*Mourning Glories is unavailable for Online Release, please get in contact for more details on where it is being screened at this time*
Whilst preparing a body for burial, Mortician Debbie Douglas is interrupted by Peter, a recent widower. Debbie’s perception of love and life is changed forever, as she helps Peter say goodbye to his late wife.
This heartfelt comedy-drama is a celebration of love, set in a location dedicated to death.
Crowdfunding
This Film was made thanks to our successful Crowdfunding Campaign! Our 166 supporters made this film possible. You can check out our Crowdfunder page here, and follow us on Instagram here!
With this funding, we were able to build our very own Mortuary…
Behind The Scenes
The set build included the hallway, the preparation room, and the refrigerator room. Creating this space required great trust in Production Designers Luke Hancock and Ella Mainard.
In Pre-Production we devised the space using a scale model and technical drawings. Major props were hired (Mortuary table) many others were crafted by hand (Embalming Machine).
Research
Much research was conducted during pre-production for this short film. Producers Keira Billington, Freya Newland, and I visited Poole Hospital Mortuary to get a better understanding of the space, and to interview the people who worked there.
Whilst writing the film, I read Mortician Caitlin Doughty’s books. Her femininity, humour, and outlook on life and death, informed the character of Debbie.
In many ways, women are death’s natural companions. Every time a woman gives birth, she is creating not only a life, but a death. Samuel Beckett wrote that women “give birth astride of a grave.” Mother Nature is indeed a real mother, creating and destroying in a constant loop.
Caitlin Doughty, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory
The soft colours of the set, the playful notes of the score, and the delicateness of the makeup montage, are all very feminine in nature. Debbie’s Morgue is a reflection of her personality. We as the audience, are simply visiting her world.
