Film Review: Diary of a Ghost | An Exploration of Grief and the Human Psyche

The first thing I did after the Diary of a Ghost screening was rush up to screenwriter Maren Koenigs and ask if she had read Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking – an account of a year in the author’s life after losing her long-time husband. This memoir was, to me, a gong strike in my own relationship with grief, which I grew up with as one of healing, prayer, and moving on. Didon, in contrast to this societal belief, writes – brutally – that her grief revealed “the unending absence that follows, the void, the very opposite of meaning, the relentless succession of moments during which we will confront the experience of meaninglessness itself.”

This same strike Didion made occurred to me while watching Diary of a Ghost. We experience a Ricker of a day in the life of Sage Evans (Genevieve Chenneour) who is grieving the tragic and unexpected loss of her partner, Riley (Alfie Noble). She experiences this loss in self-imposed isolation, holed up in the home of her grandmother (who is absent in hospice care) with only Riley’s ghost and a grief journal as a company. Both of these components are set with an expiration date: with the final chapter of her journal comes inevitable acceptance, and Riley’s ghost will disappear. The arrival of her estranged friend Hailey (Mia Rodgers) only accelerates her anxiety as the anniversary of Riley’s death inches closer.

In 13 minutes, director Caroline Hajny unveils a powerful and frank representation of prolonged grief disorder and Didion’s so-called “meaninglessness” of life in the face of loss. The choice of sound and lighting emphasises the mercurial nature of grief – the cold overstimulation of the outside world versus the warm familiarity and quiet of her expanded imagination. Camerawork was mostly still and focused, allowing the viewer to experience the immersion of Sage’s grief, and the bloating and expansion of every moment, all of which comes to a head in a harrowing final scene.

In a small cinema in Crouch End, I listened to Koenigs, who was interviewed alongside Hajny and Chenneour by Mia Ford of Bad Gal Film Club, speak about her inspiration behind Diary Of a Ghost, which blossomed from observations of her mother’s experience with prolonged grief disorder. A personal touch was needed (and utilised) for a story of such depth, and the film left much more to be said – though the conversation could continue outside the cinema – perhaps ideal for further exploration in a full-length feature. Still, despite the limited time, the team still created a viewing experience that will leave you feeling more human. That’s an impressive feat in this day and age.