Simply put, Swan Song is the most heartwarming film I have seen come out this year, and the greatest Udo Kier role/performance I've ever seen by a long shot. Though all film fans should know Udo Kier, since he's been appearing in things nonstop since the 60's, this is the perfect time to get to know him if you don't already. I came across this one on streaming (Hulu) with a friend and we are both so immensely glad we noticed it and decided to give it a chance. It's one of the my favorite movies of 2021.
The plot is a bit like The Peanut Butter Falcon, another fantastic heartwarming movie from a couple years back. Udo plays a regionally infamous stylist who's been rotting away in an old folks home, but upon a request to style an old client for her funeral, he decides to ditch the retirement community and go on a mission to acquire his old favorite products, in order to do the best possible job he can with his old friend's corpse!
Precious dark comedy, through and through. Never a dull moment. There are a few cast members and conversations that are a bit off-putting and pull you out of the movie a bit with their amateurish presence, but that aside this is a near-masterpiece for anyone can appreciate the sub-genre. It's really just entirely hilarious and endearing! Perhaps we need more movies about old people...and maybe more specifically, old gay men! So refreshing and fantastic.
