A stoic, moving film about working through anticipatory grief and coming to the realization that some things are bigger than ourselves.

| Original Score: B+ | Jan 4, 2023

Cameron (Mahershala Ali) is dying, and to save his family from grief, he agrees to being cloned with all his memories except the ones that would tell him he is a duplicate. The plot has similar ideas to FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED, and also MOON.

| Original Score: 6/10 | Sep 18, 2022

Swan Song is sci-fi at its most stripped down and stirring, with the masterful Mahershala Ali (in his first lead role!) rooting the drama in grounded emotional realism.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Sep 1, 2022

I found the rather intriguing idea behind the film did not resonate with me. It was almost as if I was not even watching humans.

| Original Score: 2.5/5 | May 29, 2022

Is humanity’s beauty irrevocably tied to its contingency and potential for real loss and suffering? Swan Song helps us think through these questions in a moving, life-affirming way.

| May 6, 2022

Just as half-baked as its unfinished poster promises.

| Original Score: ZERO STARS | Feb 22, 2022

Swan Song captures attention by that focused concentration but mostly through Mahershala Ali's very presence on the screen in both roles.

| Feb 18, 2022

"Mahershala Ali just received a well-deserved BAFTA nomination for his dual role in this soulful, secretive, syrupy sci-fi drama."

| Original Score: 7/10 | Feb 5, 2022

"Swan Song" is an emotionally gripping sci-fi drama, with a powerhouse performance by Mahershala Ali. Not to be missed!

| Jan 24, 2022

"Swan Song" appears incomplete, leaving out crucial details and then ending abruptly. Nevertheless, Ali has become one of our most reliable and exciting actors, so his performance is a standout in an otherwise tepid film.

| Original Score: B- | Jan 19, 2022

The drama may be all-inclusive with its existential dread, but the choices and implications considered and then enacted are strenuous yet sublime.

| Original Score: 5/5 | Jan 17, 2022

Swan Song is meant to be a celebration of life, but writer-director Benjamin Cleary's chilly, chic approach means the film itself never comes alive.

| Jan 15, 2022

Swan Song is a powerful, evocative story told in a measured, almost matter-of-fact fashion.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jan 7, 2022

When one performer plays identical characters in a movie, it's often a contorted acting showcase: from Dead Ringer (1964) all the way to Dead Ringers (1988). But rarely, if ever, has it been done with the nuance and composure of Mahershala Ali.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jan 6, 2022

A small miracle in which the smaller nuances are everything, and in which a tear emerging at the right moment is revealed as the best possible special effect.

| Jan 5, 2022

This is a moody and melancholic film, but one that successfully hits the emotional wallops it tees up.

| Original Score: 7 / 10 | Jan 4, 2022

The sci-fi drama Swan Song is somber and slow-paced ... It's a very well-acted film that handles its subject matter with sensitivity, but it should be avoided if you're not in the mood to see a movie about terminal illness and death.

| Jan 1, 2022

Mahershala Ali crafts two clearly defined characters, allowing for the movie to ask its familiar questions about how we define our humanity in a new way.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Dec 31, 2021

A strong double performance from Mahershala Ali anchors this sci-fi heart-tugger.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Dec 31, 2021

Cleary isn't that interested in plot twists or technology. Instead, he crafts a human drama about grief, identity and human relationships. Meanwhile, Ali explores the big themes with two taut and quietly gripping performances.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 30, 2021