'Swallow' Movie Review

Swallow is the story of Hunter Conrad (Haley Bennett). She has just married a very attractive and successful man (Austin Stowell), and they have a baby on the way. But it soon begins to dawn on her that her husband is controlling every aspect of her life, and she starts to feel the walls closing in on her. As a result of her stress, she develops a very unhealthy habit on a whim: pica, the compulsion to eat inedible objects. As those around her try to help her, it quickly becomes clear that she still has some repressed demons from her past.

Swallow is a very unusual film, but in a very good way. It deals with some pretty disturbing subject matter, but it never tries to intensify it, per say. It almost makes it look pleasant at times, as our lead character finds her nasty habit to be aesthetically pleasing. But whenever we see any sort of aftermath, all of that sense of calm vanishes instantly, despite a lack of stylistic changes. The first time we see doctors removing the objects she has swallowed is haunting. It gave the film a unique feel. The color scheme is very muted, and the pacing is very gentle. It’s an oddly quiet film, and I found that that made it all the more unsettling. Another nice touch was the way the film makes actual food look gross. The grotesque close-ups of food being eaten and prepared made it look truly revolting, and I really liked that addition.

Haley Bennett has been in a variety of films of all different types, from Music and Lyrics to Hardcore Henry to the remake of The Magnificent Seven. This is possibly her best work to date. It’s a very emotional, yet subtle, performance, and it’s very accurate to the behavior and demeanor of an abuse victim. Austin Stowell really surprised me in this movie. The last thing I saw him in was Blumhouse’s abysmal Fantasy Island earlier this year, so it was really cool to see him be given the opportunity to show his acting chops properly, and he is suitably vicious. His character is very much your classic rich white boy who always gets what he wants, and the movie knows how to take that to some extremely unpleasant situations. There’s also an appearance from a beloved character actor at the very end, and I won’t spoil who it is, but he is fantastic, as well.

I always admire when a more grounded horror film refuses to shy away from themes and topics that are all too real. If depictions of verbal abuse trigger you, you might want to sit this one out, because there are some pretty intense ones. I really appreciated the way that they show Hunter being entirely submissive, which makes said abuse more haunting. It didn’t even come across as denial. She seemingly accepts her husband’s claims that she is in the wrong. Even in the rare instance that she sticks up for herself, she quickly shrinks back and takes his abuse. Frankly, this was even more horrifying than the stark depiction of pics. A lot of the film is just plain uncomfortable, which, when done well, is something I typically really like in horror. Hunter’s life is just all so odd, sometimes bordering on surreal. The ability to make an audience squirm is always a good quality in a film like this one.

Swallow is a brilliant domestic drama with shades of haunting psychological horror. It depicts spousal abuse and PTSD in a chilling way that is perfectly accentuated by unsettling scenes of self-harm, and Haley Bennett has never been better.

SCORE: 4.5/5