Synopsis
This gritty and lyrical debut feature follows a grizzled ex-con on his first day of freedom as he struggles reconnect with his conflicted son before his violent past catches up with them.
2020 Directed by Anthony Z. James
This gritty and lyrical debut feature follows a grizzled ex-con on his first day of freedom as he struggles reconnect with his conflicted son before his violent past catches up with them.
After popping into my Prime Video recommendations a few months ago, this film intrigued me. From the start, I wanted to know who Tony (Anthony Mark Streeter) was and what story he had to tell. I felt this rawness and admiration toward him as he navigated his first day out of prison. The journey to reconnect with his son (Nathan Hamilton) was inspiring, and as the film slowly unpacked Tony’s past, I couldn’t help but hope for their relationship to build.
I only learned after watching the film that it was shot on an iPhone, and that made it much greater than what I already thought it was. I hope more people can find out about this film. It’s gritty, captivating, and simply well done.
A very good debut feature!
Loved the idea of shooting this on an iPhone. Tangerine did it, and I loved it. And I also loved it here. The film looks good, and is shot very good. At times, there’s hiccups with the filmmaking, even editing, but overall good directing and cinematography.
The performances are very good. Anthony Mark Streeter who played the father gave a very good performance. I also really liked Nathan Hamilton’s performance as the son. These two actors nailed at!
With the script, I liked it. I liked the relationship between the father and son, I thought the father character was very interesting, and I thought the ending was great! The ending made me like the whole…
LONDON THROUGH FRESH EYES- AND AN iPHONE
Anthony Z. James shot his feature film debut on an iphone in London- but a technical gimmick can't replace good storytelling and acting. Thankfully he delivers on that front as well, so it doesn't become a showreel of cool shots (even though there're a ton of cool shots).
The drama about ex-con Tony on his first day in freedom after 10 years in jail might be a slow burn with story elements you've seen before, but the film and its visual storytelling sucks you in anyway. It plays out in long scenes with few edits and thanks to captivating performances in the lead roles one follows along as an invisible spectator instead of…
If you like character-driven emotional dramas with men trying to put their lives back together (think Manchester by the Sea, The Way Back) then Ghost will work for you. Though it is a crime drama, that element of it doesn’t become obvious until the final 30 or so minutes of the film. If you like gritty crime dramas as well as those emotional dramas, then you should be adding Ghost to your watch list.