"Insaciable," the body horror film known in its original title as "Saccharine," opens in theaters across Peru on Thursday, August 13, 2026. The film is directed by Natalie Erika James and stars Midori Francis as Hana, a medical student who tries an extreme method to lose weight.
Hana continues the weight loss procedure even after discovering that the pills she is taking contain an illegal ingredient, according to the film's plot description. From there, hunger becomes as terrifying as a nightmare.
Cast and characters
Francis, an American actress known for roles in "Ocean's 8" (2018), "Good Boys" (2019) and "South Mountain" (2019), also played Alicia in the series "The Sex Lives of College Girls."
She is joined by Danielle Macdonald as Josie, Madeleine Madden as Alanya, Robert Taylor as Travis, Annie Shapero as Melissa, Joseph Baldwin as Ryan and Emily Milledge as Georgie. The cast also includes Anna Adams, André Ong Carlesso, Lisa Crittenden, Daniela Rene Fink, Lucy Goleby, Darius Googe, Rachel Khalaf, Jeremiah Louis, Mackenzie McLaren, Sam Ready, Trevorr Surej, Conny Fong, Showko Showfukutei and Maya Arielle.
A director known for body horror
James uses body horror not only to depict physical transformation but to push her female protagonist's insecurities and the discourse around weight loss to an extreme. The Japanese-Australian filmmaker previously explored the genre in her debut feature "Relic" (2020) and later directed "Apartment 7A" (2024), a prequel to "Rosemary's Baby."
Lima Film Festival screening
Before its commercial release, "Insaciable" is part of the lineup at the 30th Lima PUCP International Film Festival, screening in the "Pre-estrenos" section. The festival runs from August 6 to 15 and includes James's film among its international titles.
Production details
The film runs 112 minutes and was produced in Australia. It was written and directed by James, with production by Anna McLeish, Sarah Shaw and James, and co-production by Ben Morgan. Charlie Sarroff handled cinematography, Sean Lahiff the editing and Hannah Peel composed the music. Josephine Wagstaff designed production, Jane Norris handled casting and Steph Hooke designed costumes. The production companies are Carver Films and Thrum Films.
