It's appropriate that writer-director Benjamin Cleary's feature debut Swan Song is being released on Apple TV+, because the sci-fi movie's main setting looks like a fancy Apple store. It's located on a remote island, where artist Cameron (Mahershala Ali) travels to meet with a friendly Dr. Scott (Glenn Close). The (maybe too friendly) doctor tells Cameron about an experimental procedure that she and her team are planning in response to his terminal cancer. Cleary briefly keeps things tantalizingly vague about what exactly Cameron signed up to do.

Despite a tone and aesthetic that recalls Alex Garland's work -- like Ex Machina and Devs --, Swan Song isn't a mystery. Cleary doesn't build his story on stunning reveals. Fairly quickly and casually, Dr. Scott shows Cameron his clone, Jack (also played by Ali), who's been engineered to be a perfect copy of Cameron. The plan is for Jack to replace Cameron, with no one in Cameron's life ever knowing the difference. Cameron will succumb to his illness, and life will go on for his loved ones exactly as it always has -- if he's okay with that.

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Cleary understands how unsettling the preimse is, even if Dr. Scott presents it as humane and compassionate. Cameron is suffering from one of those convenient movie cancers that causes essentially no outwardly visible symptoms, although he experiences occasional seizures that he's been able to hide from his pregnant wife Poppy (Naomie Harris), and his son, Cory (Dax Rey). His primary concern is being able to continue supporting and providing for them, especially given the deep, long-lasting depression that Poppy suffered following the death of her twin brother, Andre (Nyasha Hatendi).

Glenn Close in Swan Song

Jack is physically identical to Cameron, minus the genetic predisposition to undefined cancer. He'll also have all of Cameron's memories, thanks to an upload process that proves slightly traumatic for Cameron. If Cameron gives his final approval, then Jack's memory of his time at the facility will be erased. No one, including Jack, will know that Jack isn't Cameron.

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There are occasional hints at some more ominous motivation behind the project, for which Cameron is only the third-ever subject. Close plays Dr. Scott as largely inscrutable. But Swan Song is more hopeful and open than an Alex Garland film or an episode of Black Mirror, which it also sometimes resembles. Cleary isn't interested in generating suspense so much as in exploring emotions, including grief, guilt and resentment.

Mahershala Ali and Awkwafina in Swan Song

Cleary creates a sleek future of wireless communication devices and holographic screens that would not be surprising to see at an upcoming Apple presentation, but he's not focused on the intricacies of technology. That approach to technology extends to the cloning and memory transfer processes. It's tough not to wonder why Dr. Scott can achieve this monumental medical miracle but can't treat Cameron's illness, but Cleary elegantly leaps past that question along with any others about how this near-future world works.

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Swan Song focuses on how Cameron feels about the process, and Ali conveys all of those complex emotions beautifully. Once Cameron agrees to start the memory transfer procedure, he and Jack start spending time together. Ali keeps these roles distinct, even though they're meant to be the same person. He subtly differentiates between the ways that Cameron and Jack interpret the same situations and emotions, while maintaining the believability that Jack could easily take over Cameron's life.

Harris gets a few intense moments during flashbacks as Cameron revisits his memories during the transfer, but Poppy is mostly a distant figure. Swan Song opens with their meet-cute aboard a train. While they have a convincing romantic connection, Cameron's dilemma is defined by his need to step back from her. The more interesting on-screen relationship is between Cameron and Kate (Awkwafina), a fellow patient of Dr. Scott's who has already undergone the procedure. The duo shares a level of honesty and intimacy no one else can truly understand. Kate is sick and dying but she has to live with the awareness that someone else has taken her life. Awkwafina brings some welcome comic relief to this mostly somber movie, while also conveying Kate's quiet sorrow.

Quiet sorrow is the overall tone of Swan Song, and it's a bit of a letdown when some of the potentially portentous foreshadowing doesn't amount to anything much. Cleary isn't looking to shock or confound his audience, merely to move them. In that way, Swan Song succeeds.

Swan Song opens Friday, Dec. 17 in select theaters and streaming on Apple TV+.

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