An ex-violinist returns to music following the passing of her grandfather. She hyperfixates on mastering a song as a means of coping with her grief, losing herself and those close to her in the process.
Elegy for My Grandfather is a drama film that follows Irena, a former violinist, as she navigates the recent death of her grandfather. We begin the film in Irena’s dreams, where she hurriedly walks through an ambiguous location in Prague with no clear destination in mind. There, she runs into an older male figure playing on a street piano. She rests her hand on the man’s shoulder and he looks up. It’s her grandfather. They share a look of recognition before she wakes from the dream, alone in her messy, claustrophobic apartment. This dream is what sets off Irena’s obsession with relearning a violin piece from her past. Throughout the course of the film, we see Irena hyperfixate on mastering the piece as a means of coping with her grief. However, as she does so, she further isolates herself from everyone in her life, including her family who makes efforts to reconnect. By the end of the film, we see a broken down Irena play the violin section in front of her grandfather’s grave.
Directed by Julia Song (USA)