• Carlo Mirabella-Davis’s Swallow is one of the most promising debuts in recent years (this side of Columbus or Hereditary maybe).
  • Haley Bennett plays Hunter— a housewife (and soon to be mother) dealing with (or rather not dealing with) a psychologically complex past and trapped in a suffocating life/marriage she can’t get out of. It is clear from the outset with Mirabella-Davis’ meticulously designed and cleaned interiors (they’re stunning) and overhead shots of an unhealthy amount of detail put into the meal preparation– that she is ailing
  • The film seems like a spiritual cousin (nephew maybe given the generation difference) to Todd Haynes’ brilliant 1995 film Safe with Julianne Moore. The security guard hired by the family to watch Bennett’s Hunter even says “ you are safe here” to her as she hides under the bed

Bennett is outstanding in the lead— she’s soft-spoken, passive, wounded for much of the film—excelling at giving a glimpse at both the internal and external suffering of Hunter

  • The visuals are sublime—just a few highlights here:

At the 9-minute mark there are these glorious reflected lights off the window behind Bennett (again to echo Haynes’ work there is a similar shot of Cate Blanchett in Carol this time)

At the 11-minute mark we get the pink and blue window coverings for the baby’s room

  • The drapes in the movie theater- spectacularly bold choices

At the 19-minute mark at the in-laws we get the canary yellow and tan combination in a wide-angle shot—again and again Bennett’s Hunter is wearing and outfit matching the décor surrounding her. This isn’t just jaw-dropping to look at of course—this is a visual representation of the cold, unyielding prison cell she’s in (with her husband and husband’s family).

  • A reoccurring formal shot is Bennett pausing in front of the wall of windows in their home (it is hard not to think of Bong’s Parasite here) —all alone and trapped in silhouette

A reoccurring formal shot is Bennett pausing in front of the wall of windows in their home (it is hard not to think of Bong’s Parasite here)…

… all alone and trapped in silhouette

  • A disturbing tale of body horror- and a battle for body control
  • The film does trail off a little in the last half hour—probably keeping the film from the must-see or masterpiece level but even in the bathroom near the end the color of the tiles match her sweatshirt

even in the bathroom near the end the color of the tiles match her sweatshirt

  • Highly Recommend/ Must-See border film