Just Like Heaven

David Abbott inherits a sun-drenched apartment in San Francisco's Presidio Terrace, hoping to renovate it for profit. Instead of a quiet move-in, he finds the space occupied by Elizabeth Masterson, a spirited medical student who insists she is alive while vanishing whenever David looks away directly.

Mark Waters directs this romantic fantasy where a workaholic architect and a spirit-bound woman form an unlikely bond. The film navigates the tension between skepticism and belief as David tries to prove Elizabeth is a ghost, only to discover her consciousness is trapped in a coma within the very walls they share. [edit]

David Abbott, a high-strung architect obsessed with his career, moves into a pristine apartment at 3601 Washington Street in San Francisco. His plans for renovation hit a snag immediately when he encounters Elizabeth Masterson, a free-spirited medical student who claims the home as her own. She appears vibrant and real, yet she disappears instantly whenever David breaks eye contact or turns his back. To anyone else in the building, Elizabeth is invisible, leading David to conclude that his new property is haunted.

The dynamic shifts from hostile suspicion to a tentative friendship as Elizabeth helps David navigate his lonely life. He is isolated by grief over his late wife and an addiction to work, while she is stuck in a limbo state, unable to leave the apartment but able to roam the city unseen. They bond over their shared solitude, sharing moments of genuine connection that defy the absurdity of their situation. David begins to treat her not as a poltergeist but as a person with a future, while she learns to accept the possibility of returning to a physical body.

The mystery deepens when David discovers the truth: Elizabeth was involved in a car accident shortly after moving in and has been in a coma since then. Her consciousness remains active within the apartment, projecting herself into the world only when unobserved. Meanwhile, hospital staff including Dr. Brett Rushton and Dr. Walsh prepare to withdraw life support, believing there is no hope for her recovery. David races against time to save her, fighting the medical establishment to prove that love can bridge the gap between the living and the dying before the final plug is pulled.[edit]