Screamfest 2025 Review: “Thinestra” – A Bold Debut!

Negative body image and the need to be thinner has fluctuated in our society greatly. In some eras, being skinny was “in,” while we have also seen movements where being curvy was trendy and loving ourselves no matter what shape we are was “in.” As we are moving back again into a “skinny era” presented to young women through social media, it seems body image is a cycle that will change through the years.

In the same way, lifestyle and diet culture changes constantly, focusing on diet pills some years, nutritious foods and exercise other years, crazy diets the next, and finally where we are now, weight loss injections like Ozempic. Just as our societal norms change, so do the “treatments” for such changes.

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Thinestra, directed by Nathan Hertz, centers on Penny (Melissa and Michelle Macedo) who works as a photo retoucher, constantly being surrounded by models and “perfect” women. She is so unhappy with her body and is constantly dieting and going to spin classes to reach her ideal weight. When a model at work offers her diet pills called Thinestra, Penny discovers that a quick fix doesn’t come without horrific consequences.

​Thinestra maintains an accurate portrayal of disordered eating and dieting through the point of view of a woman struggling to love anything about herself. The close up shots of buffets of desserts at parties or coworkers eating pizza rather than salad furthers Penny’s obsession with losing weight at the expense of her own happiness. The film expresses how actions taken out of fear, pain, and unhappiness often create a more toxic scenario for individuals when one’s mindset focuses on the goals rather than the journey to get there.

Penny is suffering through her daily food and exercise choices making none of it worthwhile if it doesn’t get her to her goal weight. When she discovers Thinestra and begins losing weight, the idea that her problems and self doubt will disappear quickly becomes evident as a lie. Inside and out she becomes a monster who begins to understand that getting what you want sometimes is not worth the agonizing journey.

As one may expect, Thinestra is a body horror film where its effects are fairly impressive. Where the film falters to some extent is in its more comical horror that strives to make more of a statement than focus on how horrifying self hate can actually be. It slightly diminishes the intensity of the topic in this respect by making characters just bodies that Penny destroys in her own process of losing weight. The atmosphere of the film and cinematography is bright in color that clashes with the monstrous sequences making it less effective.

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Thinestra is timely as it explores Penny’s journey in a world where Ozempic seems everywhere but it does not make as much of a strong impact as it strives to.

‘Thinestra’ Rating – 3/5