by Nikki Jones

Let me give you a little insight as to why Dean Kapsalis’ The Swerve (2018 film) caught my attention in the Cinepocalypse line up. As a profession (Recreation Therapist), I serve individuals with mental health diagnoses during their stay on a psych unit. A great number of the individuals I see have the diagnosis of major depression with suicidal and/or homicidal ideation…and because of my background and personal experience with a loved one, this piece of cinematic GREATNESS left me feeling a whirlwind of different emotions.

Now without further ado…let’s get into the ‘falling down” of main protagonist Holly (played by the FANTASTIC Azura Sky). Holly is a daughter, sister, wife, mother and teacher…and all of those roles are important to note as her family and students have much to do with her ‘fall’ and less to do with keeping her “stable”. Visually, Holly is sullen and haunted by nightmares (her reality) …lack of love and support from her flirtatious husband (played by Bryce Pinkham) (who she catches being unfaithful) her children (who have little to no respect for her) and her sister Claudia (played by an equally FANTASTIC Ashley Bell) who taunts her with childhood stories and flirting with her husband.

Throughout the movie Holly, reaches out to her family, especially her husband and children but everyone is preoccupied with their daily lives and disregard her… at one point her husband, clearly beyond irritation with her state of mind shows no sympathy and yells in profanities for her to get her meds “checked”. Holly seeks sexual solace in one of her students Paul (played by Zach Rand), who clearly has a student/teacher crush on her. Holly ultimately continues her downward spiral which leads to the ultimate tragedy. As the credits rolled…my heart was broken and I found myself grieving for a woman who desperately needed support and everyone around her discarded her. I feel this movie gives much needed insight into mental health and being cognizant of the signs when a loved one is struggling to just get through the day. Sometimes the signs aren’t as clear as an “I’m depressed” post on social media…it could be a slight change in once loved daily routines…a change in sleeping habits (insomnia) heightened anxiety and worry…. or just debilitating sadness. As a professional in an industry where mental health is booming…. I feel The Swerve embodies the struggle that individuals with depression and suicidal ideation go through…. and the tragic and subsequent “no turning back” when an individual seeks help and it falls on deaf ears.

Cinepocalypse Film Fest 2019 - “THE SWERVE” Review

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