The Swerve

First, it is NOT, as the one-line synopsis says, about a woman battling insomnia. Yes, it is implied she has insomnia, but she is obviously battling a number of things - mostly the lack of attention and affection she gets from her family. I kept wondering if I liked this movie as I was watching it, but I kept watching, so it had something that held my attention. Perhaps I just kept waiting for something significant to happen. Eventually it does. Performance of the main character in particular was excellent. I'd recommend this only to those who enjoy character studies.

Holly (Skye) has been living a life of quiet, brooding desperation that only gets worse when a rat infests her home and her mental health takes a serious hit. She starts believing her family is out to get her and that her husband is having an affair all the while she develops a strange obsession with one of her high school students and while having haunting nightmares about causing a deadly car crash.

Did Holly actually cause this crash? Is everyone really out to get her? The Swerve doesn't seem very interested in answering most of these questions, which makes the whole thing seems all the more paranoid and nightmarish. We never leave Holly's side for a second and the whole story is told from her POV, so who knows what's the truth and what's made up?

It's Skye's harrowing performance that keeps one glued to the screen throughout The Swerve. It's one of those rare, surprising performances from an actor whom we didn't know had a performance like this within them.

The Swerve might just be the bleakest movie of the year and, considering the kind of year we've all been having, no one could blame you if you decided to keep this one on the back burner until happier days arrive, but it'll still be waiting and it'll be just as powerful.

Azura Skye has been around for awhile, quietly amassing a resume filled with countless supporting roles, mostly in TV and minor-to-major league horror and thriller pics. Few actors work as regularly as she does, and if you've noticed her low-key yet emotion-laden work, you know she's extremely good at milking a slow boil for all it's worth.

It's just one more reason to see The Swerve, writer/director/editor Dean Kapsalis' feature debut. It's one of those rare indie-league pictures that has so much going for it, I've got my fingers crossed that it will reach a larger audience. It's an offbeat, deliberately genre-bending thriller that's grounded so much in reality and the razor-thin line that separates everyday stress from off-the-wall madness, it will stay with you for some time.

Skye is in virtually every frame of this movie and it's hard to imagine it having half the impact if that slot were filled by a more high-profile actor. In The Swerve, Skye plays Holly, a maxed-out mom and dutiful daughter and wife. She's a high school English teacher who takes her job very seriously (in a good way), but wears a hard, wrung-out look, yet she never comes off as "unstable" or "crazy" --- no more than anyone you know, at least. If you met her a few times you might say she's a little repressed but "stable" or "steady"... "dependable". An ideal citizen, right?

Yet the volcano is building every day, fueled by such minor annoyances as her sullen, bratty sons; her perpetually 12-step-recovering resentful sister (Ashley Bell in top form), a mouse infestation, and the unshakable suspicion that her husband is staying at the supermarket he manages for more than Inventory Night.

Probably the most disturbing thing about The Swerve is how well it portrays the consequences of one rash, violent act, subconsciously benign in it's execution, and how that reaction can completely derail you, setting off a trigger effect whose repercussions resonate for years.

Driving home after a particularly humiliating birthday dinner, Holly finally fights back when she's accosted by a few wasted punks out for a joyride (not a spoiler, it's in the trailer). It's a brash, if reckless, act of self-defense and she wakes up on her couch the next day, drool pouring, her sons chuckling and gaping at her.

Kapsalis doesn't spend a lot of time on the titular act, because it really doesn't matter that much in the scheme of the movie. It's *almost* a McGuffin of sorts. In fact, there are a lot of things that occur in The Swerve that have you questioning if they *really* happened or if they're Holly's paranoid wish fulfillment fantasies. But you'll figure it out. Holly does too, eventually.

There's enough plot in The Swerve to keep audiences who can't relate to character-focused dramas engaged, which is rare. It's also a beautifully composed and shot film, one that takes it's time building up and tearing down it's fragile suburban jungle until you (and Holly) notice suddenly that it's in flames.

But see this movie for Skye. Throughout it all, she walks the very difficult border between effusion and concealment, at times so transparently, that it's almost impossible to discern her intentions and motives. Yet it satisfies and you "get it." Oh, you get that and much more. The Swerve has a payoff that's so bizarre and surreal yet so "right" --- it's stranger than fiction; it's life.

It could happen to anyone. And that's scarier than anything most filmmakers could ever dream up.

If you're a fan of tense family drama, this is for you! They're calling it a Horror movie, and I certainly found it horrifying. I understand why others may call it more of a dark drama. It's that too.

Performances were incredible!

I've never heard of the actors and filmmakers for this movie, so I went into it not expecting much from this B-grade film. Wow, was I surprised.

This is amateur/newb filmmaker Dean Kapsalis first full length feature film debut as writer, editor and director, with only two short films under his belt. This, dear filmmakers, is how it's done!

I really can't stand slow paced films, but this one held my attention throughout, although it could've been a little tighter. The 95 min runtime was just right, and the story well showcased in that timeframe, especially from a filmmaker experienced with just (only two) shorts.

This film embraces its heavy subject matter thru a riveting and troubling psychological drama about the incidental facets of daily life and their devastating impact on those who are struggling with depression, which relentlessly spirals out of control.

Kapsalis' directing was spot on, with excellent random shots intertwined with emotional close-ups, that were portrayed to perfection in the stellar and award worthy performance by Azura Skye. I'm talking a Meryl Streep performance here. Even her hair and make-up made her illness and emotions seem so authentic.

The cinematography and editing were on point. The score was outstanding, very fitting, and evident only were it needed to be - a rarity for a B-grade film, as they are usually overbearing, unfitting and annoying.

I can't wait to see what Kapsalis comes up with next, as he's a filmmaker to keep an eye out for. It's a definite recommend from me, and a well deserved 9/10. To see more of my 1000+ reviews and my reviewing criteria, simply click on my username.