''Swan Song'' is a 2021 American

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

film, written, directed, and produced by

Todd Stephens Todd Stephens is an American film director, writer, and producer. He was raised in Sandusky, Ohio, which has served as the setting for several of his films, many of which are gay-themed. He both wrote and produced the autobiographical coming out ...

. It stars

Udo Kier Udo Kierspe (born 14 October 1944), known professionally as Udo Kier, is a German actor. Known primarily as a character actor, Kier has appeared in more than 220 films in both leading and supporting roles throughout Europe and the Americas. He ...

Jennifer Coolidge Jennifer Audrey Coolidge (born August 28, 1961) is an American actress known for her roles in comedic film and television particularly in ''American Pie'' film series (1999–2012), ''Legally Blonde'' film series (2001–2003) and the HBO anth ...

Linda Evans Linda Evans (born Linda Evenstad; November 18, 1942) is an American actress known primarily for her roles on television. In the 1960s she played Audra Barkley, the daughter of Victoria Barkley (played by Barbara Stanwyck) in the Western tele ...

Michael Urie Michael Lorenzo Urie (born August 8, 1980) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of Marc St. James on the ABC dramedy television series ''Ugly Betty''. He can be heard as Bobby Kerns in ''As the Curtain Rises'', an original podcas ...

, Ira Hawkins, and Stephanie McVay. It had its world premiere at

South by Southwest South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, ...

on March 17, 2021. It was released in a

limited release __FORCETOC__ Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few theaters across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unit ...

on August 6, 2021, prior to

video on demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of ...

on August 13, 2021, by

Magnolia Pictures Magnolia Pictures is an American film distributor. It is a subsidiary of Mark Cuban and Todd Wagner's 2929 Entertainment 2929 Entertainment, LLC. is an American integrated media and entertainment company co-founded by billionaire entrepreneur ...

Plot

Retired hairdresser Pat Pitsenbarger, once renowned as the "

Liberace Władziu Valentino Liberace (May 16, 1919 – February 4, 1987) was an American pianist, singer, and actor. A child prodigy born in Wisconsin to parents of Italian and Polish origin, he enjoyed a career spanning four decades of concerts, recordi ...

of Sandusky", takes a long walk to style his former client's hair for her funeral.

Cast

Release

The film had its world premiere at

on March 17, 2021. Prior to,

acquired worldwide distribution rights to the film. It was released in a

on August 6, 2021, prior to

on August 13, 2021.

Reception

''Swan Song'' received positive reviews from film critics. On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, the film holds a rating of 65 out of 100, based on 26 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Accolades

On December 14, 2021, Udo Kier was nominated for an

Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead The Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead was an award presented annually at the Independent Spirit Awards to honor an actor who has delivered an outstanding lead performance in an independent film. It was first presented in 1985, with M. E ...

and Stephens for an

Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independen ...

. On January 21, 2022, the film itself was nominated for a

GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film – Limited Release The GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film – Limited Release is an annual award that honors films that received a limited release for excellence in the depiction of LGBT ( lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) characters and themes. It is o ...

References

External links

* * * {{Metacritic film 2021 films 2021 LGBT-related films 2021 independent films American independent films American LGBT-related films American drama films Films about death Films set in Ohio 2020s English-language films 2020s American films