Director Nathan Hertz and producer Alexandra Lubenova talk their latest horror comedy ‘Thinestra‘ screening at Raindance Film Festival.
‘Thinestra‘ is a bold new horror comedy that dives headfirst into the grotesque consequences of beauty obsession, body dysmorphia, and the monstrous feminine. I spoke with director Nathan Hertz and producer Alexandra Lubenova about their unsettling and darkly funny film, which is screening at the 33rd annual Raindance Film Festival in the UK.
Set in a sweltering pre-Christmas Los Angeles, the story follows Penny (Michelle Macedo), an advertising photo retoucher consumed by the pursuit of the “perfect” body. Struggling against her own reflection and a culture that demands thinness, she turns to Thinestra—a shady miracle drug promising instant transformation. But instead of delivering the ideal figure, the drug triggers a nightmarish metamorphosis: Penny begins to shed her fat in gruesome, painful clumps, giving physical form to her inner torment. From the discarded flesh emerges Penelope (Melissa Macedo), a ravenous, cannibalistic doppelgänger who embodies everything Penny represses.
Penny’s descent is portrayed through a feverish blend of horror and surrealism, including vivid nightmares, such as scaling a pit of glistening, oversized doughnuts that reflect her unraveling psyche. Her internal monologue is punctuated by painfully comic guided meditation tapes, which offer hollow reassurances as her body and mind slip out of control.
Identical twins Michelle and Melissa Macedo bring Penny and Penelope to life, anchoring ‘Thinestra‘s visceral tension and emotional unease. Hertz crafts a cinematic world that echoes the unease of Raw, The Substance, and Prevenge, while producer Lubenova ensures the satire bites as sharply as the horror.
‘Thinestra‘ critiques not only the beauty industry but the deeply embedded cultural shame around women’s bodies and appetites. In exposing the monstrous side of self-control and idealization, the film unearths a chilling question: what happens when our pursuit of perfection consumes us—literally?
‘Thinestra‘ screens:
To purchase tickets for ‘Thinestra‘ visit https://raindance.eventive.org/.
