Existence, Fragmented
In this film about loneliness and searching, we follow two unseen men through fragmented dialogues that take place between them over a longer period of time. As their vastly different views on life push them further and further apart, one of them slowly approaches an existential crisis, while the other gives up hope for change.
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Gustav WärnDirectorMy Grandmother Passed Away Last Night (2023), Samma Mynt (2022)
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Gustav WärnWriterMy Grandmother Passed Away Last Night (2023), Samma Mynt (2022)
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Gustav WärnProducerMy Grandmother Passed Away Last Night (2023), Samma Mynt (2022)
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Mikael AyeleKey Cast"Seeking"Stranger Things (2016 - 2025), Better Call Saul (2015-2022),
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Jamaine TaylorKey Cast"Cynical"Spread Yo Legs (2023), The Price for a Princess (2022)
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Alexandra Tyrefors CarleforsKey CastA Nearly Normal Family (2023)
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Edvard OlssonKey CastEagles (2019 - 2022)
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Rasmus KälvenstamKey CastEvil (2023-)
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Project Type:Short
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Genres:Drama, Art House
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Runtime:11 minutes 11 seconds
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Completion Date:August 31, 2024
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Production Budget:10,000 USD
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Country of Origin:Sweden
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Country of Filming:Sweden
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:1.85:1
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
Gustav Wärn (born May 15, 2001) is a Swedish writer, director and producer that started his career in filmmaking as a 16 year old. He has since then directed such films as 'Existence, Fragmented' (2024), 'Spread Yo Legs' (2024), 'My Grandmother Passed Away Last Night' (2023), 'Samma Mynt' (2022), and more.
What you are about to see is a very personal story about… well, a lot of things. But first and foremost, it is about loneliness amongst people. Have you ever felt like you are standing outside of your own life? And that sometimes you actually enjoy your self destructive behavior? Have you ever felt lonely even when you are surrounded by people? This film deals with all these themes, and more. It is comprised of fragmented dialogues between two characters which we don’t see for the majority of the film, that take place over a longer period of time.
I originally wrote these dialogues as short poems in dialogue form during my studies at Lund University where I was experiencing a very deep sensation of standing outside of my own life. But, the thing about loneliness, in my experience, is that it is not a strictly negative emotion. It can also be a tremendously powerful gateway into experiencing self reflection and beauty in small things; feeling deeply. Honestly, I prefer to describe what this film is about more as ‘vacuum’s in existence’ more than simply loneliness. These vacuum’s come in different shapes and colors during our life, but share a sense of feeling disconnected from the world. As if you are at a train station where you just jumped off a train, and you are waiting for the next one, but you are not sure when it is going to arrive.
These fragmented dialogues are the driving force of the film, but the film is also very much about the people in the city that our main character says he sometimes watches when he walks around by himself. The characters in these 9 vignettes all experience one of these ‘vacuums’, but they are all different from each other. In different stages of life, in different circumstances. My hope is to have captured the multifaceted nature of the feeling of loneliness.
Our two main character’s, who are having these dialogues, seem to be experiencing a great disconnect. They simply do not understand the other. And, just as in life, when you are surrounded by people you don’t truly connect to, it wears you out. Slowly, but surely.
I wanted to tell the story of all these people, and how they all live so close to each other, experiencing so very similar emotions, yet feel like they are the only person in the world that could possibly be feeling this much. I believe the narrative structure of this film is highly original, yet compelling and engaging.
Narratively, we have been inspired both by Paul Thomas Andersson’s deeply character driven style of filmmaking, and also the relationship between the leads in Bergman’s Persona. Visually, we have mostly taken inspiration from both Roy Andersson and his Living Trilogy, with its deadpan long shots of people, to truly see them in action, in relation to each other, but have found a more human, less comedic visual grip.
Our hopes for the future of this film is for it to be featured at well regarded festivals, in order to meet and network with other industry people, and hopefully get opportunities for financing for an upcoming feature film project that is in the works.
We thoroughly hope that you enjoy our film. Let it be your own little vacuum of self reflection.