Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Momo and Okarun share a close moment in Dandadan

    Momo And Okarun: The Gold Standard For Shonen Romance

    07/03/2025
    Ironheart Episodes 4 6 But Why Tho 1

    ‘Ironheart’ Explained: Explore MCU’s Bold New Chapter

    07/01/2025
    Buck in 9-1-1

    ‘9-1-1’ Has To Let Buck Say Bisexual

    06/29/2025
    Nintendo Welcome Tour promotional image of the maraca mini-game

    The One “Game” That Justifies The Nintendo Switch 2 Purchase

    06/25/2025
    Destiel Confession in Supernatural - Castiel (Misha Collins) and Dean (Jensen Ackles)

    The Destiel Confession: The Lasting Importance Of Supernatural’s Greatest Ship

    06/22/2025
  • Squid Game
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Switch 2 Games
  • Summer Game Fest
But Why Tho?
Home » Interviews » INTERVIEW: Pastels And Pica with ‘Swallow’ Writer-Director Carlo Maribella-Davis

INTERVIEW: Pastels And Pica with ‘Swallow’ Writer-Director Carlo Maribella-Davis

Kate SánchezBy Kate Sánchez03/02/20202 Mins ReadUpdated:04/15/2023
Swallow — But Why Tho (1)
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

Swallow — But Why Tho (1)

IFC Film’s Swallow hits limited theaters and VoD on March 6th. We got the chance to speak with the film’s writer-director Carlo Maribella-Davis about the film. Swallow is the story of Hunter (Haley Bennett), a woman who appears to have it all. A newly pregnant housewife, she seems content to be a homemaker, cleaning and doting on her Ken-doll husband, Richie (Austin Stowell). However, as the pressure to meet her controlling in-laws and husband’s rigid expectations rises, cracks begin to appear in her carefully curated identity.  Then, comes the meaning for the film’s name, when Hunter develops a dangerous habit, and a dark secret from her past seeps out in the form of a compulsive disorder called pica – a condition that has her compulsively swallowing inedible, and oftentimes life-threatening, objects.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Maribella-Davis breaks down how he created the provocative and squirm-inducing psychological thriller, explaining his connection to the story and how he went about constructing an intimate story of a woman unraveling as she struggles to reclaim independence in the face of a patriarchal system. A story told in pastels and trauma, Swallow is a film the forces viewers to understand the trauma and pressure that triggers disorders, a choice made in how Maribella-Davis presents the narrative. You’ll even get to hear about the woman who fainted during the Tribeca Film Festival where it won Bennett won Best Actress in a U.S. Narrative Feature Film.

Swallow — But Why Tho

When I saw the film at Fantastic Fest 2019, I had a similar experience. Swallow hit me so deeply given my own experience with compulsion in the form of an eating disorder that I chose not to review it. While I love the film, I couldn’t write down how much it hit me, nor look at the film objectively. But in this interview, I got to speak with Maribella-Davis about all those little moments and get into the moments that he chose to showcase an intimate story and a personal one from his own life experience.

Click play on the audio above to hear our conversation about how Maribella-Davis created Swallow, with the intention of telling a larger story about the patriarchal pressures of society. A film closely aligned to social horror, learn more about the tightropes Carlo Maribella-Davis walked to present a story told without shock and focused on emotion.

Swallow is available on VoD. Visit the film’s website and follow Carlo Maribella-Davis on Twitter at @CMirabellaDavis and the film at @swallowmovie.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleREVIEW: ‘Take Out Girl’ is a Diverse Film With a Realistic Story
Next Article REVIEW: ‘Into the Dark: Crawlers’ Is A Whole Lot of Fun
Kate Sánchez
  • Website
  • X (Twitter)
  • Instagram

Kate Sánchez is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of But Why Tho? A Geek Community. There, she coordinates film, television, anime, and manga coverage. Kate is also a freelance journalist writing features on video games, anime, and film. Her focus as a critic is championing animation and international films and television series for inclusion in awards cycles. Find her on Bluesky @ohmymithrandir.bsky.social

Related Posts

NOMELON NOLEMON

Nomelon Nolemon Share Their Favorite Mech, What They’re Watching And More At AX205

07/03/2025
Madden NFL 26 Miami Dolphins presentation

Madden NFL 26’s Dev Explains Franchise Mode’s Largest Update In a Decade

07/02/2025
Dylan O'Brien and River Gallo star in 'Ponyboi'

River Gallo and Dylan O’Brien Discuss Good Vibes and Shooting ‘Ponyboi’

06/27/2025
Possessors promotional key art from Heart MAchine and Digital Devolver

Why Anime Like Jujutsu Kaisen & Bad Relationships Inspired ‘Possessor(s)’

06/27/2025
61st Wardeame In Warframe's Isleweaver update

The 61st Warframe Oraxia is Gorgeous – We Asked The Devs How She Came To Be

06/26/2025
Diablo Immortal Druid promotional image

‘Diablo Immortal’s’ Druid May Be the Best Diablo Druid To Date

06/26/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
Taecyeon and Seohyun in The First Night With The Duke Episodes 7-8
7.5
TV

REVIEW: ‘The First Night With The Duke’ Episodes 7-8

By Sarah Musnicky07/03/2025

The First Night With The Duke Episodes 7-8 spends welcome time in pre-domestic bliss before new developments stir up trouble.

The Terminal List: Dark Wolf trailer First Look Image From Prime Video News

Prime Video Unleashes Teaser for Prequel Series The Terminal List: Dark Wolf

By Kate Sánchez07/04/2025

The first Terminal List: Dark Wolf trailer was released today by Prime Video. The series…

Together (2025) still from Sundance
8.0
Film

REVIEW: Have A Grossly Good Time ‘Together’

By Kate Sánchez01/27/2025Updated:07/04/2025

Dave Franco and Alison Brie’s Together (2025) is disgustingly funny, genuinely ugly, and just a good time at the movies.

Black Women Anime — But Why Tho (9) BWT Recommends

10 Black Women in Anime That Made Me Feel Seen

By LaNeysha Campbell11/11/2023Updated:12/03/2024

Black women are some of anime’s most iconic characters, and that has a big impact on Black anime fans. Here are some of our favorites.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here