When everything shut down in early March, there were a number of independent films that had their theatrical opportunities snuffed out. Most indie flicks aren’t going to kill it at the box office anyway but a theater run is an important piece of a movie’s journey. Swallow is one of those.
The debut full-length feature from writer/director Carlo Mirabella-Davis is more of an intensely personal piece of horror than an outright thriller but the supporting elements keep anxiety at the center of the story. His script leaned heavily into the psychology of its lead character and set the table for a strong lead performance. The narrative foundation painted the supporting characters as little more than one-note, oppressive cliches in order to drive sympathy for the lead but the thematic core is a complete lack of control and identity. If Mirabella-Davis’ continues to make films as fiercely intimate as this, I’ll gladly continue to spend my time and money watching.
Haley Bennett gave a gripping performance in this colorful and tense drama about a young woman whose eating disorder spirals out of control as the walls of her home life begin to close in. On the surface, her character Hunter has a picturesque life: the gorgeous home, a handsome, loving, and wealthy husband, and a wardrobe to top it off. However, there’s still something missing and as we begin to peel back the superficial layers of her existence, her life isn’t as idyllic as it appears. Bennett’s often heartbreaking portrayal of frailty and ambition created a unique blend of empathic energy, one in which I found myself cheering for her to take bigger risks and carve her own path while fearing for her safety at the same time. People tend to root for the underdog and that’s the idea here. The Girl on the Train put Bennett on the map but this is the role that is going to take her to the next level.
The cumulative elements of the film are very strong. Sometimes the connective tissue gets lost in these instances but the production design by Erim Magill and costume design by Liene Dobraja are great, both crafting the unique visual footprint that blended 50s domesticity and contemporary design. Nathan Halpern’s piercing and methodical original score injected a very dark tonal atmosphere and it married nicely with the beautiful but isolating cinematography by Katelin Arizmendi.
Overall, this was a very promising debut for Mirabella-Davis. All the elements of good filmmaking are there even and there is room for growth down the line. In many ways, the rental availability on Amazon Prime Video may actually be a blessing in disguise.
Recommendation: If you’re looking for something new, give this one a chance. There is room for growth but it hit all the right emotional cues which made this is the kind of filmmaking I really like.