Cameron Turner (Mahershala Ali), the protagonist of the Apple TV+ sci-fi romance drama ‘Swan Song,’ passes through the five stages of grieving not sequentially but simultaneously after being diagnosed with a terminal sickness. Cameron bears the burden of pain and knowledge on his own shoulders, enduring the collective onslaught of denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance as he chooses between allowing his family to experience the agony and grief of watching him die or ensuring that they will never know about his inevitable passing.

During this time, he develops an exceptional bond with Jack, Cameron’s clone designed to replace him in the lives of his wife Poppy (Naomie Harris) and son Cory. Here’s everything you need to know about ‘Swan Song’s’ finale. WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD.

Plot Synopsis for Swan Song

The title of the film refers to a figurative term that symbolises an individual’s final movement, gesture, or performance (with artists) before retirement or death. The film is set in the near future, when futuristic air-pods, contact lenses, and watches have further distanced humanity from one another. Most of the blue-collar employment has been replaced by artificial intelligence, and trains and self-driving electric taxis appear to be the dominant modes of public transportation. ‘Swan Song’ illustrates a practical future, not a dystopian or utopian one, that the world might obtain if everything continues on its current path.

Cameron, a graphic designer/illustrator, meets Poppy, a teacher and musician, on the train. Their initial meeting turns into a wonderful and romantic scenario when Cameron misidentifies the chocolate bar she bought as his. He thinks she’s flirting when she starts eating the bar. Cameron, overcoming the challenges of a typical introvert, breaks a piece of chocolate and begins to consume it. This continues till she comes to a halt. Cameron recognises his error only after she has left. He is initially humiliated, but as he recalls their quiet but hopeful conversations, his embarrassment is quickly replaced by exhilaration.

The film then jumps ahead a few years. Cameron and Poppy have a kid named Cory, who is well-adjusted, intellectual, and adorable. While the film takes its time exploring the breathtaking, semi-futuristic settings of the scenes, the plot moves at a quick pace.

Cameron experiences his first blackout in the same scene that introduces his and Poppy’s picture-perfect lives. He’s having an episode in the bathroom. Poppy is resting on the bed just a few feet away. Cameron closes the door after regaining awareness. Perhaps a part of him already knows whatever caused the blackout is terrible, and he doesn’t want to add to his wife’s sadness and pain.

It is eventually revealed that Poppy lost her twin brother in a motorcycle accident prior to the events shown in the film, and she suffered from severe depression as a result. She eventually went to a therapist, and things improved. They weren’t what they used to be before the blackout, but they were getting there. When the film begins, Poppy is even pregnant with their second child.

Cameron is taken aback by his diagnosis. Refusing to subject his family to another catastrophe, he contacts Arra House, a clinic led by Dr. Scott (Glenn Close) with the assistance of psychologist and lead technician Dalton (Adam Beach), Rafa (Lee Shorten), and an A.I. that can perform the work of 50 people. The facility generates an exact replica of a dying person, even down to their DNA. They then imprint the duplicate’s mind with conscious and subconscious memories of significant and ordinary events in the original’s life. Following that, the clone is sent to live with the original’s family for a trial period before their memory of being a clone is totally erased.

Cameron is initially unsettled by the situation and decides to opt out. But being reunited with his family reminds him of why he wanted to be replaced in their life in the first place. He returns, and the process is restarted. The clone — or Jack — is woken following the memory transference. They go over their shared past with Dr. Scott so that Jack can adjust to his new existence, and Cameron realises that he is not ready to let go.

What Does Cameron Choose at the End of Swan Song? Is Cameron Allowed to Bid Farewell to His Family?

When Cameron decides to return to Arra House, Dr. Scott takes him to see a duplicate who has forgotten she is a copy and is now living happily with the original’s family. Cameron later encounters the aforementioned original. Kate (Awkwafina) is her name, and the two of them build a friendship as they contemplate on their impending death and the surrealness of their predicament. Cameron seems to be more bothered by the latter than the former. He is unable to inform his family of his diagnosis or that he is dying. Because, as Dr. Scott repeatedly reminds him, if he does, he cannot be replaced by Jack.

A part of him realises that he is robbing Poppy of her option. Poppy, on the other hand, believes that having a choice equals suffering. So, ultimately, Cameron must decide whether to let his wife suffer or not. Cameron is overwhelmed with envy as he watches Jack speak about his past as if it were his own — which, in some ways, it is. Dr. Scott altered the strand of DNA in Jack that caused Cameron’s illness. This means that Jack will never have Cameron’s deadly condition. He has an entire life ahead of him, which he will spend with Cameron’s wife and children, while Cameron will die alone, without his family knowing.

Cameron’s contract allows him to leave at any time during the process. As previously said, he does it once but returns later. Throughout the film, he examines that option, but ironically, it is taken away from him. Cameron experiences a seizure in front of his house while visiting his family to say farewell. Before Poppy notices anything, he is hauled back. When he wakes up, Jack has already taken his spot.

Cameron is filled with terror at this moment, in addition to fury and wrath. He experiences a nightmare in which he sees Jack become enraged and lashing out at Cory. He escapes the facility and returns to what was once his home. He has mixed feelings about coming into Jack’s new bedroom with Poppy. So he goes to his workplace, his little haven of seclusion where he used to express his natural creativity. He discovers new drawings, indicating that Jack has continued his job as an illustrator, as well as pleasant, love communications between Jack and Poppy, about themselves and Cory. Cameron knows that life has moved on for his family, and it will continue to move on with Jack present.

When Jack enters the room, he immediately understands what Cameron is going through. How could he not? They are the same individual. Then something wonderful happens. Cameron eventually decides to let Jack be with his family, while Jack allows Cameron to say his goodbyes. They change clothes, and Cameron then spends time with Cory, drinking apple juice and eating edamame before returning to Poppy and kissing her goodbye. Cameron feels wistful, heartbroken, and content when he returns to the facility. He has finally come to terms with his fate and his decision.

What Is the Significance of Jack’s Video Clip for Cameron?

Before his memory is erased, Jack sends Cameron a video clip shot with his lenses. It depicts Poppy working in her kitchen. Jack approaches her and requests that she tell him she loves him. Despite her curiosity about what is going on in his head, she agrees. “I love you, Cameron Turner,” she adds, looking him in the eyes. When the real Cameron watches the video, those are the final words Poppy speaks to him.

The footage also assures Cameron that his family will be well even if he will not be present. They will care for each other and love each other. His children will grow up in a happy home without the tragedy of his death looming over them. While the future is unpredictable and no one knows what will happen tomorrow, Cameron has insured his family’s safety for the time being.

Cameron is afflicted with what disease?

Cameron’s condition is not clearly mentioned in the film. But, based on his chat with Kate, we know that they, as well as the customer before Kate, all saw the same oncologist. As a result, it must be cancer. Cameron’s sickness most likely began as a brain tumour, based on the fact that he occasionally points to his head when speaking about it. Jack even mentions dizziness and headaches in the beginning, while Cameron has blackouts and seizures throughout the film. This is possibly the film’s most pessimistic scene. Even if humanity makes tremendous advances in numerous fields of research in the future, late-stage cancer will remain incurable.