Film Review – Swan Song (2021)

He’s the new Blade and plenty has already been said on the subject. We’re not going to add anything here except to say that, while it’s an exciting prospect, it could easily overshadow the reasons why Mahershala Ali is such a class act, one of the best on-screen actors working today. Green Book all put his range and magnetic presence on screen firmly in the spotlight, but none of those films were mega budget blockbusters. Neither is Swan Song, a modest, quiet movie which sees him play a man who finds a radical way to ensure his family’s happiness after his demise.

In the near future, Cameron (Ali) has a terminal illness, one which is making its presence increasingly felt. But he’s concealed it from wife Poppy (Naomie Harris), who is just emerging from the devastation of a family tragedy, and he needs to find a way to protect her from more suffering when he dies. At a new biotech firm, he talks to the enigmatic Dr Scott (Glenn Close) about her unique programme to create “duplicates” – essentially avatars, complete with all the patient’s memories, who just slot into their lives without the family noticing. Their originals, meanwhile live out their days on a remote island owned by the company.

It’s an apparently simple premise, but one that comes fraught with questions and doubts, all of which intensifies the pressure on Cameron. The idea appeals initially, but can he genuinely handle being literally replaced by an inanimate object masquerading as him, even if it means that his wife and little boy will be happy? Matters come to a head when he meets his “duplicate”, known as Jack (Ali again), in one of the most commanding scenes of the film. Cameron’s angry roar of “You are not me!” as he fights to balance his own emotions with the needs of the people he loves the most stays with you long after the titles have rolled.

From the audience’s perspective, the concept isn’t entirely watertight. Such a procedure must be expensive, making Cameron a staggeringly well paid graphic artist. It’s never mentioned, but presumably the scientists behind the “duplicates” also make sure their creations smell the same as their originals, although when Cameron’s dog sees him with Jack, it’s deeply confused and never attempts to sniff one or other of them. It doesn’t quite make sense. But those are minor niggles in a film which, as the debut feature of director/writer Benjamin Cleary, impresses on a number of levels, from its stylish cinematography to its combination of dignity and heart-on-sleeve emotion.

The small cast is precisely chosen, with Ali at his powerful best (a performance that’s already won him a Golden Globe nomination), constantly torn between dealing with his own future and what it means for his loved ones. He’s reunited with his Moonlight co-star Naomie Harris in a convincing partnership, one with its ups and downs but always with love as its foundation. Perhaps most interesting is Awkwafina in a smaller role – too small – as another patient, now living out the remainder of her life on the island and providing a deadpan humour that doesn’t so much lift the melancholy tone but complement it. Science may drive the narrative of the film, but it never undermines or overwhelms the human dilemma and emotions at its core. It adds up to a powerful, thoughtful watch.

★★★★

Drama | Cert: 15 | Cinemas and Apple TV+, 17 December 2021 | Dir. Benjamin Cleary | Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, Glenn Close, Awkwafina, Adam Beach.