Year of Release: 2021
Director: Todd Stephens
Starring: Udo Kier, Jennifer Coolidge, Linda Evans, Michael Urie, Stephanie McVay, Tom Bloom, Justin Lonesome, Ira Hawkins, Thom Hilton, Shanessa Sweeney, Bryant Carroll, Shelby Garrett, Catherine L. Albers, Dave Sorboro
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
Watch it on Amazon
Synopsis and Review
Writer/director Todd Stephens who made a name for himself with the films "Another Gay Movie" and its sequel "Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild!", made a solid return to filmmaking with "Swan Song", which premiered in 2021 to fairly solid reviews. The film follows the story of Pat, a retired stylist/cosmetologist who is currently living in a retirement home. He is visited by the attorney of a former client, who has since passed away, and asked for Pat to do her hair one final time. Pat debates with himself doing so, since he and that client had a rather serious fall out. He decides to go for it, and on his way to the funeral home, he goes by a series of places that held some significance for him. He goes by the cemetery where his late partner is buried, he gets a makeover and a new suit, courtesy of a lady whom he helped and styled many years ago, and also visits the gay bar of the small town, where he also used to perform, and that is closing down its doors. Along the way he also reconnects with a former employee/protégé, with whom he has a love/disdainful relationship, and who took over most of his clients when his business started to die down. Pat gets to revisit a bit of his former life, as he nears the funeral home and has to reflect on his relationship with that client whom he feels wronged him.
It's easy to attest that "Swan Song" had a very meager budget. However, that does not take away from the fact that Todd Stephens manages to create an ode to an actor who has been a film chameleon for decades, and who has worked with so many world renowned film makers (Udo Kier has worked with directors as Paul Morrissey, Dario Argento, Robert Van Ackeren, Werner Schroeter, Miklos Jancso, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Lars Von Trier, Gus Van Sant, and the list goes on). Udo Kier manages to create a sensitive portrayal of a man who finds himself pushed out of a life he once had, and almost forgotten by everyone (and even himself). The Odyssey that he goes on, to battle the remnants of a client whom he thought was a friend, but who revealed herself to be flight and fearful, is also a way for him to say goodbye to a past and a life that no longer exists, and possibly bid farewell to the life he currently has. It's a tender look at someone's life choices, which eventually reveals more layers as to whom the character actually is, without ever being maudlin or overly manipulative. The film could have benefited from providing some more dimension to the supporting characters, particularly Jennifer Coolidge's Dee Dee, and even Linda Evans' Rita, but the central attention is without question Pat, and his opportunity to also witness how much the world has changed while he was secluded waiting for the death to come by. The cast supports the narrative solidly, with the wonderful Udo Kier getting good support from Jennifer Coolidge, Linda Evans, Michael Urie and Stephanie McVay. The production team is not necessarily the most memorable, but the film is nonetheless fairly well executed. It is a solid character study for an actor who has been always widely underrated.
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