Film Review – Saccharine (2026)

      **Saccharine, 2026**

      Written and Directed by Natalie Erika James

      Starring Midori Francis, Danielle Macdonald, Madeleine Madden, Joseph Baldwin, Robert Taylor, Emily Milledge, Lisa Crittenden, Lucy Goleby, and Showko Showfukutei.

      **SYNOPSIS:**

      Hana, a lovesick medical student, is haunted by a malevolent presence after participating in a bizarre weight loss trend that involves consuming human ashes. When fitness instructor Alayna (Madeleine Madden), whom Hana (Midori Francis) is attracted to, discovers that Hana's weight loss regimen includes taking pills, they enter into a debate about the significance of various methods to achieve a healthier body and the mentality behind it. This suggests deeper discussions within Natalie Erika James’ **Saccharine**, but the film fails to effectively address these complexities, ultimately stumbling over its increasingly frustrated messaging, culminating in a final scene of unnecessary shock that undermines the themes being explored. This issue of storytellers losing focus in a last-ditch attempt to elicit fear or unsettling imagery is a common pitfall in contemporary horror.

      It's crucial to emphasize that these are not typical pills; they're a potent black market weight loss drug containing human ashes. They also come at a hefty price, which Hana cannot afford, leading her to covertly take body parts from the disturbingly detailed cadavers she and her classmates are working on. Among her classmates is the larger Josie (Danielle Macdonald), who is confident in her size and appearance, and notably, happy about it. She confronts Hana sternly when the extent of her unhealthy weight loss journey becomes evident. It’s also worth noting that Hana is not overweight but rather of average size, adding a troubling layer of self-destruction to her misguided pursuit of self-improvement.

      Nonetheless, since Hana is obtaining her human ashes directly from a dead body she interacts with daily, this apparently sets the stage for a supernatural haunting. The ghost, visible only in warped reflections, initially appears ambiguous in its intentions, leading to numerous jump scares and scenes of Hana journaling to understand the cause and motivations behind the haunting. The crux of the story is that while Hana is dangerously shedding weight through these pills—a fresh yet partially unexplored angle of body horror—the ghost will not find peace until she resumes binge eating.

      As the ghost grows increasingly menacing if Hana does not comply, these sequences can be quite distressing, amplified by disturbingly mesmerizing visuals. Unfortunately, the storytelling doesn't align with the consistently striking imagery, which has become a hallmark of the director. Once the ghost's motives become clear, **Saccharine** shifts into a more conventional narrative that is both entertaining and utterly absurd, while neglecting sensitive themes. By the time the film presents Hana’s parents to deepen her backstory, one might wonder if they're witnessing a different interpretation of **The Whale**, as the film continues to layer on excessive elements.

      It’s clear that director Natalie Erika James shares Josie’s belief that true happiness stems from being content in one’s own skin rather than merely pursuing weight loss to meet unrealistic ideals driven by the wrong motives (in Hana’s case, primarily to impress the fitness trainer, which adds another underdeveloped subplot). However, much like combining too many different ingredients, **Saccharine** becomes thematically convoluted.

      **Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★**

      Robert Kojder