An IFC Films Picture, Written and Directed by Carlo Mirabella-Davis.
Swallow is an experimental and bizarre film that slowly reveals its purpose in an effective and interesting way.
The film is a stylised body horror that plays out in a slow burn manner, making me feel that if this had been released by A24 many more people would’ve been viewing this as an elevated horror on the level of something like Midsommar.
The way the main character tries to deal with significant past trauma, by mysteriously swallowing objects, cleverly explores how people try to take control of their lives in any way possible, especially when that control has been taken away in all other aspects of their life.
Haley Bennett, who I have been a fan of since discovering her in ‘The Girl on the Train’ in 2016, finally gets her breakout lead performance here.
Here she absolutely carries the film and gives a very powerful performance as a woman fighting to maintain her sanity as her mental state begins to crumble. I doubt it will, but I really feel this is a performance people should remember when awards season comes around next year.
Rating = 4/5
Howe's World of Film and TV 