Swan Song is a slight, wistful film aided by an eccentric central performance from 77-year-old character actor Udo Kier – who papers over some of the drama’s narrative shortcomings. Kier is Pat Pitsenbarger, a resident at a care home in Sandusky, Ohio; following a stroke, he is losing his will to live, stealing serviettes and full of grumpiness. He is then thrown a lifeline: a chance to use his hair and makeup-styling skills with a former client who has passed away, Linda Evans’ wealthy socialite Rita Sloane.
So begins a sort of roadtrip, or stroll down memory lane, for Kier. This ‘Liberace of Sandusky’ revisits old haunts, friends and enemies before recovering his full Quentin Crisp-esque vibe. Based on the real-life Pitsenbarger, the film meanders somewhat, as Kier searches for a special shampoo, and revisits his old house and his dead lover David’s grave. There are also encounters with arch-rival Dee Dee – played with relish by Jennifer Coolidge – and a visit to the drag club where his Mr Pat persona once performed, sadly soon to become a gastropub.
A man out of time trying to get a grip on the way the world has changed, his reality fragmenting as he recalls incidents from his past, Pat meets up with Eunice, a former friend, still cruising for ‘talent’. Writer/director Stephens does get rather indulgent, testing the patience at times with some forced profundity and montages of previous moments. There’s a lack of real incident and some clumsy exposition in Swan Song but the cigarillo-smoking Kier proves a likeable guide through his picaresque history, campily raging into the dying of the light.
Dir: Todd Stephens (15, 104 mins)
Swang Song is out now in cinemas
words KEIRON SELF