“Swallow” Film Review

By: Keaton Marcus

As I scramble to watch some of the smaller films released in 2020 as the year comes to a close, I was able to view thriller Swallow last night. With mediocre expectations going in, I wasn’t too excited, but it turns out that this is easily a top ten film of the year. Emotionally effective, thematically resonant and technically impressive, I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. With a refreshing concept and Hayley Bennet at the lead, it was expected that this would be at least watchable, but the film did truly blow my poorly conceived predictions away. Bennet is stirring in her breakout performance, and director Carlo Mirabella-Davis makes a contained, tense and sharply-directed film that benefits from its short running time. This is so definitely a hidden gem, and it’s even streaming on Hulu for free, so there’s nothing to lose even if you don’t like it. But not only is Swallow a very enjoyable movie, but it exceeds some of the best of all year effortlessly.

Hunter (Hayley Bennet) is a housewife with a seemingly perfect marriage and life with her extremely wealthy husband, Richie (hence the name, of course), played by Austin Stowell. However, as she goes through her day-to-day life, audiences can tell that something isn’t right with her. What could it be? She has the perfect, handsome man, a beautiful house on the water, and time to herself the entire day. I’d love that life, but there is an aspect that doesn’t feel ok. I’m guessing the film’s meaning would be the fact that she’s more or less controlled by her relatively constricting life. However, I believe that it’s more she feels uncontrollably bored, and this leads her over the edge. She develops a mysterious disorder that gives her an irresistible urge to eat sharp objects while pregnant. And, yeah, I mean sharp. From tacks and batteries to a tooth scraper, she is rushed to the hospital in one instance to intubate her. It sounds insane, but the addiction gets worse and worse, endangering her delicate marriage with Richie.

All of the performances were equally impeccable and I am delighted to write about them. Especially Bennet, my GOD. I cannot believe that she hasn’t been in bigger movies because she is an unmissable talent. Her character’s true motivations are kept generally ambiguous and vague, and that makes Hunter that more interesting to watch on-screen. Director Mirabella-Davis keeps her performance generally one-note and emotionally non-existent until the third act, which can be an issue for some people. However, I’m all for it. Why? What are my reasons for being such a stubborn person? Three words: Ryan. Freaking. Gosling. One of my favorite actors of all-time is a master at staring at the camera in films like Blade Runner 2049, Drive and Only God Forgives. Readers may deny that this takes any talent, but to pull off a blank expression with such dramatic heft is extremely impressive. Period. It’s similar with Bennet here…Her emotions are kept to a minimum to signify her attempts at perfection to please the ones around her. Then, for the last 25 minutes, Hunter’s mental state goes utterly bonkers, and Bennet’s delightful and devilish turn depicts that beautifully. Austin Stowell is also terrific as the ultimate rich asshole that acts like he’s the most generous person on earth, but in moments, he’s the absolute devil. All in all, these are two tour-de-force performances, and the film’s wouldn’t be nearly as good without them.

Finally, the direction was also superb and nearly flawless in every way. There was one major issue I had with it, but other than that, I was consistently impressed. This is Carlo Mirabella-Davis’ first major film, and as a directorial debut, it’s absolutely stunning. Slickly-directed, artfully-shot and full of colors with hidden meanings, I didn’t know it was possible to make a first movie this good. Although 2020 prevented this from becoming the next Hereditary or Get Out, I am confident that he will have another film planned in the distant future, whenever that may be. Remember, the Coronavirus can prevent releases from doing well in the theaters, but it cannot upend the quality of one in any way, shape or form. Furthermore, while I do cherish the movie, there are always the dreaded problems to explain. It was mostly the overall message of the film. I didn’t have anything against it, or what I thought it was, but it was a little too unclear and perhaps confused to really give that emotional gut-punch at its conclusion. I understand that Davis was both attempting to convey a husband’s overall control of women in Hunter’s position, and the urge to be absolute perfection that many girls and women have to deal with in our grand old modern society. It had all the right build-up, but when it was time for the punch line, I was left waiting for it to hit after whatever occurred happened. Ignore my nonsensical nitpick, and get your ass on the couch to see this film, because it’s so, so worth it.

The final opinion is: Swallow is an unnerving, disturbing and provocative thriller with brilliant performances, marking an excellent directorial debut for Carlos Mirabella-Davis…$PLURGE IT

Rated: R (mild sexual content, language, violence)

Genre: Thriller

Runtime: 1 hour 35 minutes

Directed By: Carlos Mirabella-Davis