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Swallow Movie Review

Swallow is a 2020 psychological thriller film directed by Carlo Mirabella-Davis and starring Haley Bennett. It’s one of this year’s gems.

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“No, you’re not like me“

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A young housewife in a seemingly perfect marriage develops pica, the irresistible urge to ingest inedible objects and material. I did not know much about this particular disorder, but the movie is a perfect introduction to it. It doesn’t get too technical about it, but it gives you all the necessary details that you need to know, especially focusing on the horrific obsessive part of it.

Yes, Swallow is an excellent psychological thriller that is unlike others of this genre. Let’s elaborate. Usually, psychological thrillers go all insane, especially in chaos and plot twists, but this one is different in that it strays entirely away from the bombastic nature of this subgenre, instead focusing on the much-needed realism of it all.

This is the type of uncomfortable movie that is best watched on an empty stomach. The eating and swallowing of inedible objects scenes are deeply uncomfortable, very cringy even at times and above all else horrific and inducing pain and disgust. However, the film still empathizes with its protagonist just enough that those critics accusing the movie of not being empathetic toward these patients should be silenced as that’s not the case whatsoever.

The main reason why that’s not the case lies in its characterization and also acting. The main character, Hunter Conrad, is amazing. She felt like a real person and her pain and suffering in both her illness and also marriage made me want to hug her throughout. The film also deals with her dark past where she was conceived in the worst way possible. It was great seeing Denis O’Hare in the role of her father, and that scene between the two was emotionally powerful.

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But getting back to the protagonist, the movie showcases just how entrapping terrible marriage can feel and how nobody should suffer staying in such a marriage. Richie is just a horrendous human being, a workaholic, image-obsessed and very unlikable overall. Austin Stowell is very demanding in the role that never went too overboard in portraying him as a villain, though it came awfully close.

I loved Luau. This Syrian refugee acts as a monitoring guard for Hunter and he is a lovely human being. The scene where he hugged her beneath the bed was deeply touching whereas her final escape being orchestrated by him was wonderful and very satisfying.

We need to talk about Haley Bennett. The movie is greatly acted through and through, but this is entirely Bennett’s show and I was utterly impressed by her work here. In fact, I was so impressed that I would call her performance one of the best of 2020. Discomfort, pain, longing, disappointment and eventual growing into a braver person – all of it was portrayed stupendously by this terrific actress. I can’t wait to see more of her in the future.

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Swallow has a great character arc for the protagonist, but it could have developed others a bit more. The first half is lacking in terms of memorable scenarios, but the second half is amazing. Most of the movie is very dramatic, very realistic and putting you inside Hunter’s mind due to a strong emphasis on psychology and inner workings of her impulses. The cinematography and score are both quite good as well.

After Swallow, Haley Bennett should become a star. Yes, her central performance is so amazing in a very complex role as she sold the character’s every impulse and emotion stupendously, giving one of the year’s finest performances for sure. The movie itself is also terrific. It’s the type of psychological thriller that isn’t insane and full of twists, but just the opposite – it benefits from a very realistic approach, an excellent, empathetic handling of the pica disorder, and many either highly uncomfortable or deeply touching sequences. It’s a gem of a film.

My Rating – 4.5

You can get Swallow on Amazon.