‘Swan Song’ ending theories explored (Spoilers)

Benjamin Clearly’s newest film Swan Song has dropped on Apple TV+. It stars Mahershala Ali as Cameron Turner, who has a terminal illness but is trying to cope. However, he finds a facility that can clone him and look after his family after he is gone.

However, things go awry when he begins to have second thoughts and feels uncomfortable with the procedure. His family is unaware of his terminal medical condition. They don't know something is wrong and the protagonist struggles to keep it that way.

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While the protagonist's end if inevitable, the climax of this sci-fi film leaves audiences dazed. Naturally, several hypotheses have been floated by viewers. This article dives into some theories about the film and unpacks some of the hidden meanings in various theories.

Notable ‘Swan Song’ end theories

Cameron eventually died and his family suspected nothing

Poster for 'Swan Song' (Image via Apple TV)

By the end of the film, Cameron leaves his family with his clone Jack, knowing they are in good hands. This seems like the most logical theory behind the movie itself. It seems evident that not much else would happen after that.

Given that this is the most straightforward answer, it seems almost like a letdown that the film would end with Cameron succumbing to his inevitable demise. However, the sense of realism still lies smothered in the sci-fi landscape.

The human-cloning facility is running a cult

Mahershala Ali and Awkwafina (Image via Apple TV)

A more outlandish theory is that the facility that creates the clones is a cult. This implies that the facility targets terminally ill people to boost their numbers.

It might seem overly dramatic to think that a facility that seemingly helps people does so for nefarious means. But the theory might have a point given that clones' memories are wiped out. It is conceivable that an institution that can clone humans fully could also retain memories.

It was all a dream

The most far-fetched theory is that the film was all played out in Cameron’s mind and ended up like a dream. In a sequence, Cameron’s clone is seen aggressively tossing his son’s video game, which is revealed to be a dream. Of course, this could be a premonition or a dream within a dream.

Naturally, it is possible that cloning and self-driving cars may become the norm shortly. However, given that the cloning technology was not fully explained, it seems more in line with the nightmare of a terminally ill man.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the author’s theories.

Edited by Srijan Sen