Swallow

_Swallow_ is like wearing second hand underwear that's far too tight yet looks incredible on you. It's full of cringe and will never stop making you uncomfortable yet works in every way possible. This neo-pre-feminist (yes, I just made that up) psychological thriller is constantly evolving as it explores the psyche of a trophy wife whose at risk of being tarnished. Director Carlo Mirabella-Davis leaves a lasting imprint of his style on this film that Haley Bennet owns like a dress tailor made for her talent.

"Fake it until you ... go insane and start swallowing needles and batteries" Hunter (played beautifully by Haley Bennet) is a kind hearted and naive young girl who tries to be the perfect wife, in return she receives the indifference and oppression of her husband and family. In response to this gaslighting situation, she begins to rebel by swallowing dangerous objects. Swallow is a psychological horror where terror and violence are sneaky and mean. The film perfectly manages to put us in the role of the protagonist, we feel weak and helpless and we suffer with her the psychological violence inflicted on her by her family members. The other characters, from the husband, to the in-laws, to the psychologist, even if they never lift a finger on her, are a collection of monstrous characters. Swallow is a very interesting film, never boring, well directed and photographed. Highly recommended, expecially if you enjoyed movies like Gaslight with Ingrid Bergman, The Invisible Man (2020) or the more recent Men by Alex Garland.