Swan Song (2021 | USA | 105 minutes | Todd Stephens)
The third film in writer-director Todd Stephens’ self-titled “Ohio Trilogy,” Swan Song is a both melancholic and meandering story of former hairdresser Patrick “Pat” Pitsenbarger who is called upon one last time to style the hair of a friend who has passed away. Pat is played by the great Udo Kier who is absolutely the best part of what is a regrettably mediocre film. Having seen Kier last year in The Painted Bird, a very different film with another bird title, it is a testament to his acting talent that he is able to seamlessly become an alcoholic hairdresser with a heart of gold. Kier is both humorously snarky while also imbuing the role with a genuine sense of sadness. This is primarily due to the fact that Pat is a uniquely tragic figure who grew up “proudly gay in a different era” as Stephens describes the character in the film’s Kickstarter campaign. He has since grown old and is living in a nursing home until the story kicks into gear to see him go on a mini road trip to do this last job. Low on funds and with limited means of transportation, he will have to hitchhike his way across Sandusky, Ohio to make sure he is in time for the funeral of an old friend.
The film definitely seems to have its heart in the right place and there is something narratively compelling to see a different type of queer story through older eyes. That the character is also based on someone Stephens had known makes for a sweet portrait of someone lost to time. It is both unique and willing to reflect on Mister Pat’s life in a way that the more typical coming of age story doesn’t get to look at. Unfortunately, that is where the film really begins to struggle. The narrative is both meandering and messy in a manner that never really finds a groove. Almost every scene is just Kier getting up to various shenanigans that rarely matter to the overarching story. They are almost entirely just diversions and distractions from a story that was crying out for a more focused framing. Any deeper reflections the film was grasping at get lost in the grinding of plot mechanics that make for a film of 90 percent filler.
The film also, and it is painful to say it, does not look like a professional product. Independently funded films can still look and feel like a beautiful piece of art on screen. Swan Song does not. It instead is visually flat and the shot construction is entirely banal. There is no vision or driving force to draw the viewer in. The only memorable moment occurs when Pat is riding down the road on a mechanical scooter without a care in the world about how much traffic he blocks. It is the most visually distinct and humorous moment that also builds up his character. Besides that one brief moment, there is just nothing to hold on to of substance. It is a fleeting experience, one that is primarily bolstered by a committed central performance from Kier and not much else to remember.
Swan Song is set to release sometime in 2021 from Magnolia Pictures.