Synopsis:
In Swallow Hunter, a newly pregnant housewife, finds herself increasingly compelled to consume dangerous objects. As her husband and his family tighten their control over her life, she must confront the dark secret behind her new obsession.
Stats:
Directed by: Carlo Mirabella-Davis
Screenplay by: Carlo Mirabella-Davis
Starring: Haley Bennett, Austin Stowell, Denis O’Hare
My Edition: streaming
My Thoughts:
This movie fucked me up. It’s scary – and it’s scary in a way that reminded me of the remake of The Invisible Man because they share a lot of common themes: a frightened woman in a stranglehold of a marriage is trying to regain control over her life, and goes to incredible lengths to do so. But in Swallow, Hunter is regaining a sense of control in a way that is incredibly damaging to her – something I think a lot of us can relate to.
Whereas Cecelia just wants to get away from Adrian at all costs, Hunter is looking for a different kind of escape. She’s not only trying to escape her controlling weirdo of a wealthy husband, but also his family, and her own traumatic past. Hunter’s life is the epitome of the gilded cage – and she wants out, but she’s pregnant and in a constant state of terror – except when she’s eating progressively more dangerous objects – only then does she feel a sense of control.
“Are you happy, or are you pretending to be happy?”
That line, man. It feels like the essence of this film distilled. Hunter is an enhanced version of every woman, I think. We all have that part of us that recognizes that the world we live in isn’t for us – that we don’t have the same rights to control over our own lives in quite the same way that men do. It’s not always so immediate for us as it is for Hunter (or maybe it is), but regardless, our lizard brains recognize it nonetheless. Haley Bennett’s portrayal of Hunter is absolutely stunning.
Swallow had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 28, 2019, with IFC Films acquiring distribution rights shortly thereafter.
I watched this with a 7 day free trial of Showtime.
Rating:
I’m gonna pick on this one IMDB review for a minute:
Like what you like, but what part of a portrait of a traumatized woman is not “horror and thill”? We are watching her trauma play out in real time (while also exploring past traumas). That seems scary to me, and I dunno….pica is pretty thrilling, no?
How much you wanna bet this reviewer is a dude who has never experienced a life-altering trauma? Just saying…
Swallow Directed by: Carlo Mirabella-Davis Originally Released: June 5, 2020 IFC Films Rated R 94 Minutes
This movie sounds so creepy!
It is. And it’s so good!