If there was ever a perfect gay road trip movie or maybe the gay version of Jack Keruoac’s. “On The Road,” then it’s a film by director Todd Stephens called Swan Song starring the fabulous Udo Kier… a leading man at 76 years old! It’s also one hell of an indie film. It’s heartwarming, it’s emotional, it’s hilarious, and more importantly inspirational for those who are in the twilight of their years and might have forgotten that, yes, they too can have one last swan song! Even as over the top as it might have been with its lead character, I still loved this film. I’ll just tell you that right now and I certainly think it’s a must-see film for 2021 especially after the pandemic. It’s a film, we need as we try to get back to a somewhat normal society. The story is about a retired hairdresser living in a depressing and mundane nursing home as the best years of his life are behind him.  Then he gets one last curtain call to do the hair of one of his beloved patrons before her funeral, so he breaks free of his depressing existence and embarks on a journey across small-town America to do one last job and rediscover his zeal for life in the only way a flamboyant gay man can. Road trip movies are supposed to inspire the audience. Some fail, some hit it out of the park, this one does the latter.

When I review movies, I always talk about what I think is perfect casting. I don’t know if given the premise of this movie I would have automatically thought about Udo Kier being the leading man because he’s been so great as a villain over his 50-year career. It’s easy to immediately think of Nathan Lane or the late Robin Williams for a role like this, but Udo is perfect and you will understand that in the first 5 minutes of this film and especially when he breaks out of the nursing home and starts his journey. Of course, hanging out with the man and getting to party with him at a film festival will convince anyone he’s perfect for this type of role.

Todd Stephen has crafted a fabulous story based on a man that he knew in his hometown who wasn’t afraid to be gay when many were still hiding in the closet and more importantly wasn’t afraid to be himself, therefore inspiring, I’m sure, more than one closeted gay boy that it’s okay to be who you really are and not “give a fuck” about what other people think. Udo’s character, Pat, in the movie perfectly embodies that and it’s easy to see where Todd Stephen drew his inspiration when writing and directing this film. But as much as Udo takes center stage in this film, the rest of the cast does a sensational job from Jennifer Coolidge to indie film actors that you may not have heard of or real life people who just happen to be in this film and are not really actors at all. It’s a beautifully shot film that shows the last hurrah of a character seemingly waiting for death, but needed one last swan song.

Now it’s not a perfect film, of course, I have minor critiques as a film critic. Sometimes the over-the-top antics of the main character take away from the subtle dramatic moments that really make it a beautiful film. Sometimes these antics are necessary to drive the story as when he’s dancing in the gay nightclub. But sometimes the true beauty in a film is when the characters are quiet and subtle and there isn’t much going on, but yet convey so much emotion that it intensifies the drama. Now there are a lot of beautiful scenes in this film that are like that. Such as the one with Udo and the old woman who gives him a ride to the church. But other than a few minor critiques that could probably have been fixed in editing, there’s no denying that the performances are beautiful and uplifting. There’s no denying that this story is heartwarming and inspirational, especially for old gay men who might have spent half their lives in the closet and may still get a chance to rediscover their passion for life. I don’t think Swan Song is meant to be an activist film, but in its own way it is that because no matter what your sexuality is or what you did in life, it’s easy to get into a rut in your twilight years, but then something could come along that will bring back your zeal for life. And I think it’s a great tribute to the men and women who are very much like Mr. Pat, the inspiration for Todd Stephens to be who you are and live a full life while not giving a shit what other people think, the ultimate “fuck you” to bigots and judgmental jealous people who want to tear you down because they can’t have what you have. That’s a beautiful underlining message in this film as well.  But this is definitely wonderful as the story and Udo Kier made it even better by his fabulous acting.