Todd Stephens might not be a household name, but queer kids who grew up in the late ’90s and early 2000s have a special place in their hearts for the 1998 coming out comedy he wrote, “Edge of Seventeen.” He’d later go on to write and direct two more youth-oriented features, “Gypsy 83” and “Another Gay Movie.” But 2021 year finds him with a new movie set to premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival in March, one about elder queer life. It’s called “Swan Song” and stars Udo Kier as a former hairdresser, restless and lonely in a nursing home, who breaks out and walks across his small town in order to fulfill the wishes of a recently deceased former client. Her will asks that he be the one to give her, her final hairdo, and he is determined to make it happen. The bittersweet comedy also stars Jennifer Coolidge, Linda Evans and Michael Urie. And because SXSW is virtual this year, you can get a ticket and watch at home without having to travel to Austin. Fix your hair up for it anyway. Make an effort.
