Saccharine

The latest from Australian-American writer/director Natalie Erika James (Relic, Apartment 7A) is an effective body-horror film that succeeds on its psychological levels as much as its gory aspects. Midori Francis plays Hana, a lonely, despondent medical student who discovers that consuming small amounts of human ash can cause magical weight-loss, only to find herself terrorized by the ghost of the person she's eating. Like Relic, the movie clearly draws from personal specifics to create something broadly relatable. James explores many interconnected themes through her outrageous situation. The movie is visually captivating and narratively compelling. Not everything adds up entirely, but the premise is sound. It's like if The Substance made logical sense and was about a relatable every-person rather than a shallow celebrity.