SWAN SONG immerses viewers inside one of the world’s leading ballet companies as it mounts a monumental and legacy-defining new production of Swan Lake, directed by ballet icon Karen Kain as she bids farewell to the company she’s become synonymous with.
The verité-driven feature documentary closely follows Kain and a group of young women dancers drawn from across the National Ballet of Canada’s ranks, weaving the ballet’s dramatic creation process with intimate scenes from the subjects’ personal lives as they push toward one of the most significant opening nights in their company’s history. Kain and her company granted unrestricted access, and the filmmakers followed the film’s subjects for nearly two years through creative challenges, injuries and personal setbacks, a global pandemic that locked the company down, and a pointed push for equity and change from within its ranks.
SWAN SONG’s intimate, character-driven approach invites viewers to consider the impacts of the culture of ballet on its artists—the film’s subjects, in various ways, challenge traditional ideals of race, sexuality, class and physicality as they navigate a tradition that has historically valued compliance and perfection. At the same time, the film captures the sincere love of the form that drives Kain and the dancers alike as they face extraordinary challenges and make profound sacrifices in an effort to create something beautiful and lasting.
