Private Project

My Grandmother Passed Away Last Night

Three absurd, seemingly unrelated stories each tell a different tale about people processing grief, and about the people around to witness it.

  • Gustav Wärn
    Director
    Samma Mynt (2022), The Rain (2021), PARANOIA ¡ (2020)
  • Gustav Wärn
    Writer
    Samma Mynt (2022), The Rain (2021), PARANOIA ¡ (2020)
  • Gustav Wärn
    Producer
    Samma Mynt (2022), The Rain (2021), PARANOIA ¡ (2020)
  • Henrik Norman
    Key Cast
    "Man In Bar"
    The Sugar Experiment (2023)
  • Pascal Perico
    Key Cast
    "The Drenched Man"
    Brexit: The Uncivil War (2019)
  • Isabell Andén
    Key Cast
    "The Assistant"
    Alias Nathalie (2019), The Rage (2020)
  • Fredrik Petersson
    Key Cast
    "The Bartender"
  • Gustav Wärn
    Key Cast
    "The Barista"
    The Rain (2021)
  • Beata Schori
    Key Cast
    "Sofie"
    Pyro (2020)
  • Per Lundström
    Key Cast
    "The CEO"
    Wallander (2008), När Tårarna Fallit (2014)
  • Jonas Eneskär
    Director of Photography
    Thin Blue Line (2022)
  • William Carp
    Music Composer
    Samma Mynt (2022)
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Min Mormor Gick Bort Igår
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, Absurdist Drama, Heightened Realism
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes 52 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 7, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    100,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Sweden
  • Country of Filming:
    Sweden
  • Language:
    English, Swedish
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, Arri Alexa Mini
  • Aspect Ratio:
    4:3 & 2.35:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Gustav Wärn

Gustav Wärn (born May 15, 2001) is a Swedish writer and director. He has directed such films as 'Min Mormor Gick Bort Igår' (2023), 'Samma Mynt' (2022), 'The Rain' (2021), 'PARANOIA' (2020), and more.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

My name is Gustav Wärn, and I am the writer, director and producer behind this film. I would like to concisely describe the film that we have made.

SYNOPSIS:
A man walks calmly into a café drenched in rain from the storm raging outside, without neither coat nor umbrella, and has a strange interaction with the barista involving a cinnamon bun; A woman attempts to serve coffee to a management group in an important meeting, but finds herself impossibly ignored; An old man falls into tears in an empty bar, and starts reciting a poem from his past. As it seems, all of their grandmothers passed away last night...

DIRECTOR'S VISION:
The film consists of three seemingly separate stories, each distinct in tone, format, time, and space. Each narrative reconnects to the others through symbols and narrative similarities, even though the characters and situations are separate. With each story, the audience gains a deeper insight into the theme being explored. Towards the end of the final narrative, the rug is pulled out from under the audience, revealing that what they thought the film was about was just a veil in front of the true overarching story - comprised of all three films as a trinity.

The theme of the film is processing of grief. This grief is initially presented as clear and tangible but becomes more abstract as the film progresses. The theme is explored by depicting the main characters of these three stories in various stages of their grieving process. Through increased realism and absurdist tragicomedy, I hope to offer the audience an easier entry into the theme, engaging them to participate through interpretation.

INSPIRATIONS:
The inspiration for the film has been drawn, among other sources, from Roy Andersson's "Living" trilogy. Both the visual language and the narrative approach of increased realism have laid the foundation for the film's method of conveying the theme. Paul Thomas Anderson's "Magnolia" (1999) has also inspired the interweaving of different stories, although in this film, it is only on a symbolic level. The confusing and multifaceted narrative in the "New York Trilogy" by Paul Auster (1986) invites the audience to piece together what they are reading (seeing). This has influenced the structure in how new information is gradually "revealed," engaging the audience in their interpretation of the film.

DISTRIBUTION:
Our hopes for this film is for it to be featured and viewed by audiences of different ages on festivals, to convey that it is never to late to change your mind, or choose a new path in life. And also that grief is something that we all go through at one point or another in our lives, and even though it is horrible while you are in it, it always fades and heals eventually - and to let the audience know that they are not alone. We also hope to meet producers that are interested in the type of storytelling that we enjoy creating, and that we are able to create connections for future projects!

Thank you for your consideration. I and my team hope to see you on your festival!