Australian director Natalie Erika James emerged on the horror scene in 2020 with her debut feature, “Relic.” But her follow-up, the “Rosemary’s Baby” prequel “Apartment 7A,” didn’t win over critics like her first film, premiering quietly on Paramount+ without much fanfare. Now here’s James’ third film, “Saccharine,” fresh off a buzzy Sundance world premiere and poised to become a career rebound for the director.
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“Saccharine” sees James take off in a different direction than her two previous pictures, a timely take on a woman’s struggle with body image, self-worth, and toxic messaging around weight and appearance. Read a brief synopsis for the film below, courtesy of IFC Films:
Hana (Midori Francis), a lovelorn medical student, becomes terrorized by a sinister force after taking part in an obscure weight loss craze: eating human ashes.
“Saccharine” stars Midori Francis, Danielle Macdonald, Madeleine Madden, Robert Taylor, and Showko Showfukutei.
James also writes “Saccharine,” her third feature film. Anna McLeish and Sarah Shaw serve as producers on the picture.
“Saccharine” had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January and also screened at the Berlin Film Festival. It’s received decent scores from critics so far,
“Saccharine” hits theaters on May 22. Watch a trailer for the horror film below.
