer Art School and begins a friendship with the sad loner Seymour (Steve Buscemi), who has more of a relationship with his seven-inches than the human race. The girls' relationship begins to strain and as the story progresses Rebecca appears in both Enid's life and the film, less and less.

Based on the comics by Daniel Clowes, which have themselves been acclaimed as a modern-day Catcher in the Rye, and directed by Terry (Crumb) Zwigoff, Ghost Worldis a beautiful exploration of the confusions and choices faced by young adults. Although criticised for being slow in places, the film's pace adds extra realism to its exposure of the constraints of small-town life. The poignant ending leaves us unsure about what's next for Enid; though from what we've learnt through the course of the film, going it alone and making big decisions is the only way to reap the rewards in an uncertain life.

On the DVD:Ghost Worldon disc comes with a standard range of special features, including a photo gallery (mainly of Birch in her distinctive costumes), trailers and one subtitle option: English for the hard of hearing. In the section entitled "Daniel Clowes' Ghost World" there's a tour of his old neighbourhood, the inspiration for the comic, in which the author states he never made anything up; a self portrait and Clowes talking about the process of turning his comic into a film--which is about as close as you will get on this disc to a commentary. --Nikki Disney

Aspect Ratio:	1.85 Wide Screen, 16:9 Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Featurettes, TV And Radio Spots, Theatrical Trailer, Photo Gallery, Scene Selection, Menu Access
Subtitles:	English
Year:	2001
Release Date:	May 20, 2002
Runtime:	110 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	D 093198
Keywords:	World, Ghost, General, Wide, Screen, Drama
Genre:	Drama