EITHER YOU GET IT OR YOU DON'T!

Rating: 10/10 (8 June 2000)

I posted my comments on this movie a while back, but having read some of the latest reviews, I feel compelled to add the following:

SPOILERS!!! SPOILERS!!! SPOILERS!!!

There is obviously a division here between those who loved it and those who complain about so-called plot holes or things that don't add up. (I'm EXCLUDING those users who couldn't stay awake because there were no explosions!)
This film clearly operates on a metaphysical level. In my opinion, one's ability/willingness to accept this, with all its accompanying mysteries, is the key to understanding and appreciating this film. Malcolm and the other "ghosts" may be technically dead, but they have not yet completed their journeys into the afterlife. They are caught between the world of the living and the world of the dead. A very important aspect in this regard is Cole's crucial words to Malcolm: "They don't know that they are dead, they only see what they want to see." Does that mean that they think they are still alive? Not necessarily. It may simply mean that they experience their in-between-world as the real, living world. But they are not active participants in this world. They don't communicate with the living (with the exception of Cole) and they don't have the same needs as the living. Therefore the notion that Malcolm should have noticed that no-one else acknowledges his existence, as one user has suggested, is quite ridiculous. He would not have gone into a store to buy food!!! It is equally ridiculous to question the time lapse between the shooting incident and Malcolm's first meeting with Cole. What does time mean to "ghosts"? Do they sometimes wander around aimlessly? Do they approach more than one "gifted" person and then move on to another if they are not helped? I don't know, and I have a suspicion you don't either.
It is also important to note that the "ghosts" were focused primarily on their unfinished business. They needed closure before they could move on. What was Malcolm's unfinished business? His perceived failure as a husband and therapist. So when he seeks out Cole, it is to resolve both these issues. He achieves this by helping Cole understand and accept his gift, and Cole helps him to make peace with his wife. (She believed she came second, remember?)
It has also been asked why Cole isn't scared of Malcolm when he first meets him. He IS - Malcolm waits for him outside, but Cole senses his presence and starts walking faster and faster and so avoids him. But then Malcolm approaches him in the church, which is a safe sanctuary. And no, that does not necessarily mean that no other "ghosts' ever entered the church, it only means that Cole felt safe there!! Still weary, of course, but safe. Malcolm also approached Cole differently (less threateningly) than the other "ghosts" did, because, I believe, part of his unfinished business had to do with Cole specifically (redemption for failing his former patient). To put it simply, he helped himself by helping Cole.
As for the "cold air breathing" aspect: this went hand-in-hand with the intensity of the "ghosts'" presence. Which is why it was so pronounced when Cole was scared. That it happens at the end with Malcolm's wife, is particularly relevant. It signifies the intensity of his presence, which he reveals to her when he is ready to talk to her. He makes a connection with her and she becomes AWARE of his presence. He is then able to tell her that which he didn't tell her before he died. He can say goodbye.
This, of course, is only my interpretation. But to me it makes perfect sense. And I'm glad that it does, otherwise I would have lost out on one of the most wonderful movie experiences ever!