The right balance can be the difference between symbolism and allusion. The latter does not leave too much room for interpretation, each piece we find is directly designed to evoke something very specific. The former is also capable of leaving a clear message, but gives more game to the viewer who can find other threads that even the creators had not thought of at all.
But of course, to get there you have to be very good. It is also necessary do not impose the message on what is being told, to the characters, nor to be so in love with one’s own intellect. Although the key is to know very well how to count. It’s something that has shown Carlo Mirabella-Davis, and surprisingly in his first film. It was available on platforms like Filmin, but now you can see the amazing ‘swallow‘.
what to swallow
That incredible film, one of the best we saw last year, has a lot of Sundance-branded indie energy despite not opening there. The tools are recognizable, but Mirabella-Davis uses them very cunning to make a twisted story that touches on aspects such as dissatisfactionsubmission and, above all, loss of control.
The film follows Hunter (Haley Bennett), a apparently happy housewife, recently married who also discovers that she is pregnant. A source of joy and satisfaction for her husband and her political family, in which she obviously tries to integrate since, as we see, her relationship with her family is not exactly close.
But something is not quite right, despite fulfilling several of the traditional ideals of affluent adult life. And since something is not right, an impulse begins to arise. An uncontrollable hunger. Specifically, hunger for things that are not edible. Small but potentially harmful things. a marble a thumbtack A battery. Hunter is consumed by the pike, and her in-laws are worried – though perhaps more about her potential offspring than herself.
‘Swallow’: irresistible discomfort
Mirabella-Davis creates a well measured script that she can exploit that generates the dissatisfaction that leads the protagonist to this impulse. She is careful to give definitive answers, but does not hide his intentions to talk about the repressionsof the lack of control that women end up having over their bodies and their lives, of processing traumas to extremes that border on self-harm.
The metaphor is evident, especially when the film decides to explore the character’s past, but does not close doors to the viewer or treats him like a small child who has to be chewed everything. He has a clear message and style, but he doesn’t think he’s cool because of it. He cares about the character and tells you about it well in an hour and a half. It also knows how to be awkward to a degree where you can’t help but squirm, but you can’t stop staring either. And it has a fabulous ending that lands you on your feet, which is trickier than it sounds. ‘Swallow’ is one of those jewels that should not continue to go unnoticed.
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