Swallow
“Swallow” has a lot on its mind, with it being part psychological drama, part horror movie, and part character study. Sometimes, it’s hard to know where all of those pieces are going to fit into the larger film, but we find ourselves transfixed in the journey because of the terrific lead performance by Haley Bennett.
Hunter (Bennett) has married well above her means with Richie (Austin Stowell). Richie is following in his father’s footsteps at the family business, which has afforded them a beautiful home as a gift. Things seem happy between the two, even as Hunter stays at home, fixing meals for when Richie comes home. Hunter begins to have a weird compulsion, though, involving swallowing objects. It is not long before it causes significant strain in her and Richie’s marriage, and the family they are trying to build together.
The focus of “Swallow” is Hunter, and one of the things the film does not really dig into- much to its credit- is the “why” of Hunter’s odd, obsessive swallowing behavior. We get scenes where Richie and his family (more on them in a bit) send her to a psychiatrist to try and get help, but even what we learn in those sessions about Hunter doesn’t really seem to answer the question. It does raise other ones that the film explores later (although one not explored is how little doctor-patient confidentiality matters to the wealthy), and one does wonder if there’s an underlying heretical reason for it, but that plays more into Hunter trying to forge a sense of identity for herself when things have really fallen off the rails between her and Richie, leading to a scene at the end where Hunter tries to forge some control over her psychological well-being rather than having others dictate what that looks like. It’s a fantastic scene, and the culmination of a building sense of pain in Bennett’s performance.
“Swallow” is, ultimately, about the ways obsessive compulsive behavior can effect an individual, and how a family can find itself impacted, as well. Honestly, though, one wonders whether Hunter and Richie would have survived anyway. Richie is so reliant on his parents (David Rasche and Elizabeth Marvel), and they have such a say in the marriage, that it feels doomed from the outset. They see Hunter as “lucky” to be in the situation she’s in with Richie, and- when Hunter’s compulsion risks the baby her and Richie are expecting, they use it to exhibit further control in their lives, and Richie- who doesn’t have a problem sharing Hunter’s issue with others- goes right along with it. Granted, I understand it- especially with a baby on the way- but at a certain point, Richie seems more concerned about his family’s standing than Hunter’s well-being, and we suddenly start to see the film explore toxic relationships, as well, and how that only pushes Hunter to more extreme behaviors.
Writer-director Carlo Mirabella-Davis balances all of this with a precision and focus that is matched by Bennett. I remember first seeing her in the 2007 rom-com “Music & Lyrics” as a Brittany Spears-like singer, and while it’s a very good performance, I wasn’t sure what more she was capable of as an actor. This is almost a revelatory performance from her, and it’s hard to think of another actor doing better. “Swallow” is an uncomfortable film, but Bennett gives it the emotional connection it needs to go down easy.
