I was very interested to see the film Swallow (2019) turn up on Stan’s streaming services in Australia after reading reviews of its festival and arthouse run in the US before cinemas closed down. A warning right from the start is that this is not a film for everyone. Swallow stars Haley Bennett, who has made impressions in The Equalizer and The Magnificent Seven remake, but finally gets her own starring vehicle that she helped co-produce. Her character Hunter is recently wed to Richie (Austin Stowell), a corporate hotshot who comes from a very wealthy family (David Rasche and Elizabeth Marvel). The young couple live in an isolated fancy house with lots of windows and Hunter sits alone most days, waiting for her husband, without friends or human connection. Often in dinner conversations, her words are misheard or talked over. Her loneliness is diverted when she develops a compulsion to swallow a marble. This is the eating disorder known as pica and Hunter decides to swallow more objects that are sharper, riskier to her body, particularly when she finds out she is also pregnant. Directed and written by Carlo Mirrabella-Davis, there is a clear sense of style with the way Hunter’s colorful costuming clashes with the sterile interiors, or red curtains are used to create pinkish-blood lighting. It definitely follows in the tradition of David Lynch or Nicolas Winding Refn in terms of its aesthetic (the Todd Haynes film Safe with Julianne Moore is also a clear influence). The film is an unsettling experience, and it has more impact through implying things and expedient plot development. Bennett provides a great performance, etching a memorable character out of her blankness, her restrained psychological turmoil, and her slow descent into a chaotic mess in this rigid, wealthy lifestyle. While I don’t know if everything worked – it wraps things up a bit too quickly – I still thought Swallow was worthwhile viewing on the basis of Haley Bennett’s performance, the visual care and style it has, and for developing an intriguing character deconstruction through very uncomfortable subject matter. Recommended.
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