BiboZ-ification NationSaccharine (2026)
A medical student who is self-conscious about her body starts taking an unknown pill – a strange sort of capsule – to lose weight. This decision triggers an unexpected and terrifying side effect, unleashing a supernatural force that increasingly takes over her daily life.
Yet another Australian film I didn’t like. Seriously!!! I think that within the first three-quarters of an hour, I already knew I was going to give this film a very low rating. My disappointment is all the greater given that the theme of eating disorders, within the context of a horror film, seemed quite innovative in the 2020s. The film does feature a few very beautiful shots, particularly of bodily fluids and the interior of bodies. Yes, unfortunately it’s reminiscent of The Substance (2024), which I hated. The film’s main flaw is that it’s a mix of Coralie Fargeat’s film and Grave (2016), which I didn’t like at all either. That’s saying something! Two female directors I can’t stand. As for Grave, it’s the carnal aspect centred on food that puts me off.
The film might have been more successful if it had been cut by a good half an hour. As it stands, it’s rather repetitive and very boring. The storyline centred on the heroine’s family, which is very interesting, would have deserved more screen time. Two parents doing their best, but their best isn’t very high. Between the father, who struggles to do anything, and the mother, who goes overboard. In fact, she reminded me of my own worries. Those mothers who are always wanting to tidy and clean their children’s bedrooms without realising that they’re intruding on a private world they can’t possibly understand. We throw things away and clean up without realising that this mess might have had its own significance, symbolic or otherwise.
We know that stories about weight will attract an audience, just as we know it’s just as easy to have a hit with a film about money. Like when people come into a fortune and decide to keep it to themselves without telling anyone else. So it’s the same with stories where someone finds a miracle solution for losing weight. These are indeed constant, permanent and eternal problems for people in our society. What a sad world!
This film is, of course, rather despicable. The subject matter is repulsive, especially when you discover what’s in the so-called miracle pills. The atmosphere is as grim as you could wish for. The lead actress is truly unsettling, which does, however, demonstrate a certain talent.
But there comes a point where it all gets completely ridiculous, and from that moment on, I gradually lost interest. It hadn’t really managed to hold my attention right from the start.
At least this film doesn’t really make you fancy a bite to eat. That’s the cool thing about it if you’re watching it with the aim of losing a few kilos! Saccharine offers nothing particularly meaty or substantial to sink your teeth into.
Forrest Gump says “Life is like a box of chocolates”, but not quite so for obese people. It’s glaringly obvious that this film lacks subtlety.
We can add a third film that I hated to the list of what this film reminded me of. Indeed, Antiviral (2012) by Cronenberg Jr, Brandon, can round off my list of a quartet of despicable films to avoid. Except for the most twisted among us, of course. Fans of the macabre, gore and grim, sickening atmospheres can rush headlong into these films without hesitation.
If the plot invokes the miracle weight-loss pill, the filmmaker would do well to find the formula for a successful pace, surprise and dramatic tension – essential ingredients for concocting genuine intellectual satisfaction. Natalie Erika James, an American, Australian and Japanese director, screenwriter and producer, is no doubt trying to show that she can shock and disgust even more than men, whilst thinking she’s doing a better job. But with slow service and bland food, it’s a definite NO!
The trio of leading actresses do a fine job. Midori Francis, Madeleine Madden, and Danielle Macdonald are quite good, but Danielle Macdonald is excellent. I would have loved to see more of her in this film. All her scenes are the best in my opinion.
Somewhere between body horror and a ghost film, Saccharine, Natalie Erika James’s third feature film, suffers from a thematic overload, tackling themes such as the cult of thinness, eating disorders and female desire. The sweetness is there, as are the intentions, but it doesn’t quite hit the spot.
⭐
Rating: 1 out of 5. #australia #bodyHorror #bodyImage #gore #horror #saccharine2026 #weightLoss
harriehq
Perfectly Imperfect
Psychotherapy Commission ACPE
Noodlemaz
Clothes free life
SydneyJim
Front Page [Unofficial]