Arabella Oz stars in, writes, and directs Mallory’s Ghost, her feature debut. It’s a small, soft movie with a wonderful heart. Premiering at this year’s SXSW it feels like a film festival indie of old – a showcase for someone’s talents and a stepping stone to something greater.
Arabella plays Mallory: a timid, uncertain woman who lacks confidence in her relationship and creative life. She goes on a writing retreat with her boyfriend at the spot where he formerly found creative inspiration. She discovers that his drive originated with his now ex-girlfriend, who on the surface seems very different than Mallory— someone with confidence and a rich creative drive. In the process of dealing with her feelings of jealousy and inadequacy, Mallory embarks on a seemingly supernatural journey through time.
The emotional throughline worked well for me, anchored by two naturalistic and endearing performances by the leads: Arabella’s Mallory and her boyfriend Sam, played by Nick Canellakis. It would have been easy to mire their relationship in sexism or have Sam be an otherwise deficient partner, but Sam is mostly understanding and sweet, and Mallory’s emotional turmoil is primarily anchored on herself and her feelings. Both characters feel relatable and, as a primarily two-hander, really sell the whole movie.
It’s clearly a low budget affair, but that adds to the soft charm. “Quaint” sounds dismissive but I mean it in an endearing fashion – we’re almost exclusively in one location with a tiny cast. It doesn’t feel as concerned with showing off technical prowess and instead focuses on telling an interesting story well.
There is a third character played by Anjelica Bosboom, but I’d like to avoid going deep into the role she plays. She mainly acts as a catalyst for Mallory and if I have any complaints, it’s that her character feels a bit underdeveloped.
Mallory’s Ghost ends up being a gentle and sweet story about creativity, relationships, and being comfortable with yourself. I felt comforted while watching Mallory’s journey and the feelings Arabella Oz elicits can be hard to conjure in an audience, so she’s definitely a talent to watch.
