'A Ghost Story' Ending Explained: What Was Written On the Note? (2024)

Legacy is something David Lowery knows a thing or two about. He's well into crafting his own, having written and directed The Green Knight, Pete's Dragon, Ain't Them Bodies Saints, The Old Man & the Gun and the focus of this piece — A Ghost Story. Given the title, you'd be forgiven for mistaking A Ghost Story for a schlocky horror. Make no mistake though — it will haunt you. A unique exploration of existentialism and loss across infinite time, the film meditates on heavy themes, giving little away. The viewer must work for every morsel of information received, and form their own views on the meaning of what is given. We aren't even told the names of the characters — we know them simply as M and C.

When we meet M (Rooney Mara) and C (Casey Affleck) they are a happy couple moving into a new house. Soon we see the happiness fade and the couple argues over whether or not to move out of the house. M, who has moved around a lot as a child, wants to leave but C wants to stay, citing the house's history as the reason he likes it so much. C finally agrees to leave, and then the couple hear a loud clang from the piano. After searching and finding nothing they return to bed. Before they move out, C is killed in a car accident. M visits him in the morgue and covers him with a sheet. He rises as a ghost, still covered in the sheet. After turning away from a bright light he finds his way back to their house and remains there, haunting M, until she decides to leave. We are not sure how long this is, as time is no longer a concept C is bound to now that he has passed away.

A Ghost Story

R

Drama

Romance

Supernatural

In this singular exploration of legacy, love, loss, and the enormity of existence, a recently deceased, white-sheeted ghost returns to his suburban home to try to reconnect with his bereft wife.

See Also

A Ghost Story | Rotten TomatoesThe Ending Of A Ghost Story Explained - LooperA Ghost Story movie review & film summary (2017) | Roger Ebert

Release Date

April 24, 2017

Director

David Lowery

Cast

Rooney Mara , Casey Affleck

Runtime

87 mins

Main Genre

Drama

Writers

David Lowery

Studio

A24

How Does 'A Ghost Story' End?

While prepping the house for sale, M writes a note, leaves it in a crack, then paints over it. M has already discussed that she used to do this when she moved houses as a child, placing notes containing little things she wanted to remember around so that when she went back, there would be a little piece of her waiting. C watches her go, but chooses to stay behind. By the time he gets around to looking for the note, another family have moved in. C then becomes much more like the ghosts we expected back when we thought this was a horror movie. Angered by the world moving on from him, he throws plates, flickers lights, and frightens the family into moving out.

Time starts to pass quicker now. Guests come and go from the house, and C keeps trying to pry the note from the crack. We only linger when one resident throws a party and a guest begins to deliberate on the futility of human legacy. What can humans do to ensure they are remembered beyond their short time on this plane of existence? Time will pass beyond anything a human can create, no matter how great — including time itself. Years drift on and the house is left in ruin. It is knocked down and replaced by a skyscraper. C attempts to leave this mortal coil and jumps off, only to find himself hurtling through time back to when the first stake was put in the ground by the original settlers. Centuries pass until C finds himself back in the house with M and his mortal self.

So we discover he is in a time loop. The history he felt the house had that he couldn't leave was his own ghostly presence haunting the couple. Eventually, realizing the mortal C's death is imminent, ghost C collapses in a heap upon the piano, causing the noise that we saw at the beginning of the film. C dies again, and ghost C watches as his younger ghostly self arrives again. Infinite loops are possible which begs the question, will C ever be able to leave this place? He witnesses M leave the note again, but this time instead of watching her go, he immediately fishes out the note before the paint dries. He reads it and immediately vanishes, breaking out of the time loop, leaving only the sheet behind.

The Deeper Meaning Behind 'A Ghost Story's Ending

Ernest Hemingway said "Every man has two deaths, when he is buried in the ground, and the last time someone says his name. In some ways men can be immortal." This sentiment is echoed in A Ghost Story. We are kept alive in the memories of those who knew us and cared for us. The note keeps C alive beyond the passing of M, the memory of them embedded in the frame of the house. He is tied to this exact location in a physical way as well as a meta-physical way through the memories he created there. The cyclical nature of time means the ripples of grief and recollection echo throughout a longer period than the brief time a person is on the mortal coil.

But what is written on the note? We never see. Theories abound that it was the lyrics to the song C composed, a personal reminder of their love for each other, or possibly even a note saying she wouldn't be back. Ultimately, it doesn't really matter. The content of the note was never needed to create an impactful ending. Addressing the movie's ending, the movie's writer and director David Lowery explains, “We thought about whether or not we should show it, but it doesn’t matter as much as just knowing that he got it," before adding that revealing M's message would only "complicate that moment — you’d see something, process it, and then wonder what it means." Ultimately, what's important is that C eventually gets to read it, and find the closure he needed to vanish from his current state of existence and escape the time loop. His legacy has finally ended.

The Legacy of David Lowery's 'A Ghost Story'

A Ghost Story's overall contemplative and philosophical tone forces its viewers to reflect on love, connection, and loss without being too heavy-handed. Its subtle approach and nuanced storytelling create a quiet powerhouse that resonates deeply and stays with viewers long after the credits roll. Perhaps it is for this reason A Ghost Story ranks high among David Lowery's movies, currently sitting at 91% on Rotten Tomatoes. After A Ghost Story, Lowery would go on to make The Old Man & the Gun, The Green Knight, and Peter Pan & Wendy. It's certainly an impressive filmography. However, the Rooney Mara-led drama remains a standout in his career, an intimate examination of the human experience in its own way. The movie's poignant exploration of grief and loss against the canvas of time lends itself to its enduring legacy.

A Ghost Story is currently streaming on Max in the U.S.

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