Character Relationship Map: Swing

Characters

• Max (played by Oscar Copp) — protagonist

  Max is a ten-year-old boy spending his summer vacation with his grandmother in a suburb of Strasbourg. Fascinated by Manouche music, he seeks out the local Romani community, learns guitar from Miraldo...

• Swing (played by Lou Rech) — supporting

  Swing is a young Romani tomboy who introduces Max to her community, its caravan homes, traditions, plant knowledge, and Manouche music. She and Max develop a close bond during his holiday, but their f...

• Miraldo (played by Tchavolo Schmitt) — supporting

  Miraldo is a Romani guitarist whose music first captivates Max in a local bar. He agrees to give Max guitar lessons and succeeds in teaching him a gypsy tune before suffering a fatal heart attack outs...

• Khalid (played by Abdellatif Chaarani) — supporting

  Khalid participates in a musical jam session with Miraldo, highlighting the film's connection between its Algerian and Romany cultural influences. His role is associated with the community's shared mu...

• Max's mother (played by Marie Genin) — supporting
• Miraldo's wife (played by Colette Lepage) — supporting

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Miraldo's wife → Miraldo (wife)
• Max's mother → Max (mother)
• Max → Miraldo (Professional Student) — Miraldo becomes Max's music teacher and artistic mentor.

  Max is fascinated by Miraldo's guitar playing and asks to take guitar lessons with him.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Max → Khalid (Social Community Acquaintance) — Khalid is part of the cultural environment Max encounters during his visit.

  Khalid is presented within the Romani community that Swing introduces to Max, including its musical gatherings.

• Swing → Miraldo (Social Community Associate) — They are connected through the same Romani social and musical community.

  Swing belongs to the Romani community where Miraldo lives and performs, and she brings Max into that community.

• Miraldo → Khalid (Alliance Musical Collaborator) — They collaborate through a shared musical performance.

  The film features a musical jam session with Miraldo and Khalid.

• Max → Swing (Social Close Friend) — Their friendship forms the emotional center of Max's summer experience.

  Max meets Swing while searching for a guitar, and they develop a close bond over several days.

Story Analysis

A boy's musical summer becomes an intimate encounter with Romani friendship, culture, memory, and loss.

Plot Progression

1. A Song Across the Suburb — Max hears Manouche music and searches for a guitar. His search brings him to Swing and the Romani community.
2. Inside the Romani World — Swing introduces Max to caravans, public housing, traditions, plant knowledge, and community life. Max gradually becomes emotionally connected to Swing and her world.
3. Lessons in Manouche Music — Max identifies Miraldo as the guitarist from the bar and asks for lessons. Music strengthens his bond with Swing and gives him a new cultural perspective.
4. Memory Beneath the Music — The community's music is placed beside memories of wartime Romani persecution. A jam with Miraldo and Khalid reinforces the film's cultural connections.
5. The Final Tune — Max learns the gypsy tune, but Miraldo dies from a heart attack immediately afterward. His caravan and belongings are burned, and Max must leave Swing.