Outcasts search for love

\"Ghost World" is the story of how two high school grads see the world and their divergent paths. In a larger sense, the movie is a story about people and how they view others.\nEnid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson) were weirdos in high school. Looking through pathetic personal ads leads them to Seymour (Steve Buscemi). Enid and Rebecca respond by phone as the woman he is searching for and tell Seymour to meet "her" at a restaurant. He does, has a drink, waits and leaves. He is so sad and dorky that Enid is drawn to him, because he is the opposite of everything she is against. They begin to hang out as friends and bond while listening to old blues and ragtime records.\nMeanwhile, Enid and Rebecca are drifting apart. Rebecca is ready for a normal life: she wants an apartment and has a job at a Starbucks-like coffee shop. While Enid dyes her hair and dresses like a 1970s punk rocker, Rebecca seems ready to settle down.\n"Ghost World" is a difficult movie to interpret after one viewing, because many scenes are short vignettes that add up to one somewhat ambiguous conclusion. It is a welcome change from other films out right now because of its truth, thoughtfulness and unique sense of humor. Each character is filled with life and expression. It is also the first movie I have ever seen that uses racism as a tool to show the fakeness and robotic orderliness of day-to-day life. The film brings up interesting issues involving race, mostly to do with the way racism is still present but hidden under the surface of today's society. \nEven after the race issues come up, the film does not lose its focus. Instead, it continues with Enid, Rebecca and Seymour. It is funny and sad, perceptive and real, and for anyone who remembers their high school graduation and the time spent figuring out the future, it is a movie that will be easy to relate to. \n(By the way: Stay for an omitted scene after the credits.)