Swallow Review (Film, 2020)
Content warning: sexual assault, self-harm, mental wellness, surgery
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Editorial Note: I do believe that Swallow is a good film. I just want to address one element of the film that is not apparent in the marketing of the film that can be upsetting without spoiling the film. Rape becomes a major topic of discussion in the film. You do not see anything happen onscreen, but it is discussed quite a lot. I personally believe it is handled in a sensitive way, especially for a horror film, but it is present. I will not mention it again in this review, but I don’t want anyone else to go in without knowing like I did. —Robert J Gannon
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Swallow is a different kind of horror film. It’s driven by feeling and concept more than plot. It’s defined as much by the incredible cast as it is by the use of color and light. Writer/director Carlo Mirabella-Davis crafts a horror film of obsession and deflection.
Hunter is married to Richie, the wealthy son of an extremely successful business owner. She discovers she is pregnant with their child and genuinely feels lucky for the life she has. Then she develops a new obsession with the pregnancy. Hunter begins swallowing inedible objects and collecting them afterwards. It’s her own secret game, something that is her own in a life increasingly controlled by her new family.
The motifs of swallowing are done in different color palettes each time, demonstrating how Hunter’s obsession is taking over her life. She is trying to obtain any sense of control over what she does with her life now that she’s Richie’s wife, not her own person. That’s not an overreach or projection. Richie’s family treats her like property. She’s made to feel less than in every interaction, and the slightest slip up on her part results in a totally passive aggressive overreaction on theirs.
Her first time swallowing anything unusual is set off when her father-in-law cuts off her story at a celebratory dinner. Hunter just found out she’s pregnant and her new family wants to celebrate. She’s pushed aside for talk about the family business, so she grabs an ice chip and starts crunching on it until she’s noticed.
Food is a constant image in the film, with more scenes than not featuring beautiful shots of ingredients and completed meals. These moments are framed and lit exactly like the objects Hunter wants to swallow. It’s an intentional disturbance than effectively creates the horror in the film for the first half.
The second half takes a sinister turn that Hunter did not expect. Gone are the colors and bright lights that defined the early moments of the film. At most, they are a distant image lurking in the background. The life Hunter thought she was happy in has proven to be something very different than she ever planned.
Swallow is the rare modern horror film that features a twist I really didn’t see coming. It turns the film on its head and sends it in a totally different direction. I was so thrown off that I didn’t anticipate a lot of the direction of the film after the first 40 minutes or so. It’s also not some random twist that sends the film careening off a cliff. It’s thoughtful and lines up very well with what came before. It’s just…unexpected.
Swallow is a horror film of fear, control, and self-expression. A life with no control is a terrifying thing, and Hunter has no control. One wrong move pulls the walls of her cage closer together, inch by inch. Slowly, any move she makes is the wrong move in the eyes of her new family. Swallow is an anxious horror film about an obsessive disorder that feels real.
Swallow is now playing in select theaters and available to rent on Amazon Prime, Google Play, and Vudu.
