Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Swallow Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf July 25, 2020

“Swallow” appears intended to be a major showcase for the acting skills of Haley Bennett, who takes a producing role on the picture, gifting herself a little more control over the final product. It’s been a rocky road for the talent, who failed to breakout in efforts such as “The Girl on the Train” and “The Magnificent Seven,” with “Swallow” delivering a juicy leading part that’s completely focused on her abilities, offering a tonal challenge with strange material that deals uncomfortably with obsessive compulsive disorder and depression. The good news about the movie is that it truly makes the most of Bennett’s screen appeal, and she delivers refreshingly alert work for director Carlo Mirabella-Davis, skillfully reaching some interesting psychological spaces as the feature conjures plenty of compelling darkness.

Hunter (Haley Bennett) is a mousy woman who’s married to Richie (Austin Stowell), a rich kid who’s had everything handed to him by his parents, Katherine (Elizabeth Marvel) and Michael (David Rasche). Living in a luxury house with nothing to do all day but tend to housekeeping duties, Hunter is left with her own impulses, dealing with an enormous amount of pain she keeps buried deep within. When she becomes pregnant, new challenges and responsibilities come to claim her mind, inspiring her to seek comfort elsewhere, turning to the consumption of dangerous household items, which provide some level of adventure and self-harm. Trying to keep her compulsion a secret, Hunter is soon exposed to the world, faced with the wrath of Richie, whose selfishness is limitless, reaching out to his parents to help govern his spouse. And there’s Luay (Laith Nakil), a war refugee who’s hired to monitor Hunter’s every move, soon coming to understand the young woman’s issues as he observes her breakdown.

There have been multiple television shows devoted to the issue of compulsive eating, but “Swallow” isn’t an exploitative basic cable reality show. It’s more intimate, with Mirabella-Davis (who also scripts) trying to crawl inside Hunter’s mind as she experiences a surge of need from within, turning to danger to best electrify her suffocating life. When we meet Hunter, she’s a docile young woman who’s been transformed into homemaker, acquiring a rich husband in Richie, who gives her a massive dwelling to take care of, expecting a ‘50s-style housewife in return, delivering meals, glamour, and sex whenever he needs it. A twisted aside in “Swallow” includes Katherine and Michael, who expect nothing from Hunter, constantly reminding her of all they’ve given her, exerting their dominance in subtle ways, always there to support Richie, especially at his most infantile.

Hunter is empty inside, projecting happiness to keep up appearances, but lacking love and support from those she’s supposed to trust. A great moment has Hunter confronted with one of Richie’s pervy co-workers who drunkenly requests a hug, and she provides one, briefly relishing such intimate contact. While “Swallow” is bleak, Mirabella-Davis keeps the audience involved with the lead character’s journey, observing her OCD as its channeled into daily chores, while a pregnancy directly taps into a loss of control, sending Hunter on an oral odyssey to reclaim some sense of self. The horrors begin with the swallowing of a marble, with Hunter graduating to a list of sharp and toxic objects, including a disturbing battle to ingest a pushpin. It’s incredibly unsettling to watch all this unfold, but such self-medication taps into something deeper within Hunter, who’s soon caught by her dismissive family, sent to therapy where there’s no privacy to share her real issues with birth, life, and identity. “Swallow” isn’t a gross-out endeavor, making a specific point about Hunter’s urges as it relates to her trauma, creating an engrossing study of a damaged person taking a strange journey to a necessary confrontation.

Swallow Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

"Swallow" is a film of extreme close-ups and textures, taking viewers on a tour of pained looks and dangerous items the lead character consumes. The AVC encoded image (2.39:1 aspect ratio) presentation preserves all sorts of textures when exploring this particular world, protecting the sharpness of the imagery, which often carries a glistening wetness or high polish, and pointiness remains menacing as sharper objects are placed inside Hunter's mouth. Facial surfaces are exact, picking up on fine hairs and worry lines. Interior decoration is also pristine, with fibrous furniture. Exteriors offers true depth, offering dimensional looks into the woodland and river surroundings. Colors come through with power, delivering heavy use of primaries, with reds and greens common in Hunter's home. Object hues are vivid, adding to the beauty of unease the production is aiming for. Greenery is precise. Skintones are natural. Delineation is satisfactory. Some mild banding is periodically detected.

Swallow Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix explores the dramatic stillness of the feature, with "Swallow" often spending time with Hunter in her illness. Dialogue exchanges are commanding, with a sharp understanding of different performances and accents, and argumentative behavior doesn't trigger any distortion. Scoring cues aren't a priority for the endeavor, but orchestral moods register as intended, and some electropop on the soundtrack gives the track some synth-y bounce. Surrounds carry atmospherics with care, exploring room tone, party guest bustle, and a few open-air events. Sound effects are crisp. Low-end isn't challenged.

Swallow Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Theatrical Trailer (2:18, HD) is included.

Swallow Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Bennett is marvelous in "Swallow," communicating burning emotion locked behind a barrier of compliance, giving Hunter relatability while exploring her unusual obsessions. The character is fascinating, as is the feature overall, which builds with the addition of Luay and carries on to a conclusion that remains ghastly, but also weirdly positive in the grand scheme of things. Mirabella-Davis shows remarkable control over "Swallow," exploring illness and experience with directorial confidence, easing viewers into a claustrophobic world that initially threatens to become a circus sideshow, only to provide a more involving understanding of despondency.