The Swan (II) (2023) User Reviews

Powerful stuff

[masonsaul · 8/10 · 2 October 2023]

The Swan is heartbreaking but ultimately powerful stuff, a story of never backing down or letting monstrous people win. It's uneasy viewing and definitely the darkest of the Wes Anderson Roald Dahl shorts in the most rewarding way possible.

Rupert Friend essentially carries this, narrating everything with almost no support until Fiennes' closing words that adds real power to it. Until then Friend is phenomenal, narrating at a fast speed with a real pain to his voice as he describes what is clearly a very painful memory.

Wes Anderson's direction works so well here, the whimsical world created contrasts so effectively against the dark nature and it's generally just so stunning. This fully artificial world that acts like a play is endlessly watchable and each short has been so unique.

From Dahl's Pen to Anderson's Lens: A Tale of Two Audiences in 17 min

[Ajaypattan · 8/10 · 29 September 2023]

Wes Anderson's "The Swan," a part of an impressive short film collection inspired by Roald Dahl's stories on Netflix presents viewers with a vivid adaptation of Dahl's tale resonating with Anderson's signature stylistic flair. Featuring a stellar cast including Asa Jennings as the young Peter Watson and Rupert Friend portraying the adult Peter the 17-minute narrative plunges into the unsettling account of young Peter's encounter with two bullies.

Throughout the film, Anderson's masterful touch is evident, blending live-action with animation seamlessly, giving life to Dahl's rich storytelling. Embracing a strong visual design, the film possesses Anderson's penchant for symmetry and direct camera engagement. Though the plot unfolds through narration, suggesting more of the cruelty than explicitly showcasing it, the experience felt immersive. Such is the potency of the narrative that at moments, it seems like a reading session of Dahl's story rather than a motion picture.

However, the film might not resonate with everyone, especially those unfamiliar or less appreciative of Anderson's unique style, which over the years has been refined and might come across as predictable to some. Nevertheless, for fans of Anderson and Dahl, "The Swan" stands as a testament to storytelling excellence, artfully presented and layered with nuanced details awaiting rediscovery upon subsequent viewings.

Beyond "The Swan," Anderson's other Dahl adaptations, notably "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar" and "Ratcatcher," further cements his prowess in translating Dahl's universe onto the screen.

In essence, "The Swan" is a captivating piece, masterfully bridging Anderson's cinematic artistry with Dahl's narrative brilliance.

Interesting, emotional and engaging

[grantss · 8/10 · 4 October 2023]

A young boy, Peter Watson, is harassed and essentially kidnapped by two vicious, heartless, gun-armed bullies. Peter is intelligent and a keen studier of wildlife, especially birds. His torment is heightened when the bullies turn the aim of their gun on a beautiful swan.

Another of Wes Anderson's four-episode short story-series, all adaptations of Roald Dahl stories. The others in the series are The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, The Rat Catcher and Poison.

Wes Anderson adapting a Roald Dahl story seems a perfect combination: the clever innocence of Dahl's writing, Anderson's whimsical, stylised direction. It's been done before, to great effect; 'Fantastic Mr Fox' (2009) was brilliant.

Here it works too, with Dahl's emotional story of innocence-meets-thuggery set to Anderson's clever backdrops and special effects and imbued with the usual Anderson whimsicalness and child-like atmosphere. Rupert Friend is great as the narrator.

Not perfect though. The film seemed set up for a powerful ending but this never came, just fizzling out. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar was similar - great journey, lacklustre destination. Hopefully this isn't a characteristic of all these films.

A short movie that forget its a short movie

[AvionPrince16 · 6/10 · 29 September 2023]

Im still not really a huge fan of this kind of narration: we follow a man who relate the story even the dialogues trough the whole short movie but what really annoyed me the most its that they forgot the most important thing in movies which is the visuals (im not talking about the set design)but it should show us and make us see and not make us imagine like it was a book or something. I really have a hard time following the story just because of this and its really weird to not show us more visuals when they talked and just let us think about it. For a book its normal but here its kind of frustrating. Its just like we read a book and turn the pages of it. But its ok i guess.

The story is pretty horrible and to think that it maybe really happen just make me mad and angry but it was ok for a short movie like this. Of course i love the set design and that particular style of Wes Anderson that i really like and whatever the stories are i will still be happy to see that kind of mise en scene and style. Nice anyway.

A shorter and simpler affair than The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, but that doesn't stop it from leaving a lasting impression

[dr_clarke_2 · 7/10 · 26 December 2023]

One of three shorter Wes Anderson adaptations of Roald Dahl stories made to accompany The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, The Swan represents one of Dahl's darkest, least pleasant tales. The plot sees Raymond and Ernie, a pair of bullies armed with a shotgun and happily shooting bird life indiscriminately, deciding to bully birdwatcher Peter Watson in the most disturbing way possible, first by tying him to a train track, then by shooting a swan, severing its wings, tying them to Peter, and forcing them to fly.

It's grim stuff, and in typically nasty Dahl style (at least as his short stories go), the bullies don't get their just desserts, even if Peter flies to freedom at the end. Raymond and Ernie are the sort of psychotic bully one would like to think only exists in fiction, but probably doesn't - a note at the end reveals that Dahl was inspired to write the story by a newspaper article of a real-life event.

In comparison to its three companion pieces, The Swan shows Anderson at his most economical: once again, it's essentially a glorified version of Jackanory with striking visuals that combine cartoonish sets with others that almost look real locations but aren't. On this occasion, Rupert Friend is the sole narrator and speaking cast member until right at the end when Ralph Fiennes returns once again as Dahl to finish the story, although there are other, non-speaking actors playing Peter, Raymond and Ernie.

The end result captures the blackly surreal nature of the story perfectly, although Anderson stops short of showing an actually bloody swan corpse on screen (the wings, despite red spots at the jointed end, are deliberately stylised). It may be a shorter and simpler affair than The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, but that doesn't stop it from leaving a lasting impression - much like Dahl's original version.

The Swan.

[khalidmoubile · 7/10 · 22 January 2024]

The Swan.

A small brilliant boy is tormented by two large idiotic bullies.

First of all, I almost forgot it was a short movie until it finished !

I was fully involved in this magical story and the way it was presented that I'd call it lazy for not capturing what's happening and instead telling what's happening through beautiful frames.

It may look lazy but I know it must be even harder to make such as a thing, especially nowadays when you simply can make it normal, Wes Anderson is beyond that.

The production design was stunning as always and I enjoyed every minute of it, I need more of these colorful narratives by Wes.

Unpleasant but well-crafted tale of abuse and escape

[jamesrupert2014 · 7/10 · 4 October 2023]

A young boy relentlessly bullied by two older boys finally finds the strength to escape his tormentors. The pair of cruel older boys, who enjoy shooting songbirds in the hedgerow and ultimately kill the titular bird while it's nurturing its young are so repulsive that they drift into caricature (as perhaps was the intent, as they are figments of the narrator's memories). Like Anderson's other recent Dahl interpretations, 'The Swan' is a stagy, borderline surreal, meta-production that puts style far ahead of content. The cast is great, as is the intricate imagery, so I enjoyed the short despite the disagreeable and mean-spirited cruelty that permeates the story.

amazing

[Kirpianuscus · 1 October 2023]

Each wes Anderson film is pure revelation. About himself , for each viewer. In this case, a story of bulying and courage and poetry, the craftsmanship is so simple, impressive and great than escape to every definition.

A gun, bullies, a wise boy as victim, few birds- killed, a swan, a train, a willow, the fly.

A real fact inspiring Roald Dahl.

All is familiar in this film, scene by scene.

But , for the great performance of Rupert Fried and the presence of asa Jennings, not ignoring stagehands promptness, the film has new and new nuances.

A film about familiar acts of pure cruelty, so cold in childhood.

In short, amazing ( without chance to explain this label ; enough to feel it )

Wes Anderson short from Roald Dahl story

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 4 October 2023]

The narrator (Rupert Friend) recounts the story of young birdwatcher Peter Watson. Some 27 years earlier, he was taken captive by two older neighbor bullies. The narrator reveals that he is Peter Watson.

This is a Wes Anderson film adapted from a Roald Dahl story. He has released four such shorts on Netflix. In a way, these combine for a full length movie. Maybe that's the initial intention. The reveal is interesting. It does suggest that Peter would survive the ordeal and thereby diminishes some of the tension. The closing text claims that this was inspired by a real story. I would like to know that real story.

Anderson's powerful horror short

[ryandannar · 9/10 · 1 October 2023]

Wes Anderson has four new short-films on Netflix. I think they're all based on Roald Dahl stories. Last night I watched the one called "The Swan," and I really had no idea what I was in for. I guess I had expected something comical, with melancholy undercurrents, like most of Anderson's work. Instead, the story is one of the most diabolical horror stories I've ever heard, diabolical because it is so realistic, so believable - describing the ordinary way in which young boys can do terrible things to each other. And yet, because it is expressed through Anderson's cute, stagey, pastel-colored style, there is a distancing effect which somehow makes the piece hit harder than a more realistic style might have. It has the power of a poem, or a song. The magical-realist ending concludes the piece on a mysterious, ambiguous note which can be read in different ways. My god, it's good. So sad, so powerful.

After Roald Dahl

[EdgarST · 6/10 · 3 May 2024]

«The Swan» is the second installment of a tetralogy of short films made by Wes Anderson in 2023 from four stories by Roald Dahl, beginning with «The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar» and followed by «The Rat Catcher» and «Poison.» They were all shot in Super 16mm for Netflix.

I praise the technical virtuosity of this short and the luminous visuals resulting from Anderson's decision (or so I think) to make a cinematic adaptation of a literary work as if it were an animated book with living actors, visual effects and animation. In this artificial presentation of a real case of abuse in the 1940s, Anderson not only created a brief space to incorporate Dahl (Ralph Fiennes), but retained the author's prose and put his words in the mouth of the protagonist, Peter Watson (Rupert Friend), who emerges as a kind of master of ceremonies, more than as a victim of bullying, who, in addition, we simultaneously see as he was at 13 years old (Asa Jennings) the day the events occurred. Consequently, the story stops being a drama about everyday violence and becomes an overly elaborate product that has an estrangement effect on viewers, some of whom have classified it as a "horror movie." To each his own.

Due to its varied readings, "The Swan" deserves to be seen, if only to appreciate once again the audiovisual mastery of Wes Anderson, one of the most important filmmakers of these times.

Captivating narration by Rupert Friend

[kyckqr · 10/10 · 1 October 2023]

These four Wes Anderson (Dahl) short films are little jewels of storytelling.

Rupert Friend fits perfectly in a Wes Anderson world in The Swan and The Rat Catcher, nimble acting and delivery, captivating to watch. I could have watched these shorts for hours more than the 17 minutes we are gifted. Will definitely watch them over and over. The sets are theatrically wonderful as always.

Now. Rats. Not sure I'll ever be able to look at Ralph Fiennes without thinking about rodents. Brilliant! ... haha! Loved the details in the set of Dahl's writing shed. Really hope there's a 'Making of...' for this quad of delights.

Sad Wes Anderson tale

[bignuts-06245 · 6/10 · 20 October 2023]

Very short story by Wes Anderson seemingly telling the tale of a young boy bullied, tormented, tortured & sadly killed by a couple of armed bullies who also kill & butcher a swan forcing the young boy to join in. I'm not really a Wes Anderson fan at all but this being only 17 minutes long I thought I'd give it a go. If you're a Wes Anderson fan you'll probably like this otherwise you might want to give it a miss & watch something else instead although it is quite a sad & touching story. As far as Wes Anderson films go it's his usual type of film so no surprises there & I'd say it's not his best but it's far from his worst.

I love Wes Anderson and the story The Swan, but I hate what he did to it.

[alwyshurts · 2/10 · 7 October 2023]

Let me start by stating how much I truly love Wes Anderson movies. He tells an amazing story and makes an amazing movie. I have loved following his career. I also truly love Roald Dahl. I loved sharing his stories, my childhood stories, with my children. The Swan is a harrowing story about the human spirit and the darkness in the world trying to crush it. This story specifically holds a special place in my heart. So out of character for him to write something so dark. He knew the story had to be told, and that he was the right man to tell it.

Imagine how much I was looking forward to watching my favorite visual artist put one of my favorite literary artists on the screen and tell this amazing story. How truly devastated I was to find this lazy, unfeeling, retelling of the story. I demand a re-do! Wes Anderson, you are so much better than this.

No luck finding them cygnets, then?

[Pjtaylor-96-138044 · 7/10 · 26 January 2024]

'The Swan (2023)' is perhaps the most stripped-back of Wes Anderson's four Roald Dahl shorts, with only one real major character and a more relaxed approach to the intricate stage-like design that each entry in this pseudo series makes distinct use of. It really feels like Rupert Friend is reading you a story - occasionally altering his pitch, timbre and accent to do the voices of the various characters - and, in its own way, feels strangely intimate. The story itself, although presented with a certain level of twee whimsy, is incredibly bleak and culminates with an ending that hits you like a truck. It's a case of tell more than show, but the aesthetic is specifically designed to accommodate this and it actually makes some moments feel potentially more potent than they would have in more traditional fare. It's a compelling effort overall that moves at a solid pace and has a tangible emotional impact that sneaks up on you but leaves you speechless as the credits roll.

The only Wes short left

[UniqueParticle · 8/10 · 4 October 2023]

Interesting, engaging and calmer than I would've thought. Rupert Friend is wonderful since being in Homeland awhile ago, it's great that he's had multiple roles in Wes projects! I love this one superb scenery as always and quite well made! Only a little about a Swan. The field is great, writing is smooth, and these Wes shorts are complex a lot to take in. Not a lot needs to be said but I'll try a nice mix of southern, action, storytelling, and somber. Not sure how anyone could hate on Wes projects except Rat Catcher that one was very peculiar even most the movies are all fantastic pieces of cinema.

A fun little surprise

[erich-krems · 9/10 · 28 September 2023]

I didn't realize that this was coming out so soon after Henry Sugar.

Shorts are a great way for the casual observer to get acclimated to Wes Anderson without overwhelming the viewer. Production design and set decoration are typically cool and quirky. Rupert Friend gives a fun performance.

I wish The French Dispatch would have been released the same way that these Roald Dahl shorts are coming out. It's much more manageable. They can be collected into one bigger film but they stand alone very nicely. Wes Anderson is clearly a big fan of Dahl and takes great care to present the stories in a way that honors both story and author.

It's a horrible gruesome true story that leaves you feeling depressed and sad.

[radiospots-2 · 1/10 · 28 September 2023]

It was originally mentioned as a comedy, but you can tell from the beginning it truly is not. Instead it left me feeling depressed and sad and I did not expect the boy to die. I wondered whether the killers ever received their due, but no, that did not seem important to the person telling the story to give the viewer some sort of solace. To this day, I still wondered what the outcome of those villains was. I hated it for telling a story that was so ugly and gruesome. It seems rather sadistic in my opinion. I tried to do a Google search to find out what happened after the boy was discovered dead by his mother, did they ever receive any consequences for their actions. Since I don't know the real victims name here, I couldn't successfully find any Solace that the Killers received punishment for such a heinous crime. Yes the storytelling is well done, but I'm not sure what they were hoping to achieve in being so humorous in the method they're telling it.

Massive! Fantastic and genius art!

[alexanderliljefors · 10/10 · 28 September 2023]

A surreal and unique short piece embracing Wes Andersons mind of creative design of storytelling.

It's unbelievable how Wes Anderson can fit so much innovation and creative. Intelligent and pure art in only 17 minutes!

EMBRACING THE MEANING OF THE WORD "NARRATIVE"

Wes Anderson creates perfect art that is incredibly satisfying to watch!

Craftsmanship and direction is amazing! Beautifully crafted!

JUST PERFECT! TREMENDOUSLY GOOD!

FILMING IS BEAUTIFULLY PERFORMED!

This shows Wes Andersons pure talent and pure creativity and passion in film making and artistic expression!

STORYTELLING IS PURE, HIGHEST QUALITY POSSIBLE!

"The Swan" is a extremly well put together short film by amzing Wes Anderson! A must watch! Only 17 minutes! And its more then worth it.

The most powerful of Wes Anderson's Dahl shorts - a beautiful and touching work of art

[laurenspierre · 8/10 · 19 October 2023]

Out of the four Wes Anderson adaptations of Roald Dahl short stories released on Netflix last week, I have watched three so far and The Swan is the clear standout to me. While I didn't necessarily dislike Poison, I thought the source material just wasn't that interesting, with the message laid on a bit too thick. I liked The Rat Catcher slightly better, but that was in large part due to the outstanding performance by Ralph Fiennes. However, the overall feeling I had while watching these short films was one of indifference. Nothing about them really surprised me, they were kind of exactly what I expected Wes Anderson adaptations of a short stories to look like. I should add that I'm a huge admirer of Wes Anderson and his unique brand of filmmaking. I have seen all his films at least once and he hasn't made a 'bad one' yet in my opinion. But after both Asteroid City earlier this year and now these two shorts left me rather underwhelmed, I was starting to wonder if I was growing maybe just a bit tired of the patented Anderson style.

After watching The Swan, those doubts can be put to bed: Wes Anderson, while continuing to be a master at the pure, visual craft of filmmaking (to be fair, this was never in doubt to me), also still has the ability to surprise and elate me with his films. Because while all the idiosyncratic elements and stylistic flourishes of an Anderson film are still there in The Swan, it also achieves something which I can't really recall another one of his films do (to this extent anyway): it moved me.

The Swan, told as the story of (and, in a bit of inspired storytelling, by) Peter Watson, grows surprisingly disturbing before ending on a very touching note. The symbolism of an innocent and vulnerable boy as a white swan is perfect and I know we mainly have the source material by Roald Dahl to thank for that, but Anderson manages to really enhance this metaphor by presenting it visually in such stunning fashion. The image of the young boy standing on that branch, wearing the bloodied wings of the dead swan, is of such haunting beauty. And that final image, with adult Peter laying on the ground and young Peter looking over him, as seen from the perspective of the mother, just felt so poignant. There are many more wonderfully creative visual touches, like for example how we don't see the actual train during the railroad sequence, just consequent pictures of how it grows bigger and bigger from Peter's perspective as it approaches. But the big difference with the other shorts for me was that in this one, these directorial flourishes worked in service of a darker and more powerful story. And so what we get in The Swan is an example of style and content enhancing each other to create a profound viewing experience.

I remember reading this as a story

[novatone · 2/10 · 29 September 2023]

I had a book of short stories by Dahl, and I remember this as quite a powerfully dark tale.

It was only after about 5 minutes into this (the point they introduce the railway tracks) that I suddenly twigged what I was watching - and to be honest I was a little horrified.

To the uninitiated - and it's not a spoiler to say - this is a tragic story about bullies. But it's worse than that, this tale is reminiscent of the James Bulger case, albeit with a different course of events, but no less disturbing when you remove the candy-coating of Wes Anderson gimmickary.

To see that this has no warning at the start about the nature of this story - which includes quite graphic depictions of animal cruelty - as well as the systematic torture of a defenceless boy - and that instead Netflix have packaged this as 'darkly comic entertainment' really does make me question my subscription.

A terrible misstep... this should remain in print as a cautionary tale about the depravity that humans inflict upon each other. I don't consider first-hand accounts of suffering to be entertaining, and nor should you (or your children).

Don't say I didn't try to warn you.

Great short film

[carlosrodriguezbrenes · 8/10 · 30 September 2023]

8/10 just because maybe the story itself isn't the greatest of all time, quite predictable.

Script 8/10 Photography 10/10 Color 10/10 Soundtrack or special sounds 7/10.

Stylishment 10/10 Duration 10/10 Acting 10/10

Worth it? Yes!

Incredible experience and Wes Anderson being Wes Anderson.

It's not a story for all of us, it depends on what are you looking for if your main goal is just to watch a great story maybe this is not for you, this short film is a love cart for the cinema. If you enjoy not only a good story but also great photography the use of color is a great opportunity to increase your library of great movies.

Creepy story but fantastic acting

[houserj-93888 · 10/10 · 3 October 2023]

Rupert Friend does a fantastic job with voices and a deadpan expression. The staging is minimal and so are the actors on set. I appreciated the younger actor and the stage crew's contribution to the story.

Dahl's writing is so faithfully respected. One cannot thank Wes Anderson more for bringing Dahl's words to life. It seems that writers of the time had a sense of the macabre of society. One hopes bullies like those portrayed are fictional in this day and age.

I would love to see the Land Lady produced. I've read it with an eighth-grade class.

The Henry Sugar series of fils are a great addition to be added to streaming.

Superb directing and storytelling but terrible source material

[edwardyen-00690 · 4/10 · 7 October 2023]

Wes Anterson wowed the world again with a superb direction and storytelling, combined with very talented actors and set design that really brings the story to life. Unfortunately, the source material is just not good enough for this otherwise remarkable to come through as an excellent short film.

Without going into any spoilers, the story is extremely dark and distressing throughout and never culminates into any satisfying ending. The story ends abruptly, leaving the audience hanging, confused, and depressed. It makes you wonder what's the whole point of the tale, and what message the author is trying to get across. If you want a dark, artsy experience maybe this is for you, but if you are looking for an entertaining experience like all the other Wes Anderson's films, look elsewhere.

Another Wes Anderson gem

[martinpersson97 · 10/10 · 4 October 2023]

Wes Anderson continues to shine this year with several ever unique, cozy and always funny short films, following his immensely popular and acclaimed feature Asteroid City.

The Swan is just as great as Henry Sugar - combining some classic Roald Dahl children's stories with Anderson's great style, very unique and beautiful in every sense of the word, and making greatness.

The actors, all of them legends of course, all do a stellar job - and the smaller scale of it all just adds to the charm.

Overall, a beautiful piece in terms of both cinematography, cutting and editing - very well shot, acted and made in a very particular style authentic to Wes Anderson.

Highly recommended gem!