Hard to Swallow

After recently killing her husband and mincing his corpse to feed to the family dog, a crazed suburban mother must consume the evidence of the murder to avoid rousing suspicion after her teenage daughter unknowingly cooks and serves his remains in
spaghetti bolognese for dinner.

  • Claire Riverland
    Director
  • Felix Siro
    Writer
  • Claire Riverland
    Writer
  • Amelia Godbold
    Producer
  • Alicia Benn-Lawler
    Key Cast
    "June"
    Mutt
  • Grace Jackson
    Key Cast
    "Jenny"
  • Jodhi Ramsden-Mavric
    Director of Photography
  • Skylar Klease
    Production Designer
  • Ayden Boztepe
    Editor
  • Felix Siro
    Sound Designer
  • Monty Callen
    1st AD
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Horror, Thriller, Drama, Comedy, Dark Comedy
  • Runtime:
    6 minutes 45 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 22, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    1,800 AUD
  • Country of Origin:
    Australia
  • Country of Filming:
    Australia
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    16mm
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Swinburne University of Technology
Director Biography - Claire Riverland

Claire Riverland has always had a passion for all things film-related and a deep love of storytelling. She was born in and primarily grew up in Melbourne, Australia. Her mother's side of the family is from Hong Kong whilst her father is of German-Polish descent. She pursues a mix of acting, directing, writing and producing, with interests particularly in documentaries regarding nature and travel, and in fiction film and TV regarding the horror, romance and drama genres. Choosing to pursue her creativity after high school, Claire is currently studying a Bachelor of Film and Television at Swinburne University in Melbourne.

Claire has acted in numerous student films for Swinburne, VCA, RMIT, independent films, and plays. Her first experimental smartphone film, “Invasion”, was part of the MINA film festival’s official selection in 2023. She made her fiction directorial debut original 16mm horror short, “Hard to Swallow” in the latter half of 2023. Claire also directed and produced the short documentary on tour guides and conservationists in Borneo, Malaysia titled “understorey” which will premiere in 2024, following her passion for wildlife conservation and rich cultures. In 2024, Claire will continue to pursue both acting and filmmaking, and will travel to Bangladesh to make a film on local folklore.

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Director Statement

“You can’t hide from the truth. But you can eat it.”

‘Hard to Swallow’ is a story about facing the consequences of your actions and choosing to fully commit to your lies, rather than accept the horrifying reality of the situation. It’s about coping, deceit, delusion, disgust, and ultimately, narcissism as the main character, June, puts aside her humanity and dignity to play the nurturing hero in front of her daughter, Jenny, to save herself.

Originally, I pitched this film for a first year solo university project for a 90 second film idea. However, thankfully, my lecturer dissuaded me from making it and encouraged me to make it on 16mm film in second year where I’d have more time to delve into the characters, their relationship, and the story. This was a Swinburne University project made with my peers who each brought creativity, passion, hard work, and talent to this film to make it far better than if I’d done it alone. We shot in 2 days with a crew of 20 after 2 months of pre-production and then had 3 weeks of post-production.

I hope “Hard to Swallow” makes you squirm and laugh at the same time- a story that’s ‘hard to swallow’ but fun to digest.