The Swan is a 2023 Short Film (~17 min) directed by Wes Anderson. It is adapted from the short story of the same name by Roald Dahl, and is the second of four adaptations by Anderson for Netflix. The film was released on September 28, 2023.
A narrator (Rupert Friend) tells the audience the story of a smart boy named Peter Watson (Asa Jennings), who is troubled by two bullies, Ernie and Raymond. Ralph Fiennes plays Dahl.
Tropes:
- ...And That Little Boy Was Me: Early in the film the grown narrator tells the audience that the little boy he's been talking about, Peter Watson, was him as a child.
- Bad People Abuse Animals: The bully Ernie is gifted a rifle for his birthday; he and his best friend Raymond promptly shoot down over a dozen birds and hang them with a string. They then kill a swan and tie its wings to Peter, despite his pleas that the swan is a protected species.
- Barbaric Bully: Ernie and Raymond not only gleefully kill birds, they also take great pleasure in nearly killing Peter.
- Chained to a Railway: Peter's bullies tie him up and lay him on a railway (before tying him down to it) and watch. He survives an oncoming train by burrowing a hole in the gravel with his head and feet.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: Richard Brody of The New Yorker
points out that the images of the illuminated train tracks and barbed wire during Peter's agony are reminiscent of The Holocaust. - Stop Motion: The shot of Peter standing in the tree (shown above) is done in this medium.
- Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: "Boys will be boys", sure, but tying a younger boy up and laying him on train tracks, killing a swan (and about 14 other birds) before tying its wings to his arms and forcing him to jump out of a willow tree? More than a little concerning.
- White Void Room: The "set" where the swan's wings are affixed to Ernie is a blank white "prop room".
