SWAN SONG

Todd Stephens | USA | 2021 | 105 min | ENGLISH

Leaving behind his nursing home pastime of folding napkins – but keeping the Velcro shoes – true icon Pat Pitsenbarger (Udo Kier) embarks on a Wizard of Oz-like quest. He must gather beauty supplies in time to style his estranged friend and “demanding Republican monster,” Rita Parker Sloan (Dynasty star Linda Evans), before her funeral to secure a $25,000 commission.

Along the way, Pat will contend with rivals (including Dee Dee Dale, played by the inimitable Jennifer Coolidge), convene with Dickensian ghosts of the past, and bear witness to the incredible kindness of strangers in heatwave-afflicted Sandusky, Ohio. Confronted with changing times and the stark reminder of his partner’s death from AIDS, Pat must learn to see growth even in the ashes. Filled with delightful cameos by the likes of Ugly Betty alum Michael Urie, this huge-hearted film about loves lost and More cigarettes fabulously smoked is the most remarkable kind of feel-good film: one that keenly observes life’s shades, as well as its radiant light.