Saccharine

• Director: Natalie Erika James
• Writer: Natalie Erika James
• Starring: Midori Francis, Danielle MacDonald, Madeleine Madden

Grade: C-

Saccharine is the third feature from Writer/Director Natalie Erika James, following her pandemic-era breakthrough Relic and 2024’s Rosemary’s Baby prequel, Apartment 7A.  The film follows Hana (Midori Francis), a medical student suffering from body dysmorphia who experiments with a new weight-loss pill that promises to slim her down in next to no time. With GLP-1 medications now commonplace in our society, this may feel like a familiar and timely premise. But of course, there’s more to it, as Hana finds that what seems like a simple solution to her struggles may come tied to sinister consequences.

Swapped

• Director: Nathan Greno
• Writer: Robert Machoian
• Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Juno Temple, Tracy Morgan, Cedric the Entertainer, Justina Machado

Grade: C-

My hackles immediately go up at any film which opens with a “yeah, that’s me, I bet you’re wondering how I got here”-style voiceover, and Swapped – which trafficks in a similar kind of flash-forward – never really recovers from rote familiarity at nearly every turn. Director Nathan Greno, and screenwriters Christian Magalhaes, Robert Snow, and John Whittington, show some originality through the creative character designs, but the film mostly feels emblematic of what’s plagued Netflix original films and modern animation overall.