Spoiler questions, now that we've seen The Ghost Writer
Who done it in 'The Ghost Writer?' Did anyone?
Where a thriller like Shutter Island leaves audiences with a minimum of possible explanations, The Ghost Writer isn't nearly as clear cut. Screenwriters Robert Harris (adapting his novel) and Roman Polanski withhold considerable information from the audience's surrogate, the unnamed ghost writer played by Ewan McGregor. The film's mysteries and conspiracies resemble a puzzle with missing pieces, and figuring them out amounts to reviewing what we know, and when we know it.
1. Before diving into the spoilers, Is The Ghost Writer a Roman Polanski apologia? Unlikely. In the film, English ex-Prime Minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan) faces disgrace and a public outcry due to the international court's accusation of war crimes. The director occupies a similar position as a celebrity sex offender, surrounded by paparazzi, with limits on his international travel. An angry father serves as a recurring, accusatory figure, but it's hard to connect the Lang role to the Polanski case, especially given that the Lang character avoids the subject of his misdeeds, whether to admit culpability or make justifications. It's interesting that Polanski includes a shot of Lang looking at the ocean while leaning against a window, as if about to be frisked.