Swan Song

"I first saw "Mr. Pat" Pitsenbarger on the dance floor of the Universal Fruit and Nut Company, showing off a sequined fedora that would make Bob Fosse blush. It was 1984, and I was a petrified 17-year-old, venturing into the local gay bar in my hometown of Sandusky, Ohio for the first time. Mister Pat was a revelation; proudly gay in a very different time. My new film Swan Song is a love letter to the man who changed my life by having the courage to be himself. It is the third installment of my "Ohio Trilogy" after the films Edge of Seventeen and Gypsy 83. " - Todd Stephens

In the framework of the virtual festival SXSW that we cover this year for the first time we could discover recently some films and in particular the new film of Todd Stephens with the excellent actor Udo Kier. It is interesting to see that the American independent cinema can continue to express itself freely and give voice to interesting directors like Todd Stephens who delivers here his fourth film after the little known Gypsy 83 (2001), Another Gay Movie (2006) and Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild! (2008) which put at the center of their story not only the current American society but also a moving look at homosexuality.

If the story of this film is set in Sandusky, Ohio, it is because it is the birthplace of this director who conceives his films in a totally independent way. In this case, Swan Song was created in part through a campaign on Kickstarter.

Swan Song shows the attachment of a director who ardently defends the homosexual cause and it is easy to understand when writing the script that an autobiographical part is at the center of the story. This film is inspired by a real character that the director met during his adolescence. It is thus similar to a whimsical and nostalgic road movie about the rediscovery of oneself.

We discover an old hairdresser (Udo Kier in one of his best roles) who escapes from his retirement home and embarks on an odyssey through his small town to do the hair of a rich dead woman for her funeral. His long journey will allow him to rediscover all his radiance and to cross paths with ghosts from his past as well as with old people he has known. Far from being only for a public defending the same cause as this director, Swan Song can be seen as a touching look at the passing of time and what we are really left with when the end of our life has come.

With a strong performance by Udo Kier and a cast of colorful characters, Todd Stephens delivers an engaging and entertaining chronicle and even has an unexpected ending that leaves viewers feeling good about themselves after seeing this original film that celebrates friendship as much as it does about feeling good about oneself regardless of one's sexual inclinations.

Swan Song
Written and directed by Todd Stephens
Produced by Todd Stephens, Stephen Israel, Eric Eisenbrey
Starring Udo Kier, Jennifer Coolidge, Linda Evans, Michael Urie, Roshon Thomas, Ira Hawkins, Annie Kitral, Tom Bloom, Eric Eisenbrey, Dave Sorboro, Bryant Carroll, Catherine L. Albers, Shanessa Sweeney, Ray Perrin, Shelby Garrett
Music by Chris Stephens
Cinematography: Jackson Warner Lewis
Edited by Spencer Schilly, Santiago Figueira W.
Production companies : Swan Song Film LLC
Distributed by XYZ Films
Release date: March 21, 2021 (SXSW)
Running time: 105 minutes

Seen on March 05, 2021 (press link within the SXSW festival)

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