Charlie Kaufman has been quiet since the existential triumph that was 2020’s I’m Thinking of Ending Things. But now we have at least a partial answer as to what he’s been up to: taking poetry (or poetry-esque screenplays) by writer Eva H.D. and turning them into short films, namely, How to Shoot a Ghost and Jackals and Fireflies (now streaming on The Criterion Channel). The latter features H.D. herself as the central figure and the former stars two-time Oscar nominee Jessie Buckley; both are meditations on major Western cities, colored with H.D.’s lyrical observations and Kaufman’s melancholic tones.
The Gist: How to Shoot a Ghost will quickly weed out any viewers with an allergy for Terrence Malickian voiceover-on-top-of-impressionistic-imagery, because that pretty much comprises the entire 27-minute film. The credits tell us the names of our two main characters, never spoken in the narrative: Rateb (Josef Akiki) is a translator living in Athens who ventures from his lonely apartment to a seaside spot; three men approach him, and perhaps they have something to do with his pending ghosthood, for the next day Rateb is wet and his face is on the covers of newspapers reporting on a man found drowned in the ocean. Anthi (Buckley) emerges from a hospital, pulls off her wristband with her teeth and wanders the streets taking polaroids of people who may sense that she’s there, or perhaps see someone and not realize she’s a ghost. Anthi and Rateb meet and become friends as the narrator (H.D.) reflects upon the culture and history of Athens, its people, beauties and tragedies.
Jackals and Fireflies is even more impressionistic. H.D. plays an unnamed woman speaking primarily in voiceover, although there are moments when she stares into the camera, likely lip-syncing to the narration. She uses dense, provocative verbiage to make observations about New York City, its residents and communities, its vibe, its life. She tosses in modern pop-cultural references and judgments and assertions, and notably comes across a cluster of fireflies in Tribeca Park, a clutch of living lights in a place primarily defined by its manmade illuminations.
What Movies Will It Remind You Of? Remember the poem Buckley’s character reads in I’m Thinking of Ending Things? That was written by Eva H.D. And Kaufman’s foray into short films somewhat mirrors Wes Anderson’s, although the latter’s – all Roald Dahl adaptations, one of which won an Oscar – are more widely available via Netflix.
Performance Worth Watching: Buckley is charismatic, as ever – but the real star of these films is H.D.’s expressive lyricism.
Our Take: Jackals and Fireflies and How to Shoot a Ghost mark a progression from Kaufman, from the unsettling surrealism and intense self-reflection of Synecdoche, New York and I’m Thinking of Ending Things to the visual tone poems of the short films. Perhaps more notable is how the shorts are less about the famous filmmaker’s technique and tone and more valuable as an introduction to H.D.’s poetry (assuming most of us are uninitiated), which is dense and evocative, especially in relation to setting. Her ruminations on individual and collective memories, within the context of two of Earth’s biggest, most densely populated cities, bind the two shorts together thematically, and Kaufman’s eye is supplemental, functioning in deference to H.D.’s scene-setting and emotional intent.
Ghost is the more accessible of the two, drawn in as we are by Buckley’s balance of the raw and mercurial (we furrow our brows as she argues violently with a character who seems to be her father; we also attempt to figure out why she chooses certain people and scenes to be subjects of her photography). It has a more familiar narrative arc, with its two protagonists wandering Athens with newfound freedom that opens them to moments of joy and despair. Jackals is more strictly observational, from a single point-of-view, and while Kaufman captures succulent and suggestive imagery (primarily with a Samsung smartphone), it feels like his work is in thrall to H.D.’s robust linguistics. As are we – Jackals may be best lingered over and savored on the page.
Our Call: On first watch, these two shorts feel somewhat slight within Kaufman’s filmography. But when placing emphasis on H.D.’s words and thematic guidance, they capture distinctive feelings and images that warrant consideration as standalone works. STREAM IT.
John Serba is a freelance film critic from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Werner Herzog hugged him once.
