“Beloved” is the story of a child ghost who returns to human form to win back her mother’s attention. Although the movie will not scare your pants off, it does leave a haunting feeling that remains for days.

“Beloved” is an adaptation of Tony Morrison’s award-winning novel of the same name, and like the novel, the movie is confusing.

Some people may be disappointed with what they see, especially since “Beloved” has been hyped as a potential Academy Award-winning boost for both Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover.

However, “Beloved” does get the audience thinking by retelling the history of slavery with a powerful ghost story that never could be found in an American history textbook.

Winfrey stars as Sethe, a runaway slave living in a house haunted by the ghost of her dead daughter. Why the baby torments Sethe and her youngest daughter, Denver (Kimberly Eisle), is as big a mystery as why the baby died.

Answers to these questions do not come until the end of the movie, but it is clear that Sethe has a secret tightly locked up inside her.

Paul D. (Glover), a former slave from the same Southern plantation Sethe escaped from, wants Sethe back into his life. His arrival somehow chases the ghost out of the house and opens the door for Sethe, Paul D. and Denver to form their own family-like bonds.

Their developing relationship is suddenly put on hold when a sick young woman appears at Sethe’s house. The only words she has the strength to speak are the letters of her name, Beloved (Thandie Newton). Not so coincidentally, “Beloved” is the same word engraved in the baby ghost’s gravestone.

As Beloved returns to “health,” it becomes quite apparent that something is a bit off about her. For one, Beloved has the body of a woman but the mind and mannerisms of a toddler.

Denver immediately figures out who Beloved actually is, but Sethe and Paul D. are too wrapped up with each other to pay as much attention to Beloved.

Beloved begins to perform supernatural tricks on the family members, particularly on Paul D. Her presence brings a number of past secrets back to the surface, including their tortures at the “Sweet Home” plantation.

Memories are revealed to the audience in a massive flood of flashbacks, pained faces and slow-motion actions.

Much of the movie’s confusion revolves around whether Beloved is actually a ghost. The story of a spirit returning as a living human being is almost too ridiculous for a movie otherwise based on historical events.

But the real question swimming around in people’s minds is whether Oprah really can act. After watching “Beloved,” the answer is an enthusiastic “Yes.”

Her celebrity status wears off within the first moments of the film when the audience sees her popping a tortured dog’s eyeball back into its socket.

At times, Oprah was out-performed by her co-stars, Newton and Eisle. Both are relative newcomers to the big screen, but each gives a jaw-dropping performance. Newton especially shined in a difficult role, which required her to mimic the facial expressions of a toddler.

“Beloved” may need to be watched more than once to completely understand, but every effort is worth it. The movie is a remarkable mix of the supernatural and earthy, and deserves all the Academy Award buzz it is garnering.

4 1/2 stars out of five

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Teresa Halvorsen is a senior in journalism and mass communication from Northwood.