Swallow

Like another reviewer I imagined this was going to be about Pill addiction - a glimpse at the poster, the only thing I allowed myself or rather couldn't avoid seeing - other than that I did not read anything about the movie. So that looked like a pill thing ... and it turned out this is a different beast.

Now I imagine that most people who want to watch it (and of course those who already have) read up on the plot and are not like me avoiding any information at all costs. So you don't need me to tell you anything about that. What I will tell you, is that the movie is quite the tough and harrowing watch. And all the focus lies on the main female character. Everyone else is quite flat from a character standpoint. A bodyguard sort of type may have the most personality of them all.

But that did not make the movie any less intriguing. And while it seems impossible to have any sort of final resolution here ... you may agree with how the movie decides to end ... even if most likely you may not be able to really get a grip on everything she goes through, we do feel for her ...

Originality within the bounds of reality is a rare achievement in film or cinema these days. Haley Bennett leaves us under no illusion of the psychological strain her past and present circumstances have had and are having on her. Tormented in so many ways as so many people are in these confusing, evolving and ever changing times - our hunter gatherer minds can find all that's thrown their way a little tricky to wash down, but there are ways to compensate.

The acting and visuals are great. the story line lacked that punch that could have made this a 7 or 8.

the story is sad but just didn't connect with me and i was dissapointed with the end

6.1

Tv was on and I happened to walk in the room after the film had just started. I adore the lead actress (she always kills it in her roles, girl on a train is a perfect example) and I found myself sitting down and watching it the whole way through because I couldn't believe what I was watching. Like others have said before, I found myself wanting this poor girl to get some real help, not what she was getting. My eyes would water up and I was even talking to the tv at her, trying to offer my own compassion for her. The ending wasn't all tied up in a happy little bow in some fairytale fashion. It was right for the story- in my opinion anyways. Gave me tremendous empathy for anyone suffering from what she was and why she most likely was. I was sad watching her story but I'm not sorry I watched it at all.

An extremely self-aware A-to-Z psychological thriller about taking back your life through rituals of control, complete with patriarchal caricatures and metaphors of intrusion left and right (think Aronofsky's "mother!"--but a dark comedy).

Approaches the level of Snakes on a Plane or Teeth on self-aware high-concept absurdity, yet manages to be taken seriously thanks to a great performance by lead actress Haley Bennett, lush cinematography, and a constant stream of creative ways to push the autonomy message over the top (the first frames of the film are close-ups of farm-to-plate preparation of lamb meat).

Swallow is destined to be a cult-classic. It's the quintessentially bold, fun, and unique indie film festival offering (Anna and the Apocalypse was that film for me last year).

Highly recommended, but not for the squeamish.