Summary
The Swan is a short film adapted from Roald Dahl’s story, praised for its cleverness and similarity to Dahl’s style. Rupert Friend delivers a deadpan, comedic performance as the Narrator, providing voices for all the characters. Ralph Fiennes makes a brief appearance as Dahl himself, while Asa Jennings impresses in his first on-screen role as Peter Watson.
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Wes Anderson’s The Swan is a short film adapted from Roald Dahl’s classic children’s story, featuring a small cast of eccentric characters brought to life by some of today’s most talented actors. Anderson’s fascination with Dahl’s stories began with Fantastic Mr. Fox, and the director has now released a new wave of short films that draw inspiration from the author’s works. Many audiences have noted the similarities between both storytellers’ styles, claiming that Anderson and Dahl’s works were made for each other. This certainly seems to be the case with projects such as The Swan.
The Swan tells the story of a young boy named Peter Watson who finds himself in harm’s way when his two bullies get their hands on a deadly weapon. But despite his inability to fit into society, Peter is a clever child who easily outsmarts the bullies and turns the tables. The Swan is a sweet story about the power of standing up to bullies and using wit as a weapon, which is something that Dahl often promoted through his works. Anderson’s other Dahl adaptations were excellently received earlier in 2023, and The Swan marks a promising continuation of this praise.
Rupert Friend As The Narrator
The Swan’s narrator plays a much larger role than most would expect, providing the voices (and sometimes the actions) of all the other characters in the story. This creates a very similar effect to reading one of Dahl’s books, as the entire narrative is told from the perspective of this outside character that Rupert Friend absolutely nails with his deadpan delivery. The actor is best known for his roles as Agent 47 in Hitman: Agent 47, Vasily in The Death of Stalin, Prince Albert in The Young Victoria, and Mr. Wickham in Pride and Prejudice. Friend’s The Swan role is much more comedic than his previous endeavors.
Ralph Fiennes As Roald Dahl
Toward the end of The Swan, British actor Ralph Fiennes makes a brief appearance as Roald Dahl, the author of the story upon which this short film is based. He speaks directly to the camera and reveals the ending of the story, taking the narrator’s place after a particularly dramatic moment in the story. Fiennes has previously played characters including Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter franchise, Amon Goeth in Schindler’s List, and M in both Spectre and No Time To Die. He also appears in one of Anderson’s most aesthetically pleasing movies, The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Asa Jennings As Peter Watson
Although it’s the narrator who delivers most of Peter Watson’s lines in The Swan, the character is played by a much younger actor named Asa Jennings, who first found success as the voice of Piglet in Sing. The actor continued to provide additional voices in both Sing 2 and Gunter Babysits before making his very first on-screen appearance in The Swan. He masters Anderson’s style right away, and by the ending of The Swan, he proves he’s an excellent fit for the role.