It was all the way back in 2017 that we last got a movie directed by Graham Skipper. In the interim the multi-hyphen has been focusing on acting and has appeared in a wealth of titles including the phenomenal The Leech. Now fans of his last directorial offering, Sequence Break, can feast once more as Skipper is back behind the camera for The Lonely Man with the Ghost Machine.
Although still playing within the realm of science-fiction, Skipper’s latest offering is vastly different to Sequence Break. The Cronenbergian body horror is replaced with a more meditative and melancholic analysis of loneliness, isolation, and relationships. Set years after a purple sky calamity, the eponymous lonely man of the title is Wozzek. Played by Skipper himself, Wozzek lives a simple life in a somewhat dilapidated shack. Due to whatever the calamity was, Wozzek now subsists on a back-to-basics lifestyle in the middle of nowhere. Although alone, Wozzek is hard at work on the completion of his ghost machine, an invention he hopes will bring his deceased wife, Nellie (Christina Bennett Lind), back into corporeal form.
Told in a mixture of monochrome and colour, The Lonely Man with the Ghost Machine has an arthouse aesthetic to it. When combined with the philosophical and existential musings of Wozzek, that sensation is pushed even further. Whilst Sequence Break was still dealing with some complex and intriguing ideas, here the presentation is less sensationalised. Skipper, who also wrote and edited The Lonely Man with the Ghost Machine, allows Wozzek’s thoughts to hang in the air. Although alone, the audience is an unseen sounding board, as Wozzek offers them plenty to think about.
The Man with the Ghost Machine is a clear passion project for Skipper. Everything about the film feels intimate. From the story to the performance’s, this is a film drenched in emotion. That Skipper performs a multitude of roles on the feature further proves just how personal a connection he has to the material. This is something that Skipper wanted to birth into the world and he has done so with careful consideration. His performance as Wozzek is incredibly vulnerable. Although never one to stick to the same types of characters, as a performer Skipper is better remembered for his more chaotic and comedic roles. Here he strips himself of his comedic side and paints a sorry picture of a sad man. So committed is Skipper that it starts to feel as though the actor is letting some of his own trauma out into his art.
An accomplished analysis of some complex topics, Skipper’s The Lonely Man with the Ghost Machine is a stripped back and haunting interpretation that pushes the science-fiction framework. Subdued and oddly serene until an overwhelming outpouring of sadness, Skipper wears his heart on his sleeve both in front and behind the camera, thus creating his most intimate movie yet.
The Lonely Man with the Ghost Machine
Summary
Graham Skipper boldly ventures into more stripped back territory than his last directorial offering. It’s a move that serves to create a very intimate and emotional study of loss, loneliness, and grief.
The Lonely Man with the Ghost Machine was reviewed at Make Believe Festival 2024.
