Written and Directed by Carlo Mirabella-Davis
Starring Haley Bennett, Austin Stowell and Denis O’Hare
Running time: 1 hour and 34 minutes
MPAA rating: R for language, some sexuality and disturbing behavior

by Rosalie Kicks, Old Sport 

“So what did you do for money before you met my son?”

Carlo Mirabella-Davis’s beautifully and mesmerizingly shot feature debut, Swallow tells the story of a woman that is lost within herself. Like a ghost, she floats through life, almost non-existent. If someone were to peer into her literal glass encased home, it would be logical to surmise that Hunter Conrad (Haley Bennett) is living her best life. From the outside, everything from her magazine ready home down to her trendy threads seems perfect. Unfortunately, everything is a facade for the truth, much like the shell that Hunter lives in. 

A few days have passed since viewing this film and I am still finding trouble articulating my true feelings. I found this picture and the performances to be absolutely haunting. It will take some time for me to shake from its grip. I suspect the movie will follow me around and pop in my head at the most inopportune times. This is a depiction of real horrors within the world and the actual boogeymen in life: human beings. 

As this yarn unraveled, I found myself asking: Who is Hunter Conrad? She is the pregnant housewife to a hoity-toity executive born with a silver spoon in his mouth Richie Conrad, the daughter in-law of Katherine and Michael Conrad, she wants to make her husband happy and she finds pleasure in swallowing weird, sometimes sharp objects. Even by the end of the picture, I still don’t have a clear understanding of who Hunter Conrad is despite spending the majority of the hour and thirty-four minute run-time with the character. Frankly, the same could be said regarding her so-called family. I don’t feel they even realized she was truly present in their lives until a routine ultrasound visit turns into a seek n’ find within Hunter’s stomach, removing contents such as a jack, rock and safety pin. 

Through the course of the film, many items are ingested. However, there is not much time spent on the discussion of this disorder known as Pica, but there is just enough information shown, and given to understand why Hunter partakes. Mainly it is due to her not living a life of her own. She was not in control. To her husband, she is nothing more than a picture on the mantle, a person to go arm in arm with into a banquet hall and to serve as a vessel for the next “little CEO” to the family’s company. She is a material object, much like the ones she swallows in attempt to obtain a grasp on her own life. 

This film filled me with much anxiety due to the abundant moments of unpleasantness. It wasn’t just the scenes in which she consumes various nefarious items (push pin, mini screwdriver, battery) that was a cause for my angst. I was more troubled by the complete lack of care and compassion given to a person that clearly had a mental illness by their so-called family, specifically her husband. It was extremely painful to witness. In battling my own issues with depression, I don’t think I would have made it out of the dark place if it were not for my support system, especially that of my partner in crime. The way in which Richie and his parents would carry on conversations as if Hunter was not there and in turn making decisions for her, said to me that they did not even see her as a person. Instead of her spouse taking the time to understand her disorder she was facing, he decides to make the entire situation about him as a true narcissist does. 

There are many layers to this film and I know that I only scratched the surface. As the film sits with me longer, my thoughts may morph. For now, I see this as a story about a person learning who they are for the first time and coming to an awareness that before one is able to make others happy, they have to be happy with themselves. It is also important, though, that one realizes they do have choices and are in control of their own destiny. I believe Hunter comes to this realization, especially with the impactful ending. In order for her to move forward, she needs to confront the past and in doing so she can start anew.

In select theaters and on demand now, find more information here.