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Saccharine

Berlinale Special Midnight 2026
© Narelle Portanier
When first-year medical student Hana runs into an old friend who has lost so much weight she is almost unrecognisable, Hana is introduced to the world of weight-loss pills. Her quest for a slimmer body is spurred on by her crush, Alanya, a fitness influencer and personal trainer at Hana’s university gym, who convinces her to take part in a twelve-week “body transformation” programme. Unable to afford the expensive pills, Hana brings one of the samples she has been given free-of-charge to the university lab. She tests the pills and makes a surprising discovery about their contents that leads her to begin stealing bones from the cadaver she is dissecting in her anatomy class. And while the pills seem to be very effective, and her body shrinks, Hana quickly finds herself being haunted by a ghost that grows in size and strength as her waistline slims.
by Natalie Erika James (Director, Screenplay)
with Midori Francis, Danielle Macdonald, Madeleine Madden, Robert Taylor, Showko Showfukutei Australia 2025 English 112' Colour European premiere

With

  • Midori Francis (Hana)
  • Danielle Macdonald (Josie)
  • Madeleine Madden (Alanya)
  • Robert Taylor (Travis)
  • Showko Showfukutei (Kimie)

Crew

Director Natalie Erika James
Screenplay Natalie Erika James
Cinematography Charlie Sarroff
Editing Sean Lahiff
Music Hannah Peel
Sound Design Robert Mackenzie
Production Design Josephine Wagstaff
Costumes Stephanie Hooke
Make-Up Angela Conte
Casting Jane Norris
Producers Sarah Shaw, Anna McLeish
Executive Producers Nate Bolotin, Todd Brown, Pip Ngo
Co-Producer Ben Morgan

Produced by

Carver Films

Melbourne, Australia

Co-produced by

Thrum Films

Melbourne, Australia

World Sales

XYZ Films

Los Angeles, USA

Photos

Natalie Erika James

© Ben Morgan

The Japanese-Australian filmmaker focuses, as she herself says, on genre stories told with heart. Her short film Creswick premiered at the 2016 Melbourne International Film Festival and went on to screen at more than 60 festivals. In 2020, she made her feature debut with the psychological horror Relic, starring Emily Mortimer, Bella Heathcote and Robyn Nevin. The film premiered at Sundance and screened at SXSW as well as in London and Sitges. Her second feature, Apartment 7A, a horror-thriller for which she co-wrote the screenplay with Christian White, starred Julia Garner, Dianne Wiest and Jim Sturgess.

Filmography

2011 Tritch; short film 2013 Burrow; short film 2017 Creswick; short film 2018 Drum Wave; short film 2020 Relic 2024 Apartment 7A 2026 Saccharine

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2026