Swallow (2020)

Directed by Carlo Mirabella-Davis. Starring Haley Bennett, Austin Stowell, Elizabeth Marvel, David Rasche, Laith Nakli, Denis O’Hare, Zabryna Guevara, Lauren Vélez. [R]

Provocative drama of young housewife Bennett, emotionally stifled and psychologically troubled, who feels an absence of control and agency in her life and turns to pica—the act of compulsively eating inedible substances and objects (in her case, a battery, soil, a pushpin, and more). Debuting feature writer/director Mirabella-Davis’ sympathetic tone, an elegantly stylish and textured aesthetic, and Bennett’s engrossing performance make it more than worth watching, though some viewers will doubtlessly find the subject too uncomfortable to make the effort. Gaps in characterizations tend to make the ordeal more emblematic of dysfunctional social symptoms than specific to this protagonist, and its psychoanalysis is ultimately on the superficial side, though at least the film doesn’t pretend to have easy explanations or answers. Debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2019, where Bennett was named Best Actress.

67/100