Welcome to Day 5 of Girl Week 2020. I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving, if you're into that sort of thing. We've got another movie to discuss today, so on with the show.
I don't read reviews of movies I know I'm going to watch in the near future. This is especially true of movies I intend to review myself. I don't want someone else's judgment clouding my own. And I definitely don't want their words coming out of my mouth. I will read reviews of movies I've never heard of. I'm always looking for something interesting and off the beaten path to watch. This is a good way to find them. In this case, I read a review SJ Honeywell a month or so ago that intrigued me on his blog 1001Plus. The premise is something I never considered, so I had to check it out.
Her name is Hunter (Bennett). She's a poor girl who has just gotten married to Richie (Stowell) her very rich Prince Charming. He's poised to become CEO of his dad's corporation. She becomes a captive princess in what to her, and us, feels like the tallest tower and guarded by a dragon. It's not as overtly sinister as that, since there is nothing physically keeping her in place. However, the world she now inhabits is quite isolated and constrictive. While Richie is off during the day doing rich people things, she's stuck with nothing to do but bop around her giant, empty house. Soon, she starts swallowing things not meant for consumption. These start with a marble, and quickly includes batteries, figurines, and thumbtacks.
As I'm typing this, there is a little bit of a mess between my keyboard and the monitor. I'm looking at a number of pens, a few mechanical pencils, a safety pin, a couple flash drives, a stray earring. None of these are things I would ever consider putting in my mouth, much less swallowing any of them. However, Hunter does. Unbeknownst to me before reading SJ's blog, this is indeed a real mental disorder called pica. Exactly why Hunter develops it is the question that powers this film.
The easy answer is addiction. It becomes clear, quite quickly, that Hunter just cannot help herself. When she eyes an object, she simply must swallow it. This becomes a huge deal when Richie finds out about it. As much as she tries to keep her activities a secret, these items simply do not agree with the human stomach. A trip to the emergency room becomes necessary. At the behest of his domineering parents, Richie forces her to see a psychiatrist. By itself, this isn't a bad idea. The tactics they used to get it done is problematic. This is the case throughout the film. The steps they take make sense, they just execute them in the most bullying manner possible. They're never done with consideration for Hunter's current feelings. They merely want to make sure she doesn't become a blight on their family and give Richie a healthy heir.
Hunter's addiction is merely the symptom. Why she went down that road in the first place is a problem that can also be applied to the world at large. Confining it to her, we see that she's is just trying to exert some form of control over her own life. It's a drastic measure to take, but she finds her station in life drastically altered. No decision is hers. She merely has to be pretty, demure, and produce children. Any of her issues are expected to be placated with money. Her humanity has been instantly drained and replaced by high social standing. Even when she's alone with Richie, she's treated as nothing more than the wife of a rich man. You might say, of course, because she is that. My counter is that he treats her more like the woman he's hired than the woman he loves. She's there to do a job mostly summed up by the phrase "be seen and not heard." She's to look good and make him look and feel good. She is to be happy with the material things he provides while he rarely, if ever, gives of himself.
In a literal sense, we're talking about a government, Richie and his family, trying to control a woman's body. With that in mind, it's evident that Swallow is a comment on the damning effects of the American patriarchy, classism, and another testimony in the never-ending case of Roe v. Wade. Throughout this country's history, the fate of the working class has been determined by the whims of the wealthy. It takes drastic measures for people of little means to change things. Though this was released in 2019, the year that has been 2020 (when this review was written) in the United States crystallizes this. The film itself understands this. It also understands that these measures can initially seem harmful to the very people wanting the change. This raises another question of Hunter, and us. Does she get through those times to ultimately effect positive change, or does she destroy herself in the process?
All of this begs yet another question, but one that is uncomplicated. It's the reason most people read reviews. Do I like the movie? Yes, I like it very much. I will admit that on a surface level, it may not work quite as good. The reason is that it's a slow burn, and it's goal is not always clear. We know that Wonder Woman is trying to save the world. Here, we might not be clear on what Hunter is trying to accomplish. It might be easy to feel a bit lost while watching Swallow. It also ends in a place many viewers are not accustomed to, literally and figuratively. This film's greatness is not one that bombards you as it's happening. It dawns on you after the credits while you reflect on what you saw. If you contain your thoughts to the movie's veneer, Hunter's battle with her new family, you might like it, might not. If you dig a bit, you'll find another layer. This will lead to more layers, which will lead to a greater appreciation, perhaps even love.
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I'm with you on this being a comment on Roe v Wade, although I didn't really go there in my own review. It's absolutely a place that this movie wants to go, though.
ReplyDeleteI see this as being all about Hunter's agency--and that's certainly related to Roe. Given a world where the most important decision she has to make is determining the color of the curtains, Hunter finds another thing that allows her to make a decision. That it's potentially life-threatening is, in a lot of ways, the point. It's the ultimate expression of her own agency and her own ability to make choices that she can make one that genuinely threatens her.
I expected to like Swallow when I watched it. I didn't expect it to be as good as it is, or to be a film that genuinely elicits as much dialogue as it does (and should).
The film definitely wants to go "there."
DeleteYes, Hunter's agency is at the top of the list of things this film is about. I'm right with you on reading that her choice being potentially life-threatening is the point, or at least a large chunk of it.
I've heard of both this film and the disorder it uses as it basis. I knew someone who had a family member with the issue and it took many years to resolve causing much pain both emotional and physical to all concerned. That plays a big part in why I'm not eager to watch this, but it just sounds troubling overall.
ReplyDeleteI feel similarly about reviews of films I want to see. Sometimes I avoid them totally other times I just skim over them to get a feel of whether its positive or negative since many reviewers give away important plot points.
I imagine dealing with this would be an ordeal. I can totally understand avoiding it for those reasons.
DeleteI try not to spoil anything in my reviews, even for older movies. I only include a synopsis at all to give the reader who might not be familiar with a given movie some context for the opinions which follow. I hope I'm doing okay in that area.
I have this film on my DVR hard drive as I hope to catch up to it but I haven't had much time to do anything at the moment.
ReplyDeleteUnderstood. Give it a whirl whenever you get the chance.
DeleteThis is one of my favorites I've seen all year. It does leave you wanting a bit more, but it was so different. I enjoyed it, and I think the cinematography/production design was gorgeous as well.
ReplyDeleteI didn't really touch on the look of the film, but I totally agree. It looks fantastic.
DeleteI don’t think it is a film I would watch but I have heard of this disorder and, like anorexia, it is something she feels she can control. It is a very strange illness and not surprised by what Joel said, that it takes years.
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely not as well known as some other disorders and I can imagine it's difficult to deal with. The movie can be difficult, as well, so I don't blame you for not watching.
DeleteGreat review! It was difficult to watch at times but it was such a compelling film throughout, and I adored the visuals.
ReplyDelete