How to Shoot a Ghost (2025)
After his latest work as a feature director with 2020's I'm Thinking of Ending Things, Charlie Kaufman switched his attention to more condensed short film projects, starting with 2023's Jackals & Fireflies and continuing with How to Shoot a Ghost. Screening as part of AFI Fest 2025, How to Shoot a Ghost follows two recently deceased ghosts, a young woman played by Jessie Buckley and a young man played by Josef Akiki, as they wander around Athens, reflecting on the city and their lives.
Quiet and poetic, How to Shoot a Ghost is a spellbinding cinematic experience. It is impossible not to get sucked into the quiet meditations presented here, with Kaufman delivering some of his strongest work as director in recent memory. Athens comes alive with the camera soaring through the ancient city with gorgeous cinematography by Michał Dymek. There is an engrossing texture given to the film's visual presentation, and a thoughtful use of the power of human touch. From reaching out, unable to comfort and touch someone you love, to the warmth of touch as you dance in the night air, there is an authentic humanity throughout the film that is intoxicating to sit with.
This is helped by the two lead performances, both of which deliver massively. Only speaking through poetic and quiet voiceover, both Buckley and Akiki inject their own personalities. Their sense of longing for connection is beautifully brought to life through their physical performances, with Akiki especially feeling haunting in his depiction.
The screenplay by Eva H.D is equally talented. Never feeling dry or empty, the film has a poignant view on what it means to be a ghost in a city that has been built out of graves and other ghosts. Even the stones that have built the most famous structures of the city carry their own ghosts, and the film ponders that line between life and death in a way that feels incredibly nuanced and thoughtful.
While the film still carries certain limitations with a runtime under 30 minutes, including credits, this is a beautifully crafted and emotionally weighted short film that is worth seeking out. The style and substance of the film both deliver, creating a final product that is both outwardly engaging and internally touching.
Quiet and poetic, How to Shoot a Ghost is a spellbinding cinematic experience. It is impossible not to get sucked into the quiet meditations presented here, with Kaufman delivering some of his strongest work as director in recent memory. Athens comes alive with the camera soaring through the ancient city with gorgeous cinematography by Michał Dymek. There is an engrossing texture given to the film's visual presentation, and a thoughtful use of the power of human touch. From reaching out, unable to comfort and touch someone you love, to the warmth of touch as you dance in the night air, there is an authentic humanity throughout the film that is intoxicating to sit with.
This is helped by the two lead performances, both of which deliver massively. Only speaking through poetic and quiet voiceover, both Buckley and Akiki inject their own personalities. Their sense of longing for connection is beautifully brought to life through their physical performances, with Akiki especially feeling haunting in his depiction.
The screenplay by Eva H.D is equally talented. Never feeling dry or empty, the film has a poignant view on what it means to be a ghost in a city that has been built out of graves and other ghosts. Even the stones that have built the most famous structures of the city carry their own ghosts, and the film ponders that line between life and death in a way that feels incredibly nuanced and thoughtful.
While the film still carries certain limitations with a runtime under 30 minutes, including credits, this is a beautifully crafted and emotionally weighted short film that is worth seeking out. The style and substance of the film both deliver, creating a final product that is both outwardly engaging and internally touching.