Ghosts in the form of teenage best friends Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlet Johansson) haunt Terry Zwigoff's stunning rites of passage drama.

Here are two of life's outsiders, unique spirits who refuse to conform to the norm and pass almost unnoticed by their families and classmates.

The pair have few friends, save each other, and long-suffering grocery store clerk Josh (Brad Renfro), the object of Enid's secret affections.

One afternoon, Enid decides to answer a personal ad for a bit of fun, and she meets eccentric loner Seymour (Steve Buscemi), who collects rare vinyls.

Initially, Enid ridicules Seymour, believing him to be a freak. However, the more she gets to know him, the more she finds herself drawn into his peculiar little world.

The seeds of a romance are planted, but Enid's closeness to Seymour threatens to wreck her relationship with her best friend.

Ghost World beautifully captures the awkwardness and pain of adolescence, and the desire to both fit in and retain a sense of your own identity.

Birch is an instantly appealing heroine - although offering scathing opinions on the outside world, and mocking her classmates for their herd mentality, she shows that beneath the brash exterior beats a wounded heart.

In her character's quieter moments, Birch exposes Enid's pain with heartbreaking clarity.

The romance with Buscemi's eccentric is deftly played. Their dialogue expertly reflects the aching pain of rejection and their buried self-loathing.

The screenplay crackles with explosive one-liners, providing the terrific ensemble cast with bountiful opportunities to shine.

Johansson offers solid support, and there are wonderful cameos from the likes of Bob Balaban and Illeana Douglas.

Ghost World will probably be lost in the Harry Potter hoopla, which is a pity.