Girl Haunts Boy

This light drama ghost story for young adults has the typical storyline but with a strong comedic, romantic, and dramatic layered script that is both delightful and meaningful at the same time. It deals with love, death, and dark times but good and joyful times as well. Directed with a female touch by Emily Ting, the movie has a beginning, middle, and end and doesn't squander itself on the cliches of most ghost stories but touches the youthful heart and the passionate life in death in both the classroom and most importantly out of it. Co-written by Dustin Ellis who penned the children's classic The Iron Giant (1999), it brings to the big screen the youthful charm and experienced talent of Payton List with 67 productions to her credit as Bea the accidental ghost and Michael Cimino as Cole a rather isolated, lonely boy who is grieving and numb in school. These two actors capture a sparkling encounter, a renewed sense of life, a mystery and more, along with a tender ending. Relatively new Phoebe Holden and co-star as Lydia, Cole's school friend, also brings a nice added touch to the movie. Together with solid performances by Christine M. Campbell as Cole's mother and Brandon Michael Hall as Cole's teacher these actors bring to life a vitality and freshness to the typical ghost story genre.