Swan Song Review

Todd Stephens’ Swan Song is one of two recent films to be called Swan Song. Stephens’ film is an LGBT-themed drama set in his hometown of Sandusky, Ohio.

Patrick “Pat” Pitsenbarger (Udo Kier) is a retired hairdresser who lives in a nursing home. When he finds out one of his former clients has died, a lawyer requests Pat’s services with an offer of $25,000 to do her hair for the funeral. After one incident too many at the home, Pat breaks out and goes into town. Pat is forced to face his past and see how much the world has changed.

Swan Song premiered at the 2021 South-by-Southwest Film Festival and it has earned nominations from the Independent Spirit Awards, and GLAAD Media Awards. It was a quirky yet heartfelt film about an elderly man having one last hooray, or a swan song if you will.

Swan Song was a character-driven film that explored change, betrayal, and liberation. It was a journey for Pat to break out of the drab and mundane life of the nursing home to relive something close to his glory days. Pat experienced a transformation from a bored man in grey sweat clothes to a flamboyant gentleman with an outlandish sense of dress.

A scene early in the film that showed Pat going through a change was when he went to a gas stop store. Pat goes in to buy cigarettes and the change in his demeanour was immediate. His voice and mannerism became camper and more confident. He was an old gay queen who was back in his element.

As the film progressed Pat slowly put on his old attire. He puts on more and more of his old rings, a pink hat, and eventually a more fitting outfit. As one character described him, he was the Liberace of Sandusky.

Whilst Pat was changing back into his old self, he also experienced the changes to Sandusky and to society since he was put in the nursing home. Many of the locations he had known had changed, like his former beauty supply store, and one of his preferred products had been discontinued. Many of these changes brought about sadness for Pat.

Society had also changed. Pat experienced a lot of discrimination and a lack of rights. He suffered from this. Gay couples are now luckier than Pat and his partner, David. Gay couples can marry and gain all the rights that they entail, including inheritance rights and adopting children.

Betrayal was another theme of the film. Pat had been betrayed by many people in his life. David’s nephew inherited the home Pat and David built and he kicked Pat out of his home. Pat was also betrayed by his former assistant, Dee Dee (Jennifer Coolidge) because she set up a rival saloon and poached many of his clients. Pat was resentful toward Rita (Linda Evans) for her betrayals and initially refused to perform her last request. This served as Pat’s moral dilemma throughout the film.

Swan Song does play like a road movie. Pat does go from place to place and meets various people. Swan Song condensed the journey down to one day and it took place in a small American city. Pat meets people from all walks of life, like a religious woman, the people who brought his house, and members of Sandusky’s gay community. One of the best interactions was when Pat got a lift from a religious woman because she showed sympathy towards the old man, despite being open about her religion.

Like a road movie, Pat gets up to a load of antics on his day out. He went out with little money so he had to get inventive to get things he wanted and needed. One of my favourite moments in the film was when Pat went driving an electric wheelchair down the main road. Also like in a road movie, Pat had a reflective experience because he goes back to locations that were important to him and reflected on his relationship with David.

Udo Kier is an actor who has had a long career in Europe and America. He has been in indie films, B-Movies, and major Hollywood movies. He gave a terrific performance as this ageing man who had suffered. He was defiant in the care home whilst also showing compassion to one of his fellow residents. Out in Sandusky Pat was a fun presence but he had experienced pain throughout his life and his tour around town leads to him becoming emotionally overwhelmed.

Swan Song was a well-made and compelling drama that was centred around a wonderful main character.