Ten‑year‑old Rabia defies rural superstition and bureaucratic neglect to uncover why her school abruptly closed. Untangling eerie rumours, corrupt local power, and silence, she undertakes a solitary, courageous search for truth and justice.
When 10-year-old Rabia (Nazualiya Arsalan) discovers her school has abruptly closed, she sets out to uncover the truth behind the eerie rumours swirling through her rural Pakistani village. Whispers that her teacher has been possessed by a jinn — a supernatural spirit from Islamic folklore — quickly take hold, but the adults in her life offer only evasive responses.
Rabia’s mother (Samina Seher), struggling to parent a precocious child alone, does not have the energy to explore other options or ask many questions. As Rabia’s search deepens, she must navigate a tangle of local superstition, bureaucratic indifference, and maybe even magical forces that seem to echo the uncertainty around her.
This gently paced, visually evocative fable captures a child’s determined pursuit of answers in a community weighed down by fear, misinformation, and corruption. Drawing upon a tradition of introspective coming-of-age journey films, Ghost School finds poignancy in the quiet moments — Rabia’s solitary walks, hushed conversations — and the expansive, sun-drenched landscape as she encounters people from all classes and backgrounds on her quest.
Filmmaker Seemab Gul’s experience in both documentary and narrative filmmaking, particularly her focus on the current political landscape, informs the film’s insightful critiques of feudal power, gender injustice, and the state’s neglect of rural education. These heavy themes are skilfully balanced and humanized through young Rabia’s clear-eyed perspective and her refusal to accept silence and superstition in place of truth.
ROBYN CITIZEN
Screenings
Scotiabank 9
Scotiabank 10
Scotiabank 8