Swan Song

"A thought-provoking exploration of love, loss, and sacrifice."

2021 1h 52m EN

👍

7.1

SOLID

🍅

80%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

6.8

IMDB

★7.1TMDB · 624🍅80%Rotten Tomatoes●66Metacritic★6.8IMDB · 19,139

DramaScience Fiction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In the near future, Cameron Turner is diagnosed with a terminal illness. Presented with an experimental solution to shield his wife and son from grief, he grapples with altering their fate in this thought-provoking exploration of love, loss, and sacrifice.

“A thought-provoking exploration of love, loss, and sacrifice.”

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Where to watch · US

Apple TVSubscription

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Cast

Mahershala Ali
Cameron Turner
Naomie Harris
Poppy Turner
Awkwafina
Kate
Glenn Close
Dr. Eve Scott
Adam Beach
Dalton
Lee Shorten
Rafa
Dax Rey
Hugo
Nyasha Hatendi
Andre

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Benjamin Cleary
Writers: Benjamin Cleary
Languages: French, English
Countries: United States of America, Ireland

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 5 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Ireland.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Benjamin Cleary, shot by Masanobu Takayanagi. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Jay Wadley. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Nathan Nugent shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Mahershala Ali and Naomie Harris and Awkwafina carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A thought-provoking exploration of love, loss, and sacrifice.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Benjamin Cleary directs. Masanobu Takayanagi behind the camera. Jay Wadley scores. Nathan Nugent cuts. Produced in United States of America, Ireland. Dialogue in French, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 5 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, English.
3International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Ireland.
4Directed by Benjamin Cleary, shot by Masanobu Takayanagi. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Jay Wadley. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Nathan Nugent shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Mahershala Ali and Naomie Harris and Awkwafina carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "A thought-provoking exploration of love, loss, and sacrifice.".
9IMDB entry: tt13207508 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 9 themes, including "future", "afterlife", "implanted memory", "mysterious".

The technical file

Cinematography: Masanobu Takayanagi
Original score: Jay Wadley
Editing: Nathan Nugent
Production design: Annie Beauchamp
Costume design: Cynthia Ann Summers
Makeup / hair: Zabrina Matiru
Sound: Steve Fanagan
Runtime: 112 min · 1h 52m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Swan Song (2021)
Rotten Tomatoes: 80% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 66/100
IMDB rating: 6.8/10 · 19,139 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award2 wins & 12 nominations total

Also by

Benjamin Cleary

Stills · wallpapers

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

r96sk2022-02-15
★ 7/10
<em>'Swan Song'</em> doesn't dig as deep as I thought it might have, though it is still a film I found to be intriguing. It has a fab cast list, with Mahershala Ali producing the goods in the lead role. Naomie Harris, Awkwafina, Glenn Close and Adam Beach also feature. I kinda feel like I wanted to see more of them, though that could just be as actors - rather than their characters, who are shown enough. This 2021 film holds a lot of heart so it's difficult not to attach yourself to the story, in that regard I particularly enjoyed the ending. It's a slow burn but never drags. 3* for me, it's worth a sit through I'd say.
maceojr2026-07-30
★ 10/10
This was one of Apple TV Absolutely best movies I’ve ever seen in my life. I loved the whole idea of the movie. The wonderful and beautiful cast, the storyline was everything. There were so heartbreaking scenes, but overall it was still the most amazing movie I ever seen. Would love to purchase it to have for a lifetime.