Through the experiences of two women in Paris and London, Ghost Dance offers an analysis of the complexity of our conceptions of ghosts, memory and the past. The film focuses on the French philosopher Jacques Derrida, who observes, 'I think cinema, when it's not boring, is the art of letting ghosts come back.' He also says that 'memory is the past that has never had the form of the present.'
Direction
McMullen blurs documentary and fiction until neither exists.
Production
Paris and London shot like they're already memories.
Writing
Derrida's quotes hit harder than most scripted dialogue.
Director
Ken McMullen
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Pascale Ogier died of cardiac arrest at age 25 in 1984, making her spectral presence in this film almost unbearably prophetic.
This film essentially coined 'hauntology' as cultural concept before the term became music genre shorthand for mournful nostalgia.
GB
