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Poster for Swan Song

Swan Song

1988 · 80 min

A wry, meandering satire of creative block and domestic chaos, more amusing than laugh-out-loud, with a tired, ironic tone.

Directed by
Robert Gliński
Genres
Comedy
Starring
Jan Peszek, Grażyna Barszczewska, Bogdan Baer
Overview
After discussions with Schwartz, a producer from the West, screenwriter Stefan comes back to Poland. Everybody reminds him of his previous success: “The Flame”. The tired protagonist goes back to his wife, actress Ewa, who is eagerly awaiting him. Ewa goes to an audition which doesn’t turn out too well. On the next day, Stefan and his collaborators are wondering what to write a scenario about. Meanwhile, Stefan has a tooth ache. He decides to visit a dentist but is scared away by the price he has to pay for the treatment. Stefan still can’t find an idea for a scenario, and Ewa is not being cast. They decide to sell the car, but a man who takes their car out for a test drive doesn’t return. Stefan is changing ideas for the scenario constantly, he can’t make up his mind… at home, a pipe goes off… the wine he keeps in gallons blows up… the milicia (People’s Republic of Poland’s police) comes and general chaos ensues, as they are drowning in water and wine… which gives Stefan an idea…

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In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.
Directed by
Robert Gliński
Genres
Comedy
Starring
Jan Peszek, Grażyna Barszczewska, Bogdan Baer
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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • satiricalstrength 2 of 3
  • absurdstrength 2 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 1 of 3
  • cynicalstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • art
  • work
  • identity
  • class
  • family
Places
  • big city
  • home
  • workplace
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
None
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language mild
  • Violence none
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action1
Horror0
Humour6
Realism7
Romance2
Tension3
Darkness4
Complexity5
Emotional weight4

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Where to watch in the UK

No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres
comedy
Directed by
Robert Gliński
Written by
Bolesław Michałek
Starring
Jan Peszek, Grażyna Barszczewska, Bogdan Baer, Jolanta Piętek-Górecka, Tomasz Zygadło, Leon Niemczyk, Bronisław Pawlik, Magdalena Zawadzka
Cinematography
Andrzej J. Jaroszewicz
Runtime
80 min
Country
Poland
Languages
Polish

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