66
Metascore
12 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 91The PlaylistRodrigo PerezThe PlaylistRodrigo PerezThis is a film that’s wantonly absurd and even silly, and yet, bubbling underneath it all, Clara’s Ghost never takes its eyes off its protagonist or our empathy for her even when she pushed to the edge of the frame both literally and figuratively. And Niedert Elliott’s performance is haunting, perfectly capturing that ambiguous space between comedy and drama that gives the movie its edge.
- 75Slant MagazineChuck BowenSlant MagazineChuck BowenBridey Elliott avoids the smug pitfalls of narratives concerned with privileged people drinking themselves into a stupor.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterJustin LoweThe Hollywood ReporterJustin LoweA degree of tolerance for these frequent outbursts of unrestrained, puerile humor eventually reveals a tender portrait of a neglected woman seeking solace in her vivid, perhaps deranged, imagination
- 70Vanity FairJordan HoffmanVanity FairJordan HoffmanThis extremely homemade film, written and directed by Bridey Elliott and starring her own mostly-famous family, is extremely funny at times and nerve-wracking at others, but also pitch black to the point that many will find it unbearable. I say stick with it; if nothing else, the film is a work of great daring.
- 70Los Angeles TimesNoel MurrayLos Angeles TimesNoel MurrayThe movie’s grating a lot of the time, but often very funny, and perversely fascinating. Most importantly, it's always as honest as it is painful.
- 70New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriNew York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriOne of the strangest films I’ve seen this year, Clara’s Ghost is a twisted, slippery little whisper of a thing that refuses to let itself be easily defined.
- 67The Film StageDan MeccaThe Film StageDan MeccaPaula Niedert Elliott is given the most to do, and she does plenty with it.
- 50VarietyDennis HarveyVarietyDennis HarveyClara’s Ghost is determinedly quirky, but its ideas are seldom all that original or funny, too often degenerating into rote scatological humor. Nonetheless, there’s a formative creative sensibility that seems on the verge of defining itself — something that never quite happens before the film ends, its anecdotal story having drifted nowhere in particular.
- 42The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloThe A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloUnfortunately, like most home movies, it’s of precious little interest to non-relatives.
- 38RogerEbert.comTomris LafflyRogerEbert.comTomris LafflyThroughout Clara’s Ghost you can’t help but think that you’re watching a quaint home video that would appeal to the members of the subject family only — the unnecessary square aspect ratio certainly doesn’t help with the amateurish feel of the whole thing.