The Voicemail

Tinna Grönfeldt

“The Voicemail” is a short film that touches on the subject of change and loss and aims to evoke the emotion of nostalgia and longing for reconnection. The story is told from a first person´s perspective and is an artistic expression of the filmmaker´s emotions that followed a challenging event in her life. The viewers follow the narrator as she leaves a voicemail to her late grandfather. She uses the voice message to reflect on old times and to fill him in on what he has been missing. The shots feature the filmmaker´s day to day life in a new city, her perspective, and experiences. It is not obvious at first that her grandfather has passed away. The storyline makes it seem as if they have not been in touch for a while rather than explicitly say that he has, in fact, passed away. It is not until the very end that the viewer realizes that he is no longer with her. The film uses slow ambient music and long shots to create an atmosphere that compliments the narration.

The short film was inspired by conversations that the filmmaker had with her grandfather on her way home from school every day, for months, after his passing. This was a way of coping with her loss. The film was created as a final goodbye. It also takes a positive and heartwarming spin on what society generally deems as a dramatic experience.