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Swallow

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Swallow

Swallow (2020) is a psychological thriller directed by Carlo Mirabella-Davis that deals

with the hassles of the domestic life of a woman, Hunter (Haley Bennett). Although she has a

seemingly perfect family and a wealthy husband, Richie (Austin Stowell), she has to obey her

husband and remain dutiful in her isolated modernist home. The first sign of her discontentment

is when she learns of her pregnancy, attempts to hide her disappointment by faking a smile, and

later develops pica. The movie is a good exemplar of the horrors that a body in isolation faces

and the great lengths individuals will go to fill their inner void by engaging in compulsive and

self-destructive behavior to regain a sense of control over their lives.

Swallow (2020) excels at portraying isolation and disconnection through various symbols

and images. It deals with the challenges women face in society in defining their relationship with

their own bodies. Hunter feels isolated and loses control of her own body. As though

disconnected from time, Hunter wears vintage-like outfits and lives in a mid-century home

surrounded by an endless forest. The film shows her loss of control over her body when her

husband hires a nurse (Laith Nakli) to take care of her, but most likely to guard her. The loss of

control inevitably leads her to develop pica to regain a sense of control over her body (Baraton et

al., 2020). The movie is a reminder of the psychoses and neuroses that isolation can inspire in

individuals. It utilizes various symbols and images to communicate Hunter’s experiences in a

way that most people can identify with and sympathize with her plight.

The diagnosis of the protagonist (Hunter) is pica (DSM-5 307.52 (F98.3) (F50.8)). Pica is

a condition that inspires the individual to compulsively and persistently eat nonfood substances

with little to no nutritional value, such as marbles. The condition is similar to malnourished

anorexia in its symptoms, which include eating non-nutritive substances persistently for at least
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one month. It appears as the individual’s regression to an earlier developmental stage, like early

childhood. The symptoms associated with the condition include stomach pain or upset, blood in

the stool, and bowel problems. Other symptoms can emanate from ingesting poisonous or toxic

substances like animal poisons and household cleaning products (Crowhurst & Baden, 2019).

Various examples in the film substantiate the pica diagnosis.

Hunter demonstrates pica symptoms for the first time when she fixes her gaze on a piece

of marble. She picks up the marble from a display case and contemplates it as though it were

Holy Communion before gulping it down (Baraton et al., 2020). After the act, her demeanor

appears to change since she feels relieved of the isolated abode in her picturesque home. Another

extreme instance is swallowing a thumbtack. The film later shows the effects the thumbtack had

on her gastrointestinal blood in a bathroom scene where there is blood, a telltale symptom of

pica. Finally, Hunter appears to have regressed into a childlike state of lashing out at the cage of

domesticity that is her marriage (Baraton et al., 2020). Rather than voice out her concerns after

she learns of her pregnancy, she immediately resorts to swallowing non-food objects to regain a

sense of control.

Swallow (2020) is an interesting delve into the internal conflicts of a woman isolated and

imprisoned within the bounds of domesticity. Although it is a psychological thriller dealing with

the devastating effects of pica, it might pass for a feminist critique of traditional gender roles that

create neuroses in women because of their loss of control of their bodies and surroundings. In the

era of body positivity and the rise of the “My Body, My Choice” movement, the film is a

welcome addition to the debate on women’s rights to determine the trajectory of their personal

lives within the confines of stifling neurosis-inducing conservative marriage relationships.

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References

Baraton, C., Fiore, F., Asher, M. & Louie, M. (Producers), Mirabella-Davis, C. (Director).

(2020). Swallow [Motion picture]. United States and France: IFC Films (US) and UFO

Distribution (France).

Crowhurst, C., & Baden, H. (2019). Pica: What is it and what can you do to help? Options

Autism. https://www.optionsautism.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/06/Options-

PICA-Issue-27.pdf