Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Latest
    • 3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)
    • 3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)
    • 3625. Ode To Joy (2019)
    • 3624. One Chance (2013)
    • 3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)
    • 3622. The Polka King (2017)
    • 3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)
    • 3620. Friendzone (2021)
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Home
    • Blog
      • All Posts
      • Best Of The Year
        • Best Of 2015
        • Best Of 2016
        • Best Of 2017
        • Best Of 2018
        • Best Of 2019
        • Best Of 2020
        • Best Of 2021
        • Best Of 2022
      • The Decade In Review
      • Box Office Analysis
      • James Bond
      • Oscars
      • RANKED
      • Star Wars
      • The Big Questions
      • Top 10
      • World Cinema
    • Ratings
      • Top 250
      • Top 100 Foreign Films
      • Bottom 50
      • 0 – 1.9
      • 2 – 3.9
      • 4 – 5.9
      • 6 – 7.9
      • 8 – 10
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Anthology
      • Animation
      • Christmas
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Film-Noir
      • History
      • Horror
      • Kids’
      • Musical
      • Psychological
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Short
      • Silent
      • Sport
      • Superhero
      • Survival
      • Thriller
      • Western
    • Release Year
      • 2020s
      • 2010s
      • 2000s
      • 1990s
      • 1980s
      • 1970s
      • 1960s
      • 1950s
      • 1940s
      • 1930s
      • 1920s
    • Country
      • Afghanistan
      • Argentina
      • Australia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Brazil
      • Cambodia
      • Canada
      • Chile
      • China
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • East Timor
      • Faroe Islands
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Georgia
      • Greece
      • Hong Kong
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Ireland
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Japan
      • Latvia
      • Lebanon
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mexico
      • New Zealand
      • Nigeria
      • North Korea
      • Norway
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Philippines
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • South Africa
      • Soviet Union
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uganda
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Uruguay
      • Vietnam
      • Zambia
    • About
    The Mad Movie Man
    You are at:Home»Review»3211. Swallow (2020)

    3211. Swallow (2020)

    0
    By The Mad Movie Man on January 9, 2021 2020, 6 - 7.9, 90-99 mins, Drama, Jan 21, Movies Of 2021, Review, Thriller, United States
    6.5 Intriguing, but never really gets off the ground
    • Acting 6.7
    • Directing 6.5
    • Story 6.3
    • User Ratings (0 Votes) 0

    Starring: Haley Bennett, Austin Stowell, Elizabeth Marvel

    Director: Carlo Mirabella-Davis

    Running Time: 94 mins


    Swallow is an American film about a newly pregnant housewife who develops an obsession with swallowing dangerous objects, leading her family to take measures that take control of her life.

    A film that grabs you interestingly with its totally bizarre premise, Swallow fails to follow up on its intriguingly strange ideas with genuinely gripping drama, proving a largely disappointing tale that could have been so much more emotionally resonant.

    There’s a good amount to praise and criticise about this film, but let’s start on the bright side by talking about Haley Bennett’s lead performance. Quiet, unassuming and wonderfully likable, she’s a captivating presence through the whole film, even when the story is far from enthralling.

    Bennett is wholly believable as a sheltered and confused housewife whose new dangerous obsession begins to consume her entirely. Her story is one of trying to break free from ever-tightening shackles in her life, and Bennett’s seemingly innocent outward appearance blended with a clear fire inside makes that element of the film’s main character fully convincing.

    There are times when Bennett perhaps isn’t able to capture the real emotional distress that the film is trying to put across, and in tandem with co-stars who aren’t quite on her level, you never find yourself in awe of the most moving on-screen performances.

    And that’s one of the issues that really makes Swallow fall down. Unable to convert its odd premise into a genuinely emotionally resonant story for the majority of its runtime, its slow pacing feels unwarranted and ultimately frustrating, with a lack of dramatic urgency that in short makes the film a rather dull watch.

    Admittedly, things do turn up in the third act as the story takes quite a dramatic shift, but for the majority of the first two acts, there’s little genuine intrigue, mystery or even horror at what should be a really distressing story.

    The film’s main themes of oppression and looking for a semblance of control and freedom in the face of it are without doubt interesting, but I felt that director Carlo Mirabella-Davis wasn’t able to bring those themes to the forefront of the story, instead leaving the film’s admittedly sleek style as the centre of attention.

    You could say that Swallow is a little bit too much style over substance, but I think it’s more a lack in substance that hurts the story, rather than excessive style. Compared with the equally bizarre Raw, Swallow never manages to bring its stranger ideas and deeper themes together in fully convincing fashion, often coming across as an intelligent but unfortunately disjointed film.

    There are positives to take from this film, namely its unique premise, a good lead performance from Haley Bennett, and engaging themes. However, it’s mostly a disappointing watch, failing to turn its unorthodox ideas into a genuinely gripping story, proving a dragging and largely frustrating watch throughout. So, that’s why I’m giving Swallow a 6.5 overall.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    The Mad Movie Man, AKA Anthony Cullen, writes articles and reviews about movies and the world of cinema. Since January 1st, 2013, he has watched and reviewed a movie every day. This is the blog dedicated to the project: www.madmovieman.com

    Related Posts

    7.1

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    Follow Me Online!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Tumblr
    New Releases
    5.3
    January 17, 2022

    3620. Friendzone (2021)

    7.1
    January 10, 2022

    3612. The Lost Daughter (2021)

    8.0
    January 7, 2022

    3609. Licorice Pizza (2021)

    7.2
    January 7, 2022

    3608. Lamb (2021)

    7.4
    December 30, 2021

    3599. The King’s Man (2021)

    6.3
    December 29, 2021

    3598. The Matrix Resurrections (2021)

    8.4
    December 28, 2021

    3597. West Side Story (2021)

    6.3
    December 27, 2021

    3596. Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)

    Recommended Movies
    8.4
    Review
    August 23, 20160

    1460. Mrs. Miniver (1942)

    8.0
    Review
    April 4, 20140

    512. Singin’ In The Rain (1952)

    8.5
    Review
    March 21, 20170

    1699. Get Out (2017)

    8.4
    Review
    March 1, 20130

    70. Wedding Crashers (2005)

    8.3
    Review
    August 22, 20140

    665. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

    Popular Posts
    7.1
    January 24, 2022

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8
    January 23, 2022

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9
    January 22, 2022

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    7.4
    January 21, 2022

    3624. One Chance (2013)

    6.3
    January 20, 2022

    3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)

    7.5
    January 19, 2022

    3622. The Polka King (2017)

    6.0
    January 18, 2022

    3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)

    © 2022 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.