Natalie Erika James’ “Saccharine” stars Midori Francis as Hana, a medical student who signs up for a fitness class.
At first, Hana is clearly there because she has a crush on her instructor Alanya (Madeleine Madden).
All the grueling physical workouts take a toll on her, but Hana finds a real advantage, as someone in the gym gives her pills that will help her lose weight and add to her workouts. When Hana puts the pills under a microscope, she discovers that what she’s consuming in pill form are human ashes.
“Saccharine” is the new horror film from James, the filmmaker behind “Relic,” one of the best films of 2020 and a fantastic work that audiences mostly overlooked during the pandemic.
After “Relic,” James made “Apartment 7A” (2024), the high profile “Rosemary’s Baby” prequel that had a splashy premiere on Paramount+. If “Relic” is her masterpiece and “Apartment 7A” is her middle of the road mainstream hit, then “Saccharine” falls somewhere in the middle, though its grosser and far more daring than “Apartment 7A.”
“Saccharine” has a different feel from “Relic” and the subject matter provides obvious reminders of “The Substance” (2024), albeit with less fish-eyed lens shots.
Francis is great in the lead and the scenes where Hana discovers that she can view an unseen presence in the reflection of kitchen items is scary. Whereas “Relic” left me too-scared-to-turn-off-the-lights terrified, “Saccharine” isn’t on the same level.
Although it gets especially wild in the third act, James’ film is overlong and hasn’t haunted me like “Relic.”
James is exploring the topics of body autonomy and taking control of one’s diet and eating habits. Long before the end credits (a montage of food that resembles alien textures), there are lots of gag-inducing close-ups to make audiences immediately cease munching their popcorn.
The grand finale, in which a surreal environment provides the mythic showdown between protagonist and antagonist, is visually striking. It helps that the film is fiendishly funny at times and, even though the grossouts are many, the hook of the story never ceases.
Despite a reasonable run time of just under two hours, it still feels overextended, though the craziness of the third act makes up for this.
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No one who sees “Relic” can forget how heartbreaking and strangely beautiful that last shot is; the audacity of the last image in “Saccharine” suggests that James is aware of the power her imagery carries. As much as I was stunned by the conclusion and thrilled by the buildup, the emotional journey is muted.
The lingering impact here isn’t Hana’s story but the potency of the scares and the revolting imagery. Forget pills made of ashes – anyone looking to lose some weight should just watch “Saccharine” before mealtime and see how little an appetite you’ll have afterward.
Three Stars (out of four)
What’s your favorite body horror film?