critics consensus

Bound together by Azura Skye's riveting work in the central role, The Swerve paints a harrowing portrait of a life unmoored. Read critic reviews

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Movie Info

A woman with a seemingly perfect life battles insomnia.

Genre:

drama
Original Language:

English
Director:

Dean Kapsalis
Producer:

Tommy Minnix
Writer:

Dean Kapsalis
Release Date (Streaming):

Sep 22, 2020
Runtime:

1h 35m
Production Co:

Spark Chamber

Cast & Crew

Azura Skye
Holly

Bryce Pinkham
Rob

Ashley Bell
Claudia

Zach Rand
Paul

Taen Phillips
Ben

Liam Seib
Lee

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Critic Reviews for The Swerve

All Critics (52) | Top Critics (6) | Fresh (51) | Rotten (1)

It's a forceful debut from Kapsalis, but, wow, it is harrowing.

October 29, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4 | Full Review…

Randy Myers
San Jose Mercury News
A relentlessly unshakable albeit unpleasant ride, particularly when filmmaker Dean Kapsalis slaloms around audience expectation, something he skillfully accomplishes for the first two-thirds of the picture.

October 27, 2020 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Scott Marks
San Diego Reader
The power of The Swerve is that it doesn't paint a full-blown breakdown - in this case, one that results in an unbearable tragedy - as easily traced back to one moment.

October 2, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/5 | Full Review…

Richard Whittaker
Austin Chronicle
Azura Skye's tremendous performance [is] as unblinkingly honest as anything Gena Rowlands has done.

September 23, 2020 | Rating: 4/4 | Full Review…

Sheila O'Malley
RogerEbert.com
Skye gives an excellent performance in a role that spends a lot of time with her in contemplation.

September 4, 2020 | Full Review…

Nick Allen
RogerEbert.com
...no less irresistible and poisonous than the nation's prevailing patriarchy, making Holly's violent deviation from her prescribed homemaking path the last tragic swerve of a woman in trouble.

August 26, 2020 | Full Review…

Anton Bitel
Sight and Sound
An outstanding debut feature from Dean Kapsalis, a psychological horror about a family whose central figure is suffering from a deterioration of mental health.

February 13, 2021 | Rating: 5/5 | Full Review…

Alix Turner
Ready Steady Cut
The Swerve ... leaves out the explaining part, and just shows us the total annihilation of a woman from the inside out.

January 27, 2021 | Full Review…

Fletcher Powell
KMUW - Wichita Public Radio
This leads to a fantastic performance from lead actress Azura Skye who is perfect in the part and just becomes Holly and her struggles, emotions, and personality.

December 14, 2020 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Emilie Black
Cinema Crazed
Kapsalis isn't nearly as clever as he thinks he is as his attempts at mysterious ambiguity comes off as vague and lazy.

November 27, 2020 | Rating: 2.0/4.0 | Full Review…

Charles Koplinski
Reel Talk with Chuck and Pam
Skye's performance is a revelation, and her portrayal of Holly's quiet desperation that bubbles over into full-blown self-destruction by the end of The Swerve is something that deserves to be discussed for years to come.

November 19, 2020 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Heather Wixson
Daily Dead
The Swerve captures our current 21st century sense that the whole world has gone crazy, and we might be the only sane people left.

November 13, 2020 | Rating: 4.0/5.0 | Full Review…

Scott Phillips
The Screen Scene