A devastating adaptation of a Roald Dahl short story, this 17-minute Wes Anderson short is an experiment in narration, but to a powerful emotional purpose. Speaking to the camera, a narrator (Rupert Friend) relays the story of two bullies who come across a younger boy while he is birding and proceed to torment him in diabolically cruel ways. A young actor (Asa Jennings) appears onscreen to represent this boy, named Peter Watson, but he never speaks. Meanwhile, at a crucial moment some ways in, Friend looks into the camera and says, “This happened to me 27 years ago. My name is Peter Watson.” When you also notice that the bullies themselves never visually appear (Friend voices their lines with a snotty whine), it becomes clear that the methods of narration in The Swan add protective layers, allowing the adult Peter to process his traumatic experience. Add some hauntingly tragic costume design by Kasia Walicka Maimone, an inspiring speech from an interrupting Dahl (Ralph Fiennes), and a crushing final line, and The Swan works as Exhibit A for Anderson detractors who claim he’s a cold, impersonal filmmaker. (Part of a collection of Anderson shorts adapted from Dahl, alongside The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, The Rat Catcher, and Poison.)
(11/2/2023)
