What do you do when you’ve just graduated high school and the world around you feels mostly absurd, empty, and illogical?
In the film Ghost World (2001), screening on Tuesday, April 29 at Cinema Unfiltered, we follow Enid and Rebecca (played by Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson).
Two outsiders offering their own sarcastic commentary on everything and everyone. But beneath their dry observations lies a painful melancholy: what if you don’t truly belong anywhere?
At first glance, Ghost World seems like just a collection of quirky, funny moments: two girls cynically observing the world around them, endlessly bored. But the deeper you go, the more it becomes clear there’s something much more beneath the surface.
At its core, the film is about not knowing what to do with your life. About feeling like you don’t quite belong anywhere, while everyone else seems to have it all figured out. It’s about that weird in-between phase after high school—when you’re suddenly supposed to be an “adult,” without having any clue what that even means.
Ghost World is based on the underground comic of the same name by Daniel Clowes—a cult favorite among fans of quirky, alternative comics. The story follows Enid and Rebecca, two sarcastic teenage girls fresh out of high school who spend their days being bored, annoyed, and fascinated by the absurdity of the world around them. The style is dry, sharp, and often surreal: the characters stumble from one bizarre situation into another, with no clear plotline—and that’s exactly what makes it so compelling. The comic captures how strange and hollow the world can feel when you don’t feel like conforming to societal expectations.
The film became a cult classic because it dares to show things you rarely see in mainstream movies: genuine boredom, awkward silences, and characters who don’t necessarily “grow” or go through dramatic change—but simply exist in their own weird and deeply relatable bubble.
Fans of this cult gem have long pointed to the final scene—where Enid boards an empty bus and disappears—as symbolic. Throughout the film, Enid struggles with loneliness, uncertainty about her future, and a longing to feel like she belongs somewhere. Her departure raises questions: is this an act of ending her life, or a desperate attempt at freedom?
In a 2002 interview, Daniel Clowes was asked whether the film’s mysterious ending was meant to symbolize suicide. His response left things deliberately ambiguous: “We wanted to leave something open—something you feel, but can’t fully explain.”
This means the ending doesn’t offer one clear interpretation. It leaves space for different meanings, so you can decide for yourself what it truly represents. And that’s exactly why this film sticks with you.
How Do You Interpret Ghost World? Share your thoughts with us at the next edition of Cinema Unfiltered, on Tuesday, April 29th!
