Swan Song
Apple TV+As Apple wade their way into the film market, it is hard to understand what its end goal is. They are already a giant elsewhere; why they wish to involve themselves in projects like Greyhound and Finch, two satisfactory Tom Hanks vehicles, is unknowable. Ironic it may be that they produce the slight science-fiction, very grief-stricken feature Swan Song, it is comforting to know that there is another arena for creatives to fight in. Benjamin Cleary has a good swing of it with his feature debut, a story of terminal illnesses and the aid of technology in times of grief.
Contemplating that terminal frailty, Ali is clearly and expectedly the best part of the feature. His initial fall strikes a link between the relationship of always-online technology and the doomed terminal state he now finds himself in. Performing that fragile state incredibly well, Ali fights back against the slick designs and clinical feeling Swan Song often brings. Cameron Turner (Ali) is infused with technology. Even when he has found himself in beautiful surroundings or touching moments between him and his loved ones, he is still logged in. There is a wry design to that, but Cleary does not quite capture it. His utilisation of clones to fix the hole in the life of a loved one are just the crumpled notes of Charlie Brooker from his Black Mirror episode, Be Right Back. Ali and Naomie Harris are a far more convincing leading pair, probably because the focus of technology and evocation of memory in a host for the dead is lingering and engaging.
At least Swan Song is smarter than Black Mirror’s attempt at understanding the grief of losing a loved one and the despondent search to try and replace them. Turner is effectively replacing himself with himself, and Cleary bounces the moral terms and thoughts of that with exceeding quality and a charming captivation. With Glenn Close and Awkwafina featuring in the supporting cast, it would be remiss of Cleary to not use them with some variety or scope. He tries as best he can, but that detached and cold modern simplicity prevents that. Swan Song looks sleek, but its story is anything but. It is a capturing of emotional turmoil. Thick and fast emotions knock out a man who, seemingly, has it all.
Ali is impressive, no doubts about that, but Swan Song fails to form much around him. Seemingly scared of what may happen if the camera lingers on someone that is not Ali, or does not concern him, Cleary spends most of his focus and his finest scenes on the leading man. Swan Song could not survive without this performance, a spotty bit of science-fiction that elopes with simple ideas and combines them with the grief of being robbed of a future. Ali does exceedingly well to present Turner as a flawed man who does not deserve his terminal fate. The moral difficulty at the core of the feature is enticing enough to stick around for and digestible enough for Swan Song to work, but it falls a bit short of the real, disturbing messages Cleary is hoping to highlight.