Swallow (film)

Swallow is a 2019 psychological thriller film written and directed by Carlo Mirabella-Davis, in his directorial debut, and starring Haley Bennett, Austin Stowell, Elizabeth Marvel, David Rasche, and Denis O'Hare. Its plot follows a young woman who, emotionally stifled in her marriage and domestic life, develops an impulse to consume inedible objects.

Swallow
Theatrical release poster
Directed byCarlo Mirabella-Davis
Produced by
Written byCarlo Mirabella-Davis
Starring
Music byNathan Halpern
CinematographyKatelin Arizmendi
Edited byJoe Murphy
Production
companies
  • Charades
  • Logical Pictures
  • Stand Alone Productions
  • Syncopated Films
Distributed by
  • IFC Films (United States)
  • UFO Distribution (France)
Release date
  • April 28, 2019 (2019-04-28) (Tribeca)
  • January 15, 2020 (2020-01-15) (France)
  • March 6, 2020 (2020-03-06) (United States)
Running time
94 minutes[1]
Country
  • United States
  • France
LanguageEnglish
Box office$274,259[2]

The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 28, 2019. It was released in France on January 15, 2020 by UFO Distribution, and in the United States on March 6, 2020 by IFC Films.

Plot

Hunter, a young woman from a lower working-class family in upstate New York has recently married Richie, a man from a wealthy family who is set to take over as CEO of his father's Manhattan corporation. This affords Hunter, once an aspiring illustrator, the ability to stay at home in the couple's lavish upstate home on the Hudson River. Despite this, Hunter finds herself increasingly emotionally stifled and isolated in both her marriage and domestic life, and finds Richie distant and inconsiderate toward her. One day while home alone, Hunter develops the impulse to eat a marble, and musters the courage to do so. She finds it exhilarating, and begins to consume other inedible objects around the house, including thumbtacks, metal figurines, and batteries. Each item she swallows, once digested, she meticulously cleans and arranges on her vanity.

After Hunter finds out she is pregnant, she and Richie visit the hospital for a routine ultrasound, during which the technician notices an anomaly in Hunter's abdomen. She is rushed in for emergency surgery to remove a variety of objects trapped in her intestine. After the surgery, Hunter is diagnosed with pica, a psychological disorder that compels individuals to eat inedible objects. Richie's parents, Katherine and Michael, arrange for her to see a psychiatrist in the city. During her therapy sessions, Hunter slowly divulges her attraction to consuming the objects, which she says is mainly because of the feel of their textures in her mouth.

At the behest of his parents, Richie hires Luay, a family friend and immigrant from Syria, to monitor Hunter while Richie is at work during the day. Hunter, feeling increasingly smothered, is initially hostile toward Luay, who dismisses her mental illness as resulting from her privileged life. Despite the others' efforts to stop it, Hunter continues to covertly consume objects. Through her continued therapy sessions, she eventually reveals that she was not raised by her biological father and in fact has never met him, though she knows his name and keeps a picture of him in her wallet. She tells her psychiatrist that she was conceived as a result of her mother's rape at the hands of a strange man whom she had met in a bar. The rapist was caught and served time in prison for the crime. When her doctor asks if Hunter's mother ever considered terminating the pregnancy, she explains that her mother is very religious and does not believe in abortion even in cases of incest or rape.

While gardening one afternoon, Hunter overhears Richie speaking with her psychiatrist on the phone, and realizes that Richie has financially bribed the doctor to reveal the content of her sessions with Hunter. This sends Hunter into a panic, and when Richie leaves the house, she swallows a miniature screwdriver that she finds in the kitchen. Luay finds her choking violently, and phones 9-1-1. After undergoing surgery to remove the screwdriver, Michael and Katherine arrange to have Hunter committed to a psychiatric hospital for the next seven months until she delivers her baby, threatening that Richie will divorce her otherwise. Hunter agrees, but before they are to leave for the hospital, Hunter returns inside with Luay, saying that she has forgotten her cell-phone charger. Luay, who has warmed to Hunter, allows her to flee into the woods, and stages it to appear as though she had covertly escaped through the bathroom window.

Hunter hitchhikes to a motel and calls Richie, who begs her to return. She explains to him that she had rushed into their marriage and her pregnancy to make him happy. When she refuses to come back, he chastises her for being an "ungrateful cunt." Hunter smashes her cell phone and spends the rest of the night watching television and eating soil that she obtained from outside. The next day, Hunter hitchhikes to the home of her biological father, a man named William Erwin. She enters his home, where William and his wife Lucy are having a birthday party for their daughter. They assume Hunter is the parent of one of their daughter's friends, but Hunter privately reveals her true identity to William. During an emotional conversation, William professes his shame for the rape of Hunter's mother. Hunter asks him if he is ashamed of her and whether she is like him, which he denies.

Having obtained closure from her visit with William, Hunter visits a clinic and is prescribed medication to induce an abortion. She takes the pills while eating lunch in a shopping mall food court and experiences the abortion in a public restroom.

Cast

Production

In September 2016, it was announced that Carlo Mirabella-Davis would direct the film based on a screenplay that he wrote. Mynette Louie, Mollye Asher were slated to produce the film along with Syncopated Films and Standalone Productions.[3][4][5] In May 2018, Haley Bennett, Austin Stowell, Elizabeth Marvel, David Rasche and Denis O'Hare joined the cast of the film. Carole Baraton, Frédéric Fiore were also announced as producers under their Charades and Logical Pictures banners, respectively. Joe Wright, Bennett, Constantin Briest, Johann Comte, Pierre Mazars, Eric Tavitian and Sam Bisbee were named executive producers.[6][7]

Filming

Principal photography began in May 2018.[8] The movie was filmed in a glass home in Poughkeepsie, New York, along the Hudson River, and at a nearby farm. Mirabella-Davis attributes the selection of the home to its Hitchcock-like appearance. He also has compared the home's nearby river to a "mood ring", representing freedom, power and danger, a stark contrast to the powerless life that protagonist Hunter finds herself living.[9]

In a 2020 interview, production designer Erin Magill noted that inspiration for the film's overall aesthetic and strong visual look was taken from films such as Safe and Rosemary's Baby. She was also inspired by famous photographers such as Tina Barney, Philip Lorca-diCorcia and Greg Crewdson.[10]

Release

Swallow had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 28, 2019.[11] Shortly thereafter, IFC Films acquired American distribution rights.[12] It was released in France on January 15, 2020 by UFO Distribution[13] and in the United States on March 6, 2020.[14] It tied for the highest-grossing film in the U.S. for the week of April 17, 2020, though earning just $2,490 from a handful of drive-in theaters during the COVID-19 pandemic[15], with a total of $31,646 in its seven-week run up to that point.[16]

Critical reception

Swallow received acclaim from film critics. It holds a 90% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 97 reviews, with a weighted average of 7.66/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Swallow's unconventional approach to exploring domestic ennui is elevated by a well-told story and Haley Bennett's powerful leading performance."[17] On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 67 out of 100, based on 19 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[18]

Dissenting opinions included that of critic Barry Hertz of Canada's Globe and Mail, who wrote that "...Mirabella-Davis treats Hunter’s behaviour with kid gloves – it is a disorder that the film treats as fit for gawking and disgust, not anything close to understanding or empathy."[15]

References
  1. "Swallow". Tribeca Film Festival. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  2. "Swallow". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  3. Maculay, Scott (September 16, 2016). "No Sleep Till Brooklyn: the IFP Talks Its New DUMBO-Based IFP Film Week". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  4. "Swallow". Film Independent. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  5. "Currently casting". amtcasting.net. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  6. Hipes, Patrick (May 4, 2018). "Austin Stowell Joins Haley Bennett In 'Swallow' After Flying To 'Catch-22'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  7. Hipes, Patrick (May 25, 2018). "Haley Bennett-Starring 'Swallow' Rounds Out Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  8. Bennett, Haley (May 4, 2018). "bang bang she shot me down 🎥 @katearizmendi". Retrieved May 4, 2018 – via Instagram.
  9. Hubert, Brian (September 28, 2019). "Woodstock Film Festival features number of films shot locally or starring local talent". Daily Freeman. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
  10. Reeves, Rachel (2020-03-29). "[Exclusive Interview] Production Designer Erin Magill Dishes About Designing SWALLOW's Deliciously Beautiful World". Nightmare on Film Street. Retrieved 2020-04-02.
  11. Hayes, Dade (March 5, 2019). "Tribeca Film Festival Unveils Feature Lineup, With Screen Time For John DeLorean, Muhammad Ali, Chelsea Manning". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  12. Lang, Brent (July 31, 2019). "IFC Films Buys Feminist Horror Film 'Swallow' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  13. "Swallow". Cineuropa. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  14. "Swallow". IFC Films. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  15. "Review: Swallow nearly chokes on its freak-show depiction of a genuine mental-health disorder". Retrieved 2020-07-26.
  16. "Weekend Domestic Chart for April 17, 2020". The Numbers. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  17. "Swallow (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  18. "Swallow Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
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