What Is Giliap About?
The premise of Giliap in 318 words, with nothing given away. The full story follows below.
In a secluded port town, a modest hotel‑restaurant drapes itself in a persistent grayness. Its manager, bound to a wheelchair yet projecting an inflated sense of authority, steers the staff with a stern, almost desolate rhythm. The halls echo with the clink of cutlery and the low hum of unspoken expectations, creating a world where every gesture feels measured and every smile is scarce. The atmosphere is as much a character as the people who move through it, shaping a mood that is both intimate and oppressive.
Into this setting arrives an unnamed male waiter, W, whose quiet demeanor contrasts sharply with the establishment’s rigid order. He quickly forms uneasy alliances with two striking figures: Anna, a confident waitress whose presence brings a fleeting spark of warmth, and the Count, a manipulative plate‑cleaner whose charm masks a darker edge. Their interactions are layered with unspoken power plays, subtle flirtations, and a lingering sense that each is searching for something beyond the restaurant’s walls.
Behind the polished service lies a simmering current of ambition and desperation. The staff whisper about a risky scheme that could alter their constrained lives, a plan that teeters on the edge of legality and threatens to draw the police’s attention. Anna confides in W that she wishes to sever a taxing, intimate tie to the Count, hoping he will aid her in breaking free. His refusal plants a seed of tension, hinting at deeper currents of loyalty, desire, and fear that pulse beneath their everyday routines.
As the night settles over the dimly lit dining rooms, the trio navigates a fragile balance between duty and yearning. Each character carries a private longing that the bleak environment both conceals and amplifies, leaving the audience to wonder how far they will go to escape the confines of their roles and whether the shadows of the restaurant will finally give way to the light they each seek.
What Happens in Giliap?
The complete story of Giliap, from the first scene to the last, in 457 words (about 2 minutes). Spoilers throughout. Names in the text link to 3 cast member pages.
Spoilers ahead
In an unidentified Swedish port city, a man arrives to work as a waiter at the Hotel Busarewski, a place with a stern atmosphere and a manager who uses a wheelchair and projects an inflated self-image. He is housed in a small room and soon begins to serve guests under close supervision. He forms two unlikely friendships: Gustav “The Count” Svensson and Anna, a striking waitress who says she is only there temporarily and plans to move on to a seaside hotel.
After work one day, Anna takes the man to her borrowed apartment and tries to persuade him to run away with her somewhere. He resists and returns to his room. Later, [Gustav “The Count” Svensson] visits and unveils a plan that could bring them both a great deal of money. To pull it off, they must first free a friend of his who is in jail. The Count assigns the man the code name Giliap to use during the operation.
As time passes, Anna tries to have a deeper talk with Giliap. She finds him intriguing, yet he claims that his secret is that he doesn’t have any secrets. She confesses that she fears he will take all her feelings and then disappear, leaving her alone with the aftermath of their connection.
The rescue operation for the Count’s friend goes badly, hindered by poor preparation and ending in confusion. After fleeing the scene, the Count falls seriously ill. Lying in bed with colleagues gathered around, he asks for Anna—who is initially reluctant but eventually comes to his side, much to his satisfaction.
Later, Giliap buys a flower bouquet for Anna, but when he arrives at her apartment, he is told she has left for the seaside hotel. He goes there, finds her, and they share a quiet, emotional moment. They dine together in a room she shares with another girl who works at the same hotel, a moment of fragile tenderness amid growing tension.
The Count arrives at the seaside hotel and asks for whiskey, a small detail that hints at the creeping volatility of the night ahead. In the morning, Anna again tries to persuade Giliap to run away with her before she leaves for work. Outside, she encounters the Count, who shows her money but is rebuffed. He then draws a gun and shoots her.
Giliap and Anna’s roommate walk out to the beach and find the money scattered across the sand, beginning to collect it as a grim distraction. They soon discover Anna’s body buried in the sand, a shocking and tragic turn that shatters the fragile hope that lingered between the characters. After the tragedy, Anna’s friends depart on a train, leaving Giliap alone with the heavy consequences of the night.
Giliap Timeline: Every Key Event in Order
12 key events in the order they happen, from “Arrival in the port city and job at Hotel Busarewski” to “Friends leave by train; Giliap is left alone”. 12 events name a place, across 7 locations.
- 1
Arrival in the port city and job at Hotel Busarewski
A man arrives in an unidentified Swedish port city to work as a waiter at the Hotel Busarewski. He is installed in a small room and comes under the supervision of a strict, wheelchair-using manager with an inflated self-image. The arrival sets the stage for the social dynamics at the hotel.
When:Evening Where:Hotel Busarewski, port city
- 2
First shifts under a strict manager
He begins to serve customers under the watchful eye of the manager who has an exaggerated self-image. The environment is tense and formal, establishing the hierarchical tone of the hotel. Staff dynamics start shaping his relationships with colleagues.
When:Daytime Where:Hotel Busarewski
- 3
Meets two co-workers: The Count and Anna
The man befriends two co-workers: the talkative Gustav 'The Count' Svensson and the beautiful waitress Anna. Anna explains that she is only there temporarily and plans to move on to a seaside hotel. The Count's charisma hints at the schemes to come.
When:Evening Where:Hotel Busarewski
- 4
The Count reveals a plan and gives Giliap a code name
The Count discloses a plan to rescue a jailed friend that could bring them wealth. He assigns the code name 'Giliap' to the man for the operation. The setup foreshadows danger and the moral ambiguity of their scheme.
When:Evening Where:Hotel Busarewski
- 5
Anna questions secrets and feelings
Anna tries to talk with Giliap about his feelings. She senses mystery around him, while Giliap claims he has no secrets. She fears that he might take all her emotions and then vanish.
When:Evening Where:Hotel Busarewski
- 6
The botched rescue attempt and Count's illness
The rescue attempt for Count's jailed friend goes awry due to poor preparation, ending in confusion. The operation collapses, and The Count falls seriously ill, confined to his bed as colleagues gather around him.
When:Night Where:Count's hospital room
- 7
Count asks for Anna; she visits him
Later the Count, lying in his bed, asks for Anna. Anna is initially reluctant, but she eventually appears at his side, to his satisfaction. The moment deepens the emotional tension among the trio.
When:Night Where:Count's hospital room
- 8
Giliap buys a bouquet; Anna moves to a seaside hotel
Giliap buys a flower bouquet for Anna as a token. The Count informs him that she has left for a seaside hotel, prompting Giliap to go after her. He finds Anna again and they embrace, sharing a dinner in a room she shares with another girl.
When:Evening Where:Seaside hotel
- 9
Count arrives at the seaside hotel
The Count arrives at the seaside hotel and asks for whiskey, signaling his intrusive, possessive presence. His arrival unsettles Anna and Giliap and foreshadows rising tension. The dynamic among the trio remains unstable as money and control loom.
When:Evening Where:Seaside hotel
- 10
Morning confrontation: money, plea, and tragedy
In the morning, Anna tries to persuade Giliap to run away with her before she goes to work. On the street outside, The Count shows her money and she dismisses him. He then draws a gun and shoots Anna, ending her life.
When:Morning Where:Outside the seaside hotel
- 11
Discovery of Anna's body and the scattered money
Giliap and Anna's roommate leave a room and walk to the beach, where they find the money scattered across the sand. They also discover Anna's body buried in the dunes, a bleak culmination of the night's events. The mood shifts to stunned silence as the truth sinks in.
When:Morning Where:Beach near seaside hotel
- 12
Friends leave by train; Giliap is left alone
After the murder, Anna's friends depart by train, leaving Giliap alone with the consequences of the night's events. The film closes with his isolation and the sense that the episode has irrevocably changed him. The final image is of a man confronting loss and emptiness.
When:Afternoon Where:Train station
Who Are the Main Characters in Giliap?
5 characters, among them Giliap (Thommy Berggren), Anna (Mona Seilitz) and Gustav Svensson, 'Greven' (Willie Andréason): who each one is and the part they play in the story. Every profile links to the actor’s page.
- G(
Giliap (Thommy Berggren)
Played by Thommy Berggren
The unnamed newcomer who arrives as a waiter and becomes entangled with Anna and the Count. He is quiet and enigmatic, insisting he has no secrets, yet his choices reveal a longing for connection and meaning.
- 🕵️ Mysterious
- 🔎 Reserved
- 💭 Internal conflict
- A(
Anna (Mona Seilitz)
Played by Mona Seilitz
A beautiful waitress who treats her stay as temporary and dreams of a seaside hotel. She forms a wary bond with Giliap, hopes for escape, and is ultimately drawn into the danger around the Count.
- 💃 Beautiful
- 💔 Tragic
- 🎭 Complex
- GS
Gustav Svensson, 'Greven' (Willie Andréason)
Played by Willie Andréason
The Count-like schemer who drives the risk-taking plan to steal money. Charismatic and manipulative, he leans on others to realize his ambitions and collapses under the weight of his own plans.
- 🗝️ Cunning
- 💰 Greedy
- 🌀 Manipulative
- TV
The Vulture, 'Gamen' (Henry Olhans)
Played by Henry Olhans
A menacing figure who lurks in the background as a harsher, predator-like force within the hotel milieu. He embodies the seedy underside of the city's social world.
- 🦅 Predator
- 🗡️ Menace
- 🧭 Supporting
-
Girl at Summer Hotel (Pernilla August)
Played by Pernilla August
A younger hotel employee who represents the transient phase of life—the temporary worker who might move on. Her presence underscores the theme of fleeting opportunities and the human costs of pursuing wealth.
- 🧒 Youth
- 🔔 Temporary role
- 🧭 Transience
Where and When Is Giliap Set?
Where and when the story of Giliap unfolds, and why it matters.
Where
The story unfolds in a Swedish port city centered around a busy hotel where staff and guests mingle amid schemes. The Hotel Busarewski serves as the focal point for interactions, confidences, and plans that ripple through the main characters. A seaside hotel later appears, reinforcing the transient, working-life atmosphere of the characters involved.
- 🇸🇪 Swedish setting
- 🏨 Hotel life
- ⚓️ Port city
What Are the Themes of Giliap?
3 ideas the story keeps returning to, among them Money and crime, Love and loss and Secrets and identity.
-
01
Money and crime
Greed drives the Count to devise a scheme involving freeing a friend and orchestrating a theft. The plan falls apart due to poor preparation and conflicting loyalties, highlighting how quickly money-focused schemes unravel in a crowded hotel milieu. The final scattering of money on the beach becomes a grim symbol of hollow wealth and failed ambition.
-
02
Love and loss
Anna and Giliap's tenuous connection sits at the emotional core of the story, tempered by fear, longing, and the lure of escape. The promise of a fresh start clashes with the danger surrounding them, culminating in a tragic confrontation. The ending leaves Giliap alone with grief and the consequences of pursuing a fragile bond.
-
03
Secrets and identity
Giliap presents himself as someone without secrets, yet the plot reveals hidden motives and shifting loyalties beneath the surface. The code name and the ever-present plan illuminate how appearances mask deeper intentions. The film uses these secrets to explore how personal identity is shaped by the choices characters make under pressure.
What Kind of Film Is Giliap?
Bleak in tone, with slow pacing and a moderate story, going by the plot summary.
- Tone
- Bleak
- Pacing
- Slow
- Story
- Moderate
- Intensity
- Medium
- Ending
- Sad
A slow, oppressive drama that follows isolated characters in a grim restaurant setting, building a deeply melancholic and bleak atmosphere that culminates in a shocking and tragic act of violence.
- bleak
- melancholic
- lonely
- oppressive
- somber
- tragic
- futility
- unrequited connection
- crime gone wrong
- emotional isolation
Content notes: murder, gun violence.
Quiz
How well do you remember Giliap? Test yourself on the story.
