Ghosted (2009)

7% of critics liked it
(14 reviews)
21% of users liked it
(174 ratings)

A woman who is mourning the love of her life falls into a relationship with a mysterious stranger in this psychological drama from director Monika Treut. Sophie (Inga Busch) is a German artist in her early forties who has been thrown in an emotional tailspin after the death of the woman she loved,… More A woman who is mourning the love of her life falls into a relationship with a mysterious stranger in this psychological drama from director Monika Treut. Sophie (Inga Busch) is a German artist in her early forties who has been thrown in an emotional tailspin after the death of the woman she loved, Chen Ai-ling (Ke Huan-ru). Sophie has created a video installation in tribute to Ai-ling, and travels to Taiwan to present it at a gallery in Taipei, Ai-ling's hometown. After arriving in Taiwan, Sophie is approached by Wang Mei-li (Ting-Ting Hu), a reporter who asks for an interview. Sophie isn't interested at first, but Mei-li is persistent, and it soon becomes obvious she desires more than just a chat with Sophie. As Sophie begins thinking back on the details of her relationship with Ai-Ling, allowing us to see their story in flashbacks, she grows closer to Mei-li. But Sophie learns that Mei-li isn't actually a journalist even as she continues to do research on Ai-ling's life, and she begins to suspect that Ai-ling has an unusual secret. Ai-mei (aka Ghosted) was an official selection at the 2009 Berlin International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 29 min.
Directed By: Monika Treut
Written By: Astrid Ströher, Monika Treut
Genres: Art House & International, Mystery & Suspense, Gay & Lesbian

In Theaters: Feb 7, 2009 Wide
On DVD: Dec 8, 2009
Studio: First Run Features

Critic Reviews

Lou Lumenick, New York Post
Clumsily written, mostly in English, with performances to match, the only real mystery surrounding Ghosted is how this soporific bore got made.
Nathan Lee, New York Times
An elegant but unsatisfying drama of cross-cultural lesbian love triangles.
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
Lesbian and supernatural themes combined to less-than-stellar effect.
Vadim Rizov, Village Voice
Flat visuals, flat script, flat performances: Ghosted is only mildly redeemed by the on-the-ground travelogue footage of Taipei and Hamburg, and I'm being generous.
Kam Williams, NewsBlaze
A compelling crime saga with supernatural overtones made all the more worthwhile by some spectacular Taipei locales and its celebration of Chinese culture.
Kam Williams, Sly Fox
A compelling crime saga with supernatural overtones made all the more worthwhile by some spectacular Taipei locales and its celebration of Chinese culture.
Avi Offer, NYC Movie Guru
Initially intriguing, but tepid romantic drama suffering from an uneven screenplay with stilted dialogue and a distracting, gimmicky ghost story.
Bryant Frazer, Bryant Frazer's Deep Focus
A blandly romantic drama with just the whiff of the otherworldly about it.
David Fear, Time Out New York
Monika Treut (Female Misbehavior) has made a fruitful career out of documenting nonfiction gender studies and LGBT anthropology, but her attempt at exploring such issues in a narrative context is clunky to a fault.
Joseph Jon Lanthier, Slant Magazine
A clumsily supernatural mystery that strangely uses the fallible density of flesh as its most underscored symbol.
Jim Slotek, Jam! Movies
Feels like an overwritten fringe festival play, performed outdoors, with a single camera recording it for posterity.
Steve Ramos, Boxoffice Magazine
While longtime Treut admirers may miss the gender politics, explicit sex and lesbian SM content of her best known films, the romantic and lush Ghosted offers First Run a good shot at a wider specialty audience.