Swan Song- Starring Mahershala Ali, Directed and Written by Benjamin Cleary

SWAN WONG is concerned with one giant question, how do you want to be remembered? It's the type of notion any human ought to ponder, one that gets stuck in my brain far too often. In Benjamin Cleary's debut as a director, he orchestrates a web of stories, people, and ideas into one holy masterpiece. He inhabits a fantastic four of Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, Awkwafina, and Glenn Close who in front of his lens use their talent and expertise to portray an array of human emotion- this movie is a waterfall of feelings and I was ready to chase them all.

I must admit this movie lands in my genre sweet spot.

Future? Check.

A-I? Check.

Cool buildings? Check.

Huge lakes? Check.

Unseen technology in practice? Check.

Glenn Close? Check.

It's eerily similar to the Anthony Mackie episode of Amazon's anthology series SOLO'S, it's unmistakably in the wheelhouse of one of my favorite creators Alex Garland (DEVS, Ex Machina), and to me, it has a shared sensibility to one Noah Baumbach who is always searching for the truth or at least the practice of trying to uncover it.

Swan Song is about a man (Ali) who suffers from debilitating seizures. They will kill him, and soon, but Glenn Close has a way so his wife (Harris) son (Dax Rey- who is great) and soon-to-be daughter won't be alone. They can genetically engineer a perfect duplicate, who after a week's worth of memory transfer, and interaction with the original human, can be placed into their lives seamlessly. BUT, he can't tell anyone. Not even, his lovely wife.

In a somewhat reuniting of sorts, as Ali and Harris were both Oscar-nominated (with Ali winning) for their roles in Barry Jenkins MOONLIGHT, their love story is at the center of this tale. From a "meet-cute", to a somber passing of Watt's twin brother (Nyasha Hatendi), the memory transfer sessions work as a perfect mechanism for us to learn about our main characters and their history together.

When Ali goes to the Glenn Close fortress of sorts, this modern mansion planted in what looks to be the pacific northwest, he tells his wife he had a business trip. She doesn't even know he's sick. And herein lies the tension of the movie. Their relationship is not great, it hasn't been for a while. Between her brother's death, Ali's inability to communicate, and Harris's serial depression the marriage is on the rocks.

The brilliance of this movie is the guilt the original man has in his shortcomings as a husband, and the clarity the new version of him inhibits on how to be better. That, is all I will say about that- because any more would spoil to me the best part of the film.

It is not concerned with the small questions. Does this new version of me age? Will they get sick? When they are awake do they still know everything I'm doing?

No, a lesser movie would work in scenes to answer some of these, but Cleary does us a favor and sticks to what really is important. How do we let go, how do we find peace in doing so? Those, are far more interesting, abstract, and arguably unanswerable questions- but we can try.