Swallow (2020) Review

 "Are you happy or are you pretending to be happy?"
-Katherine Conrad



Emotionally stifled and board housewife, Hunter Conrad (Haley Bennett), develops a compulsion to eat inedible objects, such as marbles.  As she gets more daring with what she eats, her family discovers her compulsion and Hunter is forced to confront her past.


What Works:

The 1st act of this movie is pretty brilliant with setting up Hunter's character.  While I can't understand wanting to eat a thumb tack, the movie still shows us why Hunter is craving some excitement in her life.  All of the foreshadowing is unnerving, especially because you know it's just going too get worse from here.

The thumb tack scene is brutal and I hate it, but it's very effective.  It's one of the most uncomfortable things I have ever seen on film.  Movies don't get to me very often, but this one did.

I appreciate how there is some level of empathy given to Hunter from the other characters.  Of course, some characters simply treat her as crazy.  That's to be expected, but her therapist, Alice (Zabryna Guevara), and her guardian, Luay (Laith Nakli), both offer at least some support for her.  It's nice to see Hunter's illness isn't just dismissed outright.

Finally, Hayley Bennett does a great job as our protagonist.  She gives a very convincing performance to the point I'm worried she's eating tacks in real life.  It seemed disturbingly easy for her.  She carries the film, but keeps Hunter a likable enough character that we're really rooting for her to find happiness.


What Sucks:

Swallow peaks a little too early.  The thumb tack scene is definitely the best scene of the movie and it happens much earlier than one would expect.  The movie never gets that good again and that's unfortunate.

The 3rd act of the movie doesn't really work for me.  Hunter confronts her biological father, William (Denis O'Hare), and it falls flat.  I didn't need to hear from this guy.  He sucks and I would have much rather seen Hunter confront basically anybody else.  Getting her closure from William felt gross and it seems like we get away from the premise of the movie.  This should not have been the climax of the film.


Verdict:

Swallow starts out strong thanks to Hayley Bennet's performance, plus the thumb tack scene is incredible and I like that the film shows some empathy towards Hunter, but the movie peaks early and stumbles in the 3rd act.  Still, this movie has got it going on.

 8/10: Really Good  


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