David Lynch’s 22 Strangest ‘Otherworld’ Characters
19. The Grandmother: The Grandmother
The motives of otherworld characters are often ambiguous in Lynchs films, with their cryptic clues often seeming to hinder, rather than help, the characters that they speak to. However, The Grandmother (from Lynchs early short film of the same name) holds no such uncertainties. She is the first in a long line of heroic female Lynch figures that offer guidance and love to those that seek them out. The films story involves a young boy (Richard White), abused and rejected by his parents, who plants seeds in his garden and grows a loving grandmother. While The Grandmother (played by Dorothy McGinnis) seems to encourage him to have some very dark thoughts including executing his parents she is predominantly a caring and comforting character whose presence makes the boy feel cherished and happy. No one else knows about her, and she seems to exist solely for him. When she dies, perhaps indicating the death of the boys infantile imagination, he is devastated. This otherworldly character that had looked out for him for so long is gone, and he must face the unpleasantries of the real world without his angelic saviour.
