Personal Shopper (2016) – A Haunting Tale of Grief, Identity, and the Supernatural

Between luxury and loneliness, one woman searches for meaning in the shadows of grief.

Personal Shopper (2016), directed by Olivier Assayas, is an atmospheric psychological thriller that blends ghost story elements with an intimate exploration of grief and isolation. Anchored by Kristen Stewart’s mesmerizing performance, the film follows a young woman’s journey through loss, longing, and the blurred boundaries between the spiritual and the material world.

The story centers on Maureen, an American living in Paris who works as a personal shopper for a high-profile celebrity. By day, she drifts through luxury boutiques, selecting fashion items that she herself can neither afford nor wear. By night, she struggles with the recent death of her twin brother, Lewis, and her unresolved need to make contact with his spirit. Her life becomes even more unsettling when she starts receiving mysterious text messages from an unknown sender who seems to know her intimately.

As Maureen navigates her grief, her loneliness draws her deeper into a world where the supernatural intertwines with her reality. She experiences chilling encounters in an empty mansion, unsettling visions, and cryptic communications that blur the line between a ghostly presence and human manipulation. The tension builds as her emotional vulnerability collides with the uncertainty of whether she is truly being haunted—or whether her grief is manifesting in psychological ways.

What makes Personal Shopper distinctive is its subtlety and refusal to provide clear answers. It is less concerned with traditional horror scares and more with the atmosphere of unease, the weight of mourning, and the fragility of identity in the face of loss. Kristen Stewart delivers one of her finest performances, capturing Maureen’s quiet desperation and haunting presence in a role that lingers with viewers long after the film ends.