Swallow (2019 film)

 

Written and directed by Carlo Mirabella-Davis, Swallow is the story of a young woman who marries a wealthy man as she starts to swallow inedible objects as a way to cope with newfound marriage and stifling domestic life. The film is a character study of a woman coming apart in her new world as she becomes troubled by her surroundings as well as the expectations of being the wife of a wealthy man. Starring Haley Bennett, Austin Stowell, Elizabeth Marvel, David Rasche, and Denis O’Hare. Swallow is a haunting and compelling film from Carlo Mirabella-Davis.

The film is the simple story of a poor woman who is married to a man from a wealthy family as she becomes pregnant yet becomes suffocated by her new environment and the role that she is meant to play where she starts to swallow inedible objects to cope with her issues. It is a film with a simple premise yet it is a character study of a woman who marries into a family of wealth where their son is expected for great things as he demands that his wife be this object of perfection and beauty. Carlo Mirabella-Davis’ script has a straightforward narrative yet it focuses largely on its protagonist in Hunter Conrad (Haley Bennett) who spends much of her time at home cleaning and such as a way to make her husband Richie (Austin Stowell) happy but she becomes unhappy due to his neglect and the presence of his parents who want her to be this figure that they need for their image. Still, Hunter begins to unravel as her condition, known as pica, would worsen as Richie’s parents hire a family friend in Luay (Laith Nakli) to watch over her yet he starts to see that something isn’t right as does Hunter’s psychiatrist Alice (Zabryna Guevara) who manages to get something from Hunter realizing what is wrong.

Mirabella-Davis’ direction is stylish in its compositions as there are little movements in the camera yet much of it has the camera not moving in order to create these shots to play into Hunter’s disconnect with the world she’s in. Shot on various locations in Highland, New York near the Hudson River where Richie and Hunter’s home is as well as other locations in upstate New York. Mirabella-Davis plays up this world that Hunter is in as it is spacious and posh with the finest furniture and decorations yet it is also quite cold as the usage of wide and medium shots play into this growing disconnect that Hunter has in her home as well as the world around her. The usage of close-ups come in whenever Hunter would swallow an object such as a marble, a paper clip, and other things eventually swallowing something as dangerous as a thumbtack. It adds to this air of danger and disruption into Hunter’s marriage to Richie while the signs that not everything as it seems come early when Richie complains about a silk tie that’s been ironed.

Mirabella-Davis also play up into the psyche of Hunter as she would fall apart but then get better and then fall apart again such as a key shot in the second act where Richie is having a phone conversation while Hunter is planting flowers. It is a moment where Hunter’s own secrets about her life begins to play into her head as she would later hide in shame with Luay realizing that something isn’t right in that house despite the fact that he’s working for Richie’s parents to watch her. The third act does play into not just the air of extremes that is pushed for Hunter but also revelations about her marriage along with the need to understand on who she is. Overall, Mirabella-Davis crafts a mesmerizing yet unsettling film about a woman with a troubling condition in pica as a way to cope with her new marriage and suffocating environment.

Cinematographer Katelin Arizmendi does excellent work with the film’s cinematography to play up the bright look of the house interiors in the day along with some low-key lighting for some scenes at night including a party scene where a co-worker of Richie uses a stupid flirt trick. Editor Joe Murphy does terrific work with the editing as a lot of it is straightforward with some long shots that do linger for a bit to play into Hunter’s own growing isolation. Production designer Erin Magill and set decorator Frank Baran do amazing work with the look of the interior at Richie and Hunter’s home including the room for the baby as well as their bedroom as it play into the disconnect that Hunter is coping with. Costume designer Liene Dobraja does fantastic work with the costumes from the expensive clothes that Richie wears along with some of the posh dresses and such that Hunter wears as it play into the role that she has to play for Richie’s family and friends that eventually becomes stifling.

Special effects supervisor Pete Gerner and visual effects supervisor Alex Nobel do wonderful work with some of the film’s minimal visual effects in a few of the objects along with some set dressing in a few scenes. Sound editor Michael Kurihara does superb work with the film’s sound as the usage of natural sounds at the house add to the tense and troubling atmosphere in the film as it also amps up the drama. The film’s music by Nathan Halpern is brilliant for its orchestral score as it play into the drama as well as Hunter’s own isolation while music supervisor Joe Rudge provides a soundtrack that add to that isolation ranging from classical, jazz, dance, and new wave.

The casting by Allison Twardziak is incredible as it feature some notable small roles from Babak Tafti as a co-worker of Richie that uses a pick-up line to win over women, Nicole Kang as a young girl named Bev, Lauren Velez as that girl’s mother Lucy, Zabryna Guevara as Hunter’s psychiatrist Alice who gets an understanding of what Hunter is dealing with, Laith Nakli as a family friend of Richie’s parents who watches over Hunter as he also has an understanding that Richie nor his parents are able to comprehend, and Denis O’Hare in a superb performance late in the film as a man that Hunter needed to meet as he would give her some answers. David Rasche and Elizabeth Marvel are excellent in their respective roles as Richie’s parents in Michael and Katherine Conrad with the former being a man of control as he is trying to make sure Hunter gets the best treatment but with motives of his own while the latter is also a person of control as she tries to get Hunter to read self-help books and such while also having a motive of her own.

Austin Stowell is brilliant as Richie Conrad as a wealthy man who is destined to take over his father’s business as he is someone that is also controlling while he has own reasons in wanting to marry Hunter. Finally, there’s Haley Bennett in a phenomenal performance as Hunter as this young woman from a poor background who marries this man thinking she’s got it made only to feel lost and suffocated in her new life. There is an element of restraint in Bennett’s performance as this woman that has no clue on the role she should play as her act of swallowing inedible objects is defiant as it play into the horrors of the role she is meant to play as it is a career-defining performance for Bennett.

Swallow is an incredible film from Carlo Mirabella-Davis that features a great leading performance from Haley Bennett. Along with its supporting cast, striking visuals, an unsettling tone, an offbeat music soundtrack, and its themes of identity and isolation. It is a psychological drama that doesn’t play by the rules as it explore a woman coping with her new life and how it leads to self-destruction along with revelations about the role she is meant to play for others. In the end, Swallow is a phenomenal film from Carlo Mirabella-Davis.

© thevoid99 2021

The Equalizer

Based on the TV series by Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim, The Equalizer is the story of a former black ops operative who lives a quiet life until he befriends a young prostitute who has been assaulted by the Russian mob as he decides to take them down. Directed by Antoine Fuqua and screenplay by Richard Wenk, the film is a simple story of a man who tries to make amends of his past as he tries to do what is right in a world that is often troubled and corrupt. Starring Denzel Washington, Marton Csokas, Chloe Grace Moretz, David Harbour, Melissa Leo, and Bill Pullman. The Equalizer is a stylish yet gripping film from Antoine Fuqua.

The film is a simple story of a man who works at a hardware store as he hides the secret that he was once a black ops operative where he meets a young prostitute who is later beaten by her pimp as he realizes that her pimp is part of the Russian mob in Boston. It’s a vigilante film of sorts where a man tries to bring justice in a world where it’s not just the mob that is running rampant but also corrupt cops who try to instill their authority on common people. All of which would get a man to use the skills of his dark past and use it for good to make the world a better place for good people. The film’s screenplay by Richard Wenk showcases who Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) is as someone who lives a common life who eats at the same diner every morning while reading a book and goes to work at a hardware store where he is loved by other employees while playing softball with them.

At the same time, he helps a young man named Ralphie (Johnny Skourtis) pass his test to become a security guard for the store which shows his own sense of generosity. Yet, he is called into action when he befriends this young hooker named Alina (Chloe Grace Moretz) who is fascinated by the books that McCall reads where she suddenly doesn’t show up one morning at the diner where McCall learned what happened to her. This would lead McCall to do something where he realizes what is going on as it plays into not just a Russian mob syndicate trying to maintain some control in the crime underworld but would also have the aid of corrupt policemen. All of which would eventually lead to a meeting between McCall and a mob leader named Teddy Rensen (Marton Csokas) who is revealed to be working for the most powerful man in the Russian mob as he tries to figure out what is going on unaware that McCall is really far more dangerous.

Antoine Fuqua’s direction is very engaging not just for playing into a sense of style but also in maintaining something that is very simple that isn’t afraid to be conventional but also have some intrigue to make it more interesting. Notably as Fuqua isn’t afraid to play into a sense of repetition in the way McCall conducts his daily life as well as know when to go for scenes that are just simple character moments such as a scene where McCall helps out Ralphie over a situation that happened in his mother’s restaurant. It’s among these smaller moments that Fuqua creates that really gives the film a balance as it showcases more of who McCall is as well as a sequence where he visit a couple of old friends from the CIA who would help him uncover more of the mob activities in Boston. Fuqua would keep things simple with his approach to close-ups and medium shots along with a few wide shots as much of it is shot on location in Boston.

For the moments of suspense and violence, Fuqua knows when to build up the element of suspense as it plays into McCall’s sense of control and how he observes every environment and scenario to see what he can do in a situation. The moments are quite violent where it involves blood and sorts yet McCall’s approach has a sense of control compared to the tactics of the mob which are far more brutal as it would lead to a violent climax. Overall, Fuqua crafts a very smart and thrilling film about a vigilante who tries to do what is right in a world where good people are being harmed.

Cinematographer Mauro Fiore does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography with its usage of lights for many of the nighttime interior/exterior scenes to set moods for the film that pay homage to film noir. Editor John Refoua does nice work in the editing with its rhythmic approach to some of the action while knowing when to slow things down for the suspenseful and dramatic moments. Production designer Naomi Shohan, with set decorator Leslie E. Rollins and art director David Lazan, does brilliant work with the design of the places that the Russian mob works and socialize at as well as the hardware store that McCall works at. Costume designer David C. Robinson does terrific work with the costumes from the stylish dresses that Alina wears to the suits that the mob wears.

Makeup artist Rob Fitz and tattoo designer Rhet Kidd do amazing work with the wigs that Alina wears as well as the look of the tattoos of the Russian mob figures. Visual effects supervisor Sean Devereaux does some fantastic work with some of the film‘s minimal visual effects as it plays to the scenarios that McCall tries to figure out in situations as well as some of eerie violent moments. Sound designer David Esparza and sound editor Mandell Winter do superb work with the sound to play into some of the textures in some of the locations as well as some sound effects to play into the suspense. The film’s music by Harry Gregson-Williams is wonderful as it’s this mixture of eerie electronic music with some orchestral flourishes that play into the suspense and drama while some of the music of the film ranges from soul, hip-hop, and post-punk.

The casting by Lindsay Graham and Mary Vernieu is great as it features some notable small roles from David Meunier as Alina’s pimp Slavi, Alex Veadov as a mob figure named Tevi, Vladimir Kulich as the head of the Russian mob named Pushkin, Haley Bennett as a prostitute friend of Alina named Mandy, and Johnny Skourtis as a friend of McCall named Ralphie who wants to be a security guard with McCall’s help. David Harbour is terrific as a corrupt cop named Masters who works with the mob as he is later confronted by McCall who would use some devious tricks to get him to talk. Bill Pullman and Melissa Leo are excellent in their respective roles as Brian and Susan Plummer as two former CIA agents who McCall turns to for help on information of the people he is dealing with.

Marton Csokas is brilliant as the mob leader Teddy Rensen who is trying to oversee the operations in Boston as he deals with the mysterious death of his men as well as McCall whom he sees as a major threat. Chloe Grace Moretz is fantastic as Alina as a teenage prostitute who befriends McCall as they share a love for books as she finds a guardian angel in McCall. Finally, there’s Denzel Washington in a phenomenal performance as Robert McCall as it’s a very lively performance from Washington who does bring in some charm and humor into his role but it’s mostly quiet and stoic in the fact that he’s this silent badass that knows what to do and how to get it done to make sure that the world is a safer place for good people.

The Equalizer is a marvelous film from Antoine Fuqua that features an incredible performance from Denzel Washington. Not only is it a smart and compelling suspense-thriller but also a unique study into a man who uses violent skills to ensure some justice into a world that is corrupt and bring hope to ordinary people living decent lives. In the end, The Equalizer is a remarkable film from Antoine Fuqua.

© thevoid99 2015

Kaboom

When Gregg Araki returned to the film world following a five-year hiatus with 2004’s Mysterious Skin. The film became a surprise hit in the world of art house and indie theaters as Araki was back in a big way. In 2007, Araki made his most accessible and surprising film of his career in a stoner comedy called Smiley Face that starred Anna Faris. The film proved to be another surprise proving that the often controversial Araki could make a film that was entertaining. Following another break in trying to develop projects, Araki would finally return in 2010 with his first original project in more than a decade with the sci-fi comedy entitled Kaboom.

Written, edited, and directed by Gregg Araki, Kaboom tells the story of an 18-year old film student having a sexual awakening as he tries to find himself. Along with his other friends discovering their own sexual awakening, the film student would also have surreal fantasies featuring two different women leading to questions about a possible apocalypse. The film recalls Araki’s mid-1990s Teenage Apocalyse Trilogy of films that included Totally Fucked Up, The Doom Generation, and Nowhere but with a new, post-millennium sensibility. Starring Thomas Dekker, Haley Bennett, Juno Temple, Roxane Mesquida, Chris Zylka, Kelly Lynch, and longtime Araki-cohort James Duval. Kaboom is a witty, colorful sci-fi thriller/comedy from Gregg Araki and company.

Smith (Thomas Dekker) is an 18-year old film student confused about his sexual preference as he rooms with a hunky, blond surfer named Thor (Chris Zylka). Smith is bothered by a recurring dream he has featuring Thor, his mother (Kelly Lynch), and his lesbian best friend Stella (Haley Bennett) along with two women he doesn’t know. Already having a weird experience in college that includes a stoned resident advisor named the Messiah (James Duval). Things get weirder during a party where one of the women in his dreams is Stella’s new girlfriend Lorelei (Roxane Mesquida). He later meets a British student named London (Juno Temple) where the hallucinogenic cookies he ate has him seeing strange things including an encounter with the other woman (Nicole LaLiberte) in his dreams.

After getting a USB flash-drive in his coat pocket and seeing a strange ritual that involved the woman, later to be revealed as Madeleine O’Hara. Smith wants to know who she is as London reveals that she knows her from her sociology class. Smith would later have weird encounters with three animal-masked men as London reveals more news while Stella would reveal some strange things about Lorelei. At a nude beach, Smith meets Hunter (Jason Olive) whom he would have sex with while Stella is trying to break things off with Lorelei who is revealed to be a witch with powers. With London helping Smith out in the investigation while taking time to have sex with Thor’s friend Rex (Andy Fischer-Price), Smith gets a mysterious message that would about Madeleine’s missing body.

With Smith’s 19th birthday happening, he gets another weird message along with more sexual encounters with Hunter, London, and a surprise. The birthday gets more surprising as he attends a concert where he meets a young guy named Oliver (Brennan Mejia), whom he had been contacting and saw at a party weeks before. Still, Smith’s night gets stranger when he sees a woman who looked like Madeleine as he asks her questions. The night gets stranger when Smith and Stella would have their own strange encounters where Smith makes a breakthrough over what is happening. Even as London helps with an answer leading to a cult as it becomes clear that something is happening.

The film is essentially a genre-bending film that recalls not just Araki’s past teen-angst films of the 1990s but also his exploration with surrealism as it features clips from a couple of films by Luis Bunuel. Yet, the movie is about a young man’s sexual awakening as he encounters mysterious, surreal surroundings leading him to the discovery of a strange cult. Still, it’s a film where Araki gets to refine his filmmaking and his themes of sexual exploration and teenage identity. This time around, he doesn’t fuse it with a lot of pop culture references or cameos that sometimes become a distraction with his past work.

The story is interesting though uneven as the first half is this zany, free-wielding comedy with elements of sex and bits of suspense. The second half becomes more of a suspenseful, sci-fi kind of film with lots of ideas about cults. Still, Araki manages to make things engaging and also entertaining in the way he presents stories with stylized dialogue and dazzling sequences.

Araki’s direction is definitely as potent as ever as he is given more to do with his camera while creating scenes that are fun to look at. Even in creating sex scenes that are surreal from the viewpoint of its characters. Yet, Araki manages to create a lively world of college life that is about having sex, going to parties, and all of those things. Yet, the framing of the scenes along with the suspenseful, surreal moments he creates is definitely mesmerizing in its imagery. Despite the limited budget he has, Araki was able to create sci-fi moments that are very strange yet electrifying to watch.

Since it’s a largely stylized film that includes some weird transitional wipes and other stylized cuts to create something vibrant due to Araki’s work as the editor. Even as he creates a lot of intense moments for the film’s suspenseful scenes as it’s clear that Araki is becoming more confident as a director. While the film’s abrupt, what-the-fuck ending will definitely turn off a lot of people. It’s Araki’s way of subverting things since the film was to lead to a climatic ending as it does end things with a bang, literally. Whatever flaws the film has, it is proof that Araki is getting better as a director.

Cinematographer Sandra Valde-Hansen does a fantastic job with the film’s vibrant yet colorful photography. Notably in the party scenes where the lights are filled with dazzling colors mixed in with blue and pink while the nighttime scenes are exquisite in its haunting presentation. Valde-Hansen’s photography is definitely the film’s technical highlight for the way it allows the film to be stylized without over-doing it.

Production designer Todd Fjelsted, along with set decorator Kristen Rajterowski and art director J.B. Popplewell, does an excellent job with the film‘s art direction from the blackish look of the restaurant where the students eat to the parties they attend. The art direction and set pieces created for the film are amazing to look as it plays to Araki’s style. Costume designer Trayce Gigi Field does a spectacular job with the film‘s costumes from the big earrings that Stella wears to the 80s-like clothing that London wears. The costumes are fun to look at as its’ another of the film’s technical highlights.

Visual effects supervisor Wesley Cronk does some very good work with the minimal visual effects needed for the hallucination scenes as well as weird sex scenes involving Stella and Lorelei. Sound editor Trip Brock does a fine job with the film’s sound in capturing the atmosphere of the parties along with the climatic suspense scene towards the end of the film.

Music composer Robin Guthrie, along with Vivek Maddala, Ulrich Schnauss, and Mark Peters, does a wonderful score that is a mixture of shoe gaze, dream-pop, and ambient music. Notably in playing some of the dream sequences that Smith encounters throughout the film. Music supervisor Tiffany Anders helps create a diverse yet intoxicating soundtrack that features A Place to Bury Strangers, the Horrors, the xx, the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Interpol, Friendly Fires, Metro Area, Airiel, Tears Run Ring, Cut Copy, Helen Stellar, Placebo, Explosions in the Sky, the Big Pink, the Depreciation Club, and Ladytron. The mixture of indie and electronic music is definitely amazing as with any of Araki’s films. The soundtrack and score is always a highlight of his films.

The casting by Jenny Jue and Johanna Ray is superb for the use of young actors needed as well as veterans. Small yet notable performances include Michael James Spall as a mysterious cult figure, adult film star Christine Nguyen as a girl Thor sleeps with, Carlo Mendez as a trailer for Smith’s mom, and Nicole LaLiberte as the mysterious Madeleine. Other notable small but memorable roles include Andy Fischer-Price as Thor’s surfer buddy Rex, Brennan Mejia as Oliver, Jason Olive as the nude-beach guy Hunter, and James Duval in a hilarious performance as stoner resident advisor the Messiah.

Roxane Mesquida is incredibly sexy and cool as the witchy yet mysterious Lorelei who seduces Stella and freaking her out. Chris Zylka is funny as the very attractive blond surfer Thor who often says silly, stupid things around Stella while is often impressed by Smith’s sexual appetite. Kelly Lynch is very good in a small role as Smith’s workaholic mom who is carrying a big secret about what is going on with him. Juno Temple is great as London, the British student who helps Smith in his journey to find out what is going on while having a great sexual appetite where Temple has a great monologue about how to perform oral sex on a woman.

Haley Bennett is excellent as Stella, Smith’s sarcastic arty friend who helps him out while dealing with her own strange encounters with Lorelei as Bennett gets to play cool. Finally, there’s Thomas Dekker in a superb role as the sexually-confused Smith. Dekker plays up to the character’s naiveté in his sexual exploration while learning about the dreams he’s having in relation to the strange things he is dealing with as Dekker does a fantastic job.

While it may not live up to the brilliance of Mysterious Skin or past films like The Living End and The Doom Generation. Kaboom is still a stellar yet entertaining film from Gregg Araki. Armed with a great ensemble cast that includes Thomas Dekker, Haley Bennett, Roxane Mesquida, Juno Temple, and James Duval. It’s a film that fans of Araki’s work will enjoy in its style and how he engages the characters in their situations. While it’s not a perfect film that has a very odd ending, it is a film that definitely plays with people’s expectations of a genre-bending film like this. In the end, Kaboom is a colorful, mesmerizing, and funny film from Gregg Araki.

Gregg Araki Films: (Three Bewildered People in the Night) - (Long Weekend (0’ Despair)) - The Living End - Totally Fucked Up - The Doom Generation - Nowhere - (Splendor) - (This is How the World Ends (TV)) - Mysterious Skin - Smiley Face - (White Bird in a Blizzard)

© thevoid99 2011