Superstition can take people’s minds to weird and strange places, especially if it is passed down through the generations. With that being the case, who better to weed through the rumors and fear and discover the truth than a 10-year-old girl with courage to spare? Ghost School covers a lot of ground, and while it doesn’t always succeed, it’s a thoughtfully laid-out story that challenges beliefs, especially those in the adult world.
We meet Rabia (the terrific Nazualiya Arsalan), whose school in a rural Pakistani village has suddenly closed, and no one will explain the reason why. For most ten-year-old girls, this would be the end of it, but Rabia is not an ordinary girl. She sets out to find the truth of what happened.
Along the way, she encounters powerful superstitions, corrupt individuals, and too many people who are apathetic about the whole thing and will not help one way or the other. She pushes on for answers and gets some, although not always what she was expecting.
The idea that the Jinn, or ghosts, have taken over the school grounds does not sit right with Rabia. Through her eyes, we follow her childlike wonder, curiosity, and inquisitiveness as it takes her down different paths. Writer-director Seemab Gul has a clear mission here, leading Rabia through discussions with relatives, landowners, and others. The simplicity of the story seems banal and maybe even tedious from the outside. Still, Gul guides it skillfully, as we watch with equal curiosity as Rabia tries to sort through all the information to make sense of what turns out to be a complex, messy situation.
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Arsalan is wonderful as Rabia, and I was easily drawn in by the combination of her wonder and stubborn curiosity. She doesn’t simply ask a question and walk away; she follows up with another, then another, which on occasion has the person she is questioning begin to realize that things aren’t what they seem or should be.
Some scenes come off much better than others, but it’s paced well, and the ninety-minute run time is well used. Rabia navigates through some lighthearted subjects, superstitions, and some heavier, political themes, striking a weird balance that she must sift through.
The simple storyline makes it an easy story for the viewer to follow, although there are times that, even with the brisk run time, were spent too long at one particular stop, or with one specific character. That being said, the joy of Arsalan playing Rabia was compelling enough most of the time to give the film time to continue its journey, as the ending was an intriguing proposition.
The film was definitely more about the journey, although the ending is a bit strange and almost too convenient, especially in a story that asks so many questions.
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Ghost School is an excellent look at how people view the education system, and how powerful beliefs, both in the supernatural and status quo, drag progress to a screeching halt. It’s a curious and fun journey that reminds us that children see much more than we think, and adults are not nearly as smart as they think they are.
Ghost School had its World Premiere at TIFF on Sept. 8th.
