Film ReviewsThe Song of Sway Lake: Melancholy Memories
Sep 13, 2018 Anchorage Press
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Time and dreams standstill on the shores of Sway Lake, where the legacy of the Sway family is perhaps coming to an end. The Song of Sway Lake is directed by Ari gold stars and stars Rory Culkin as Ollie Sway, who goes to the lake house after his father’s suicide, to look through their valuable and vast music collection to steal the crown jewel of their collection. Accompanying Ollie is Nikolai (Robert Sheehan), a Russian drifter who becomes enamored with the Sway history and past. Charlie Sway (Mary Beth Peil) also goes to the lake house, and the generations clash in an emotional struggle exacerbated by their grief.
The coveted music is a recording of a song that was recorded in the lake house during a time of happiness, when the young Charlie and her husband, Hal, were the toast of the aristocracy in New York. The Sways live in a sentimental cacophony, as if something along the way broke and it simply never mended. The struggle between the grandmother and the grandson is compounded by their misunderstandings and misconceptions of one another, as well as their unresolved feelings about Ollie’s father’s suicide. Nikolai himself provides another emotional dimension as he finds himself mesmerized by the Sways, and wanting to steal something for himself as well.
The film has a timeless feel about it, like a fog that blurs lines between generations and their dreams. The film has some beautiful montages of landscapes. The direction brings out the quiet and interesting sides of the characters, and successfully leads the characters through painful growth. The film is open-ended in a refreshing way, thus leaving viewers with hope for the Sways, their lake, and all the music and it holds.
The Song of Sway Lake opens in theaters on September 21, 2018. Keep an eye out for local listings and on VOD platforms like Amazon and Itunes.
The coveted music is a recording of a song that was recorded in the lake house during a time of happiness, when the young Charlie and her husband, Hal, were the toast of the aristocracy in New York. The Sways live in a sentimental cacophony, as if something along the way broke and it simply never mended. The struggle between the grandmother and the grandson is compounded by their misunderstandings and misconceptions of one another, as well as their unresolved feelings about Ollie’s father’s suicide. Nikolai himself provides another emotional dimension as he finds himself mesmerized by the Sways, and wanting to steal something for himself as well.
The film has a timeless feel about it, like a fog that blurs lines between generations and their dreams. The film has some beautiful montages of landscapes. The direction brings out the quiet and interesting sides of the characters, and successfully leads the characters through painful growth. The film is open-ended in a refreshing way, thus leaving viewers with hope for the Sways, their lake, and all the music and it holds.
The Song of Sway Lake opens in theaters on September 21, 2018. Keep an eye out for local listings and on VOD platforms like Amazon and Itunes.