[Review] Carter Smith’s Queer Horror Swallowed.
Content Warning: This film depicts a scene of homophobic violence that may be harmful to viewers. Discretion and care is advised to be taken when watching Swallowed. The film also explores body horror in an unexpected manner, and could be seen as violent and violating for some. Please take care when watching this film.
Swallowed is director Carter Smith’s second feature film release after their directorial debut in 2008 with body horror film, The Ruins, also starring Jena Malone. Swallowed focuses on the life of queer protagonist Benjamin, the unrequited love he feels for his best friend Dom, and the neverending search of identity for those who feel lonely and lost. The film takes a shift from a body horror to an intense predatory crime thriller where Benjamin must look introspectively, retrieving parts of himself that he had shut out.
The film opens with Benjamin (Cooper Koch) enjoying his last night out in a small town in Maine with his best friend Dom (Jose Colon), before making the big move to Los Angeles to become a pornstar. The night takes a turn when Dom offers Benjamin an opportunity to make some fast cash doing a drug run across the border to Canada. Instead of meeting with Dom’s cousin, they are confronted with an aggressive and intense Alice (Jena Malone) who forces Dom at gunpoint to swallow the bags of an unknown drug. The run across the border takes a violent turn when the plan is derailed by a homophobic redneck who has stopped over at the same rest stop as Benjamin and Dom. Dom is beaten by the bigot, causing the drug bags to burst in his stomach; Dom quickly takes a downward spiral towards being incredibly sick. The body horror begins to present itself in this scene with a gastrointestinal nightmare beginning almost immediately for Dom. Calling on an impatient Alice, the duo discover that the drug bags are filled with bugs that cause a hell of a high⸺and are only viable for a limited amount of time.
Hiding out in a wood surrounded retreat, we meet an unnamed predatory antagonist (Mark Patton). The relationship between this unnamed villain and Benjamin pivots in an interesting manner. Benjamin must do what he needs to in order to survive his capture in the cabin, having to encounter parts of him that he had hidden away from the ones he loves. The interactions between the two are anxiety inducing as we remain concerned for the safety of Benjamin throughout. The unnamed character continues to give me the heebie jeebies even thinking about him now and the way in which he speaks to Benjamin, Alice, and Dom.
The body horror elements of the film are not all out gory as what was promised. There was an expectation to see bugs, blood, and guts⸺although this supposition may have been established without any knowledge of the premise or the context of the film. The expectation for all out body horror was more than likely preemptively hyped due to Smith’s past work in The Ruins. Elements of body horror are found in the start of the film before a shift in style and genre are taken halfway through the film. The performance of Jose Colon throughout these scenes are incredibly convincing and painful, especially while witnessing the excruciating process of removing bags from him. Whilst the acting throughout the film is quite commendable, it is Jena Malone’s character Alice that really takes the prime focus. Malone is captivating and intense while she wields a gun unwittingly and demands action from her counterparts with conviction and bravado.
Swallowed starts out as an intriguing body horror that eventually sheds those elements to become a thriller that examines queer identity, friendships and lonliness. It would have been fantastic to see a deeper look into these themes through the body horror genre rather than switching genres, making for a muddy and convoluting genre shift. Mike Patton does make the shift more seamless with his ability to maintain a predatory villain character that exudes sleaziness, inducing anxiety and disgust. Personally, I would have much preferred to see an all out body horror, however, I did enjoy the exploration of Benjamin’s identity throughout and the film’s dialogue and narrative helped propel that discussion in an interesting and genuine way.
