The Swerve (2018) Movies That Hit You Where It Hurts

This psycho-thriller, ‘The Swerve’, has slightly disturbed me. A debut feature by Dean Kapsalis, I wasn’t surprised to learn he was raised on Bergman, Polanski, and Hitchcock. Mother of Movies previously covered this film for Cinepocalypse and the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival in 2019. The Swerve also screened at Panic Fest and sat at 100% satisfaction on Rotten Tomatoes for some time. I urge you to see it if you like films that kick you like a horse in the guts. The title is on major VOD/Digital platforms from Tuesday, September 22, 2020. 

I wasn’t expecting the emotional turmoil that this film brings, but I was originally drawn to the title because of Azura Sky’s face. Who doesn’t like the alcohol-fueled comedy from 2001, 28 Days? That’s when I saw Sky last, and I was keen to see her make up for the travesty that is 2008’s One Missed Call.

Sky’s performance in The Swerve is solid and wonderful. The film overall was one of my favorites in 2019 and made my top 25 best thrillers list at number 9. I loved it that much.

A Psycho-Thriller Storyline

The story for The Swerve centers around Holly (played by Azura Sky)and her relentless slide into a depression hole so big she has to blow up her life.

Holly looks like she has everything. A great job, a successful husband, two children, and a family she sees regularly. But there are signs that something is terribly wrong.

Zach Rand stars as Paul, a student of Holly’s. Rand was also in The Woman (2011). The movie also stars Bryce Pinkham and Ashley Bell.

Ashley Bell plays Holly’s sister, a teetotaler with a narcissistic streak. Finally, Holly’s husband, the guy with blinders on who enjoys gaslighting his wife from time to time, is played by Bryce Pinkham. Many will recognize Pinkham from the The Good Wife series team.

Starring: Azura Skye, Bryce Pinkham, Ashley Bell, and Zach Rand

This is the type of story that creeps up on you like the flu you weren’t expecting. In 2020, this would now be followed by total isolation, and is somehow an appropriate descriptor for The Swerves’ heady mix of dark and depressing. The bulk of the main story feels all too relatable, especially if you’re stuck in a rut. However, it’s in small but pragmatic moments that you notice Holly isn’t doing so great.

Just like the flat and drab color palette, everything seems to wash over her. Most of the time, Holly’s life looks like any minute it will do a 360-degree turn and get back on track. Nothing to worry about, really, except for the mouse. The mouse is the real problem here. Once Holly sees it, she throws all of her efforts into eradicating this tiny grey creature that could very well serve as the disease epicenter of the entire world. The perfect metaphor for turning little things into big, catastrophic events.

This film builds into a quiet but unsettling snowball effect of totally effed-up decision-making. Split-second decisions, that with every single turn, things just get worse and worse. The movie’s score is a decidedly dialed-back affair, reminiscent of any great horror film, that suits the tone perfectly and poignantly.

There’s No Aphrodisiac Like Loneliness

Is it the medication that’s making Holly crazy? Is it the mouse? Has it given her rabies? As Holly tries to hold the last stitch of her seemingly normal life together, one wrong turn, literally, tips the edge of reason.

This is a film that will test your patience, as it feels like nothing has really happened until Holly’s behavior changes so changed that it can’t be ignored. The Swerve is confronting, and mainstream audiences might not like this aspect. For Mother of Movies, the pacing and its claustrophobic setting, alongside the dire consequences of Holly and her inability to fix what’s broken, it’s a must-see. This is not a film for those wanting a light drama. This is the heaviest kind of story with the weightiest of burdens.

“Will it be like this forever?”

— Quote from Holly

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Where’s Your Head At?

Holly paints the perfect picture for a portrait of not just depression but of loneliness. In her is a bleakness that gives this film an unforgiving texture.

The Swerve’s story is told by its writer-director Dean Kapsalis, with a steady hand, never veering away from the turbulence.

Verdict

I give The Swerve

4.5 Forever is sometimes too long out of 5

Dean Kapsalis, Writer and Director for The Swerve Movie

The Swerve movie is Dean Kapsalis’s debut feature film. I’m literally petrified as to what he might come up with next. Sadly, as of 2025, Kapsalis has released nothing else.

Similar Gut Punch Films You Won’t Ever Watch Again But Love

• Somewhere Quiet (2024) (Just when you think being kidnapped is the worst thing that can happen to you…)
• Finding Nicole (2025) (Domestic violence true story, told in an unflinching story).
• Unknown Number (2025) (Streaming on Netflix, you’ll never guess who is stalking Kendra Licari’s daughter).
• No Tears in Hell (2025) (Alexander Spesivtsev was a serial killer, and he sometimes ate his victims.)

The Swerve Movie Trailer Official

Where to Watch “The Swerve”

The Swerve is streaming on:

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Director/Screenwriter: Dean Kapsalis

• Production Company: Spark Chamber
• Distribution from Epic Pictures (watch & buy), “The Swerve”, visit the shop & Spark Chamber.
• Year of production: 2018 / Year of release: 2020.
• Country of Production: United States
• Producer: Tommy Minnix
• Running time: 95 min
• Genre: Psycho-Thriller

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