TEHRAN – The acclaimed psychological thriller film “Swallow” written and directed by Carlo Mirabella-Davis was reviewed in a session on Sunday evening at Tehran’s Arasbaran Cultural Center.

Iranian film critic Kurosh Jahed attended the session held under the patronage of the Tehran Film Club.

This film follows Hunter, a newly pregnant housewife who finds herself increasingly compelled to consume dangerous objects. As her husband and his family tighten their control over her life, she must confront the dark secret behind her new obsession.

Starring Haley Bennett, Austin Stowell, Elizabeth Marvel, David Rasche, and Denis O’Hare, the French-American co-production had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 28, 2019. 

“Swallow” received generally positive reviews from film critics. It holds an 88 percent approval rating on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 139 reviews, with an average of 7.4/10. 

The site’s critical consensus states that the film’s “unconventional approach to exploring domestic ennui is elevated by a well-told story and Haley Bennett’s powerful leading performance.” 

On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 65 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating “generally favorable reviews.”

Dissenting opinions included that of critic Barry Hertz of The Globe and Mail, who wrote, “Mirabella-Davis treats Hunter’s behavior with kid gloves — it is a disorder that the film treats as fit for gawking and disgust, not anything close to understanding or empathy.”

Photo: Haley Bennett acts in a scene from “Swallow” by Carlo Mirabella-Davis.

MMS/YAW