Clone Cope – Splice Today

What would you do if you were dying and didnt want to leave your loved ones behind suffering from grief? What if you could clone yourself, and that clone would have your full consciousness and subconsciousness, yet no memory of being a clone? Your family would go on without ever knowing the truth of your death, and they wouldnt feel any grief or sorrow. You could die knowing theyd be happy.

This is the story behind a new film, Swan Song, directed by Benjamin Cleary, now streaming on Apple TV. It takes place in the future, and Mahershala Ali plays Cameron Turner, who has terminal illness. The end is nigh, and its not pretty. He has a wife, Poppy (Naomie Harris), and a young son, with another child on the way. Hes kept his illness a secret from Poppy, and in the meantime, has engaged the services of a clinic that specializes in human cloning. The director is Dr. Scott, played by Glenn Close.

The clinic is located in a beautiful place, surrounded by a lake and woods. Its a serene and tranquil, yet its futuristic setting is divorced from humanity. Dr. Scott is warm and kind but underneath shes more interested in creating more clones than helping people navigate their grief and pain. One gets the impression that Dr. Scotts focus on pure science of such an undertaking is synonymous to the notion of compassionate help, much like its present in assisted suicide clinics. At first, she appears to be guiding Cameron through the process where he controls the outcome. However, there are instances where its clear that Dr. Scotts mission is to complete the process of cloning and transfer.

Camerons conflicted. He doesnt know if hes making the right choice, but times running out. He lies to Poppy about going away on a business trip, while undergoing a series of procedures to make the final switch and release the cloned Cameron. But times running out. He could die at any moment. If Poppy and his son witness his death, then the experiment is useless.

We witness a series of flashbacks on how Cameron and Poppy met, some troubles in their marriage due to an untimely death of Poppys brother, Andre, and the joy and anxiety of expecting another child. They live fairly comfortable life. Setting aside the economics of the experiment, the subject matter of Swan Song naturally yields many questions concerning the ethics of human cloning.

Should humans be commodified in such a way? Isnt there human singularity and soul, which cant be cloned or replaced? Why are we afraid of death, and more importantly, are we making man the measure of all things, or do we have even a shred of awareness of the sacred that makes us question cloning?

Although visually well done, Swan Song doesnt ask any of these questions. Except for a brief moment, in which (through a flashback) Cameron, Poppy, and Andre discuss whether they would clone themselves, there are no other instances where a deeper reality of such an act is discussed. I dont expect a dry, philosophical treatise on the morality of human cloning, in which Glenn Close presents a lecture to the audience. However, the opportunity for explorations was never taken. Close, whos an actress of immense talent, appears to unchallenged, and thus didnt really rise to bigger heights simply because her character wasnt given any depth.

Ali and Harris offer good performances, but the film is maudlin and sappy. Cameron and Poppy are always crying about one thing or another. Hes emasculated and unable to make any choices, and Poppy spends a lot of time comforting him. Camerons dealing with his illness alone, struck with sadness that he will die. He has convinced himself that the best path is to not cause any suffering for Poppy and his son.

Although Camerons intention is not without merit or even love, this long goodbye has no meaning, except to say he made that final choice. The story progresses slowly into nothingness. Theres no conflict or even a mention of fate. What would have made the film more intriguing is if Camerons clone died shortly thereafter, say, in an accident. This would call into question the idea of predestination and whether ones moment of death is already decided. In turn, this then follows yet another thread of questioning: whether God exists and what our relationship to God is, especially when we think of death?

The story concludes neatly. Camerons clone made it through the transfer process, and Poppys blissfully unaware. The clone is indistinguishable from Cameron, yet thats not entirely true. During the process of transformation, the clone (whom they call Jack) is singularly different. Cameron and Jack fight over whos the real Cameron, and Jack has some strong opinions about Cameron and Poppys marriage. We could conclude that this is another side of Camerons consciousness speaking, but the difference between the two men goes beyond the idea of split or conflicted personality.

One of the biggest flaws of Swan Song is theres no authentic questioning that might emerge from a character like Cameron. Its as if the makers of the film were afraid to delve into those questions. Cloning deserves to be explored carefully. We have to ask what it means to be a human in the first place. Swan Song has an excellent cast and rich subject matter, yet, just like Cameron, fell accidentally into milquetoast choices.

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Clone Cope - Splice Today