Logo text
The latest film from writer and director Natalie Erika James drunken It feels as timely as possible, even if the director didn’t necessarily intend for it to happen.
The psychological horror film deals with weight loss, diet culture, obsession and addiction. When watching the film, it would be fair to assume that James may have felt inspired by the recent resurgence of early weight loss predictions and the rise of GLP-1 drugs, however, the director chalks it up to an unfortunately evergreen conversation.
“I always knew I wanted to make a film or write a story that explored these kind of themes, which had a lot to do with the way I was raised, but certainly in the early 2000s — there were these tabloids ripping apart bodies,” the director says. Hollywood Reporter In the last zoom. “I felt like there was a time where we moved away from that [diet culture]But somehow I feel like it’s been dormant or cultures oscillate in certain ways.
In the film, actress Midori Francis plays Hana, a medical student who becomes terrified by an evil force after participating in the latest diet trend – eating human ashes. James says the film is not a direct reaction to the current moment, but that things have become more “treacherous” due to social media showing what only tabloids previously did.
drunken It’s not the first film to use body horror to dissect modern-day beauty standards — the 2024 Oscar winner Article It was a cultural moment in itself. Both James and Francis understand the genre’s unique place in telling stories like this, even if audiences don’t expect the genre to lead this conversation. “Horror is amazing at showing what’s inside and allowing you to play with extreme or surreal images to portray that,” the director notes.
Francis agrees. “That was my initial reaction after reading the script, that this is not the way that I instinctively think addresses this problem, and yet it works well,” the actress says.
The actress found herself sticking to the truth in the story, even when things seemed strange. “No matter how strange or absurd things were, they were always rooted in feelings of being caught by compulsion, obsession, or body scrutiny,” she says. “How can it feel sometimes, when you’re dealing with a mental battle or struggle or addiction, no one sees what’s going on, but it’s so loud inside your brain.”
“I loved how loud parts of the film were to distract and contrast the internal pressure that goes on inside one’s head at times, even the dopamine cascade,” says Francis, whose film uses surreal imagery to depict the dopamine-fueled highs that can accompany a binge.
Both James and Frances experienced unforgettable and unexpected reactions to the film. James points out that it’s easy to forget how “visceral” body horror can be. “It looked like someone at the Sundance screening fainted and then had to leave,” she says. “I didn’t expect it would be this bad.”
Frances also noted how the audience reacted to her after seeing her character on screen. “I did a lot of Q&A afterward, and it was interesting to see people feeling a little uncomfortable because of my presence,” says the actress. “After the credits roll, I’m thinking, ‘Are they afraid of me?’
The actress recalls that a family member was hoping for a happy ending, which James admits Frances initially asked her about.
Either way, the actress is clearly happy with the finished story — she always speaks highly of James and admits that she’s only interested in horror when there’s a reason to be. “Eating disorders [and] addicted [are] All things are very personal to me, and personal to the pain my family shares. I knew whoever wrote this script had an authenticity, a real, bold voice.
Francis may appreciate boldness more than most. “Nat has that in spades,” she adds.
James knew the film would always be a challenge for some viewers. “Talking about it publicly, or even portraying bingeing on screen, is just confrontational. It’s just a very intense thing that definitely requires red flags,” the director says.
Although the film doesn’t have an actual on-screen warning, James was transparent about what it was about. She explains drunken Not necessarily a film that should be watched by those who are in their darkest phases or struggling with these themes.
James also talks about the feedback they received about casting the threat in the film as a larger character. “I think you have to see it through Hannah’s very distorted lens,” she says. “Growing the ghost is her own projection of her fears, and these fears go back to her childhood, but she also internalizes pressures from the fatphobic culture she lives in.”
The director explains that there is a real stigma around weight in society, which is why it’s often suggested that being in a larger body is somehow a moral failing. “I hope people go beyond the superficial reading of that and look at the journey that Hannah is actually on to dismantle those beliefs within herself as well,” she says.
As for Frances, she believes that Hana is making a mistake in the matter and is afraid of making a mistake. “Hannah [is] “She’s complicit in this societal belief that the worst thing in her life could end up in this bigger body,” the actress says.
“At the end of the day, the worst thing is Hannah,” she adds. “She, and all the shame inside her that she doesn’t process, is the monster at the end of this movie.”
***
Saccharine is now in theaters and begins streaming on Shudder on July 24.
