• Release year: 2025
• Director: Nathan Hertz.
• Producers: Kelly Ann Parker and Alexandra Lubenova.
• Screenplay by: Avra Fox-Lerner.
• Cinematography by: Joe Wesley.
• Music by: Thomas Walley and Charlie Laffer.

Shotgun Commentary: accurate representation of what it feels like to try to lose weight and not be able to. Scary, messy, and just deranged enough to be perfect.

Review

Thinestra is the type of body horror that prioritises meaning over gore. Don’t panic, though, will get your fair share of goo and unidentifiable sticky substances. The only difference is, their presence will actually make sense instead of being there merely for shock value. This is one of the best representations of diet culture, and its ugly reality ever made. It sticks to the point, makes its message abundantly clear, and delivers a thrilling story.

Monsters of our own making

The feature follows Penny (Michelle Macedo/Melissa Macedo), a woman with a toxic relationship with food and her body. In a world where women are judged for being fat, but also judged for not liking their body if they are, the emotional toll people go through is terrifyingly high.

Penny is one of those women who likes to eat and doesn’t magically burn everything, aka. Most women on planet Earth. As such, she has the misfortune of having to deal with both people who “politely” point out that she should eat less, and people who constantly tell her that she should accept herself and eat whatever she wants instead of caring so much.

It is no wonder that she ends up trying out extreme diets like feeding only from bottles of milk or trying out new experimental weight-loss drugs just because a model told her to. After all, it wouldn’t be the first time a girl is hospitalised for eating cotton balls… It is also not a surprise that she ends up developing an evil entity that hates her, her body, and her hunger. People with eating disorders will very likely resonate with this idea of an evil being that forces you to do things you wouldn’t do otherwise.

Superb representation

As a film, this exploration takes a supernatural turn while managing to stay as blunt and accurate as reality-based dramas like To the Bone (2017). Any horror film that begins with a fantasy about eating the spinning instructor because the diet is making you insane, deserves immediate respect. However, the real value of the film lays in the evolution of both story and protagonist.

One of the most interesting things about this feature is the way it approaches interpersonal relationships while struggling with an eating disorder. On top of the typical food-related interactions, there is a unique take on romantic relationships. Penny talks about wanting to lose weight because she doesn’t want to end up “fat and alone”. Nevertheless, she remains completely oblivious to the evident crush her neighbour harbours for her, despite her liking him back. Same as she doesn’t even register when a man tries to talk to her at a Christmas party.

Real-life contradiction

Still, she does register her boss’ comment on her eating habits, even though she could not be more interested in him or his opinion most of the time. This curious double standard is surprisingly common in people with eating disorders. They obsess so much about their image and consumption of food that they don’t register when things are going exactly how they want them to. Yet, they somehow pay attention to the negative comments that fuel their disorder.

This particular aspect is regularly glossed over in films about the matter, and it is really encouraging to finally see it represented. Furthermore, the way the illegal drug works also taps into a very common thought among people trying to lose weight. These two being only a couple of examples of why this film is peak body horror. Not to mention that, after a huge streak in 2025 of having one actor playing twins (Sinners, Mickey 17, The Alto Knights), it is refreshing to see the opposite, especially when it is use so brilliantly.

All in all, Thinestra is one of the best horror pieces of the year. In fact, it is one of the best of the last decade. Both story and storytelling are original and enthralling. The performances are captivating, as are the visual effects. And the final result is absolutely flawless. A must-watch for horror lovers and fans of good cinema alike.

Thinestra is part of the Raindance Film Festival 2025 programme, taking place in London now. Find all the info here!

Advice to take from this movie:

• Beware of magic remedies.
• Outside work, never listen to your boss.
• Spinning is hard, but dieting is harder.

What’s your take? Have you watched Thinestra? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message in my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀