(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“A young woman takes a new weight-loss pill and the fat she sheds returns in the form of her blood-thirsty doppelgänger.”
How far one’s willing to go in pursuit of the ‘perfect you’ is the central subject of screenwriter Avra Fox-Lerner and director Nathan Hertz’s interesting THINestra (2025), a deliciously cautionary Horror/SciFi entry that fundamentally dabbles in the somewhat overexposed social commentary over being careful what one wishes for. What starts out as just another day in the life of mildly overweight video editor Penny (played winningly and evilly by twin sisters Michelle and Melissa Macedo, respectively) quickly evolves into the tale of science-gone-awry when the latest ‘get thin quick’ drug – THINestra – induces side effects which might include homicidal tendences, split personalities, metastasized doppelgangers, and even cannibalism (though it never explains why).
And here you thought that the uncomfortable bloating was bad? Just wait until you develop a hankering for your snooty boss’s second chin!
It’s the holiday season. Rather than wait until the New Year to lose a few unwanted pounds, Penny swears off anything remotely fattening over the next few weeks so that she can once again fit into her preferred outfits. Naturally, this means skipping just about every sugary concoction that makes the silly season worth celebrating. But a chance encounter with a Russian model on her latest photo assignment swings open doors unimagined when the lovely lady drops a packet of THINestra into Penny’s chubby fingers, warning her that not everyone has the stomach for the potential side effects. (Egad, will we never listen?!?!) For a time, common sense prevails, and Penny sticks to her gameplan of trying to trim her girth with diet and the local spin class. However, the young urban professional eventually reaches a breaking point; and she succumbs to the temptation of chemical intervention. After a single pill produces noticeable results overnight, she realizes she’s found a way to both eat what she wants – literally anything she wants – and still drop more than a few pounds. Because this is Horror (after all), complications arise once she uncovers a latent desire for – you guessed it – human flesh.
Like so many didactic thrillers of late, THINestra’s script suffers from the fact that Penny really has no positive male role models in her life. Hollywood hates the supportive man and all they’ve done to society, so – by design – the film layers on more than a few irresponsible ones who contribute to our protagonist’s jilted perspective. While her mother admirably does all she can to prop up her daughter’s flailing self-esteem, the underlying reality of Penny’s day job – namely that size (or lack thereof) matters most in modeling – continually shifts the woman’s psyche into overdrive; and she can’t escape the desire to perhaps look better than she feels. Naturally, our lead character is already trapped in a world of Body Horror – albeit one of her own psychological design – so her road to ruin can and will only be paved with her own best intentions. Despite some positive attention from Josh (Gavin Stenhouse) – her attractive and already desirous neighbor who already accepts her as she is – Penny can’t help but push herself to the limits of what a safe weight-loss program would be.
Not unlike 2024’s The Substance (the Demi Moore led chiller) and perhaps even a bit derivative of the idea, THINestra’s magic relies on its magic pill, science be damned. While The Substance effectively turned the ‘old you’ into a ‘younger you,’ the entire sordid affair was a biting commentary on our society’s unhealthy fixation on beauty standards. Both scripts here still conveniently ignore the fact that, eventually, it is the individual who makes the bad choice to risk life and limb on unproven medicine. Heck, in THINestra it’s even a woman – the model – who irresponsibly shares her pills with Penny; but call me an insensitive male for reminding everyone involved that momma always said not to take drugs from strangers. These ladies would rather be squeegeeing the sweating and oozing fat off their bodies with wash cloths (in stomach-churning sequences, so be warned), so there’s something still to be said about personal responsibility.
Essentially, THINestra’s own fascination with body image kinda/sorta derails the narrative to the point wherein it gets difficult to distinguish between what’s really happening and what could be transpiring between Penny and her kinda/sorta evil twin. At one point, the film clearly suggests that Evil Penny is a being grown from the fat cells she from the host body; but the remainder of the film includes scenes and sequences which imply there’s really only one Penny after all. This constant back-and-forth of what’s authentically taking place muddies too much of an otherwise interesting psychological thriller, one which has its own Dr. Frankenstein turning himself (or herself) into her own monster; and a bit of clarity – instead of so much visual trickery – could’ve gone quite a ways toward clearing up the confusion. As it stands, what remains isn’t bad … just bloody confusing.
THINestra (2025) was produced by Dogplayer, Hitmakers Media, Mary Ellen Moffat, and Stay Lucky Studios. The included press materials inform me that the film will be available for streaming effective April 14, 2026. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I can assure readers that the provided sights and sounds are quite good throughout, though (as mentioned) I did find it a bit difficult to distinguish between fantasy and the story’s intended reality in a few spots. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? As I viewed this one entirely via streaming, there were no special features under consideration.
Mildly Recommended.
While imperfect, THINestra (2025) gets decent enough mileage out of the Body Horror conceit of what impact the pursuit of the perfect you might unintentionally lead a woman to do. The problem lies chiefly with the execution as director Hertz never quite comes clean over what precisely is happening with Penny: is she simply developing a craving for human flesh, or has her shed fat somehow metastasized into a living, breathing, eating being that wishes for a life of its own? A bit more clarity – and a bit less visual symbolism – might’ve better positioned this cautionary tale for its time in the spotlight. Still, it’ll always be instructive and ironic that a flick about weight loss suffered from a little narrative bloat, no?
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Breaking Glass Pictures provided me with complimentary streaming access to THINestra (2025) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“A young woman takes a new weight-loss pill and the fat she sheds returns in the form of her blood-thirsty doppelgänger.”
How far one’s willing to go in pursuit of the ‘perfect you’ is the central subject of screenwriter Avra Fox-Lerner and director Nathan Hertz’s interesting THINestra (2025), a deliciously cautionary Horror/SciFi entry that fundamentally dabbles in the somewhat overexposed social commentary over being careful what one wishes for. What starts out as just another day in the life of mildly overweight video editor Penny (played winningly and evilly by twin sisters Michelle and Melissa Macedo, respectively) quickly evolves into the tale of science-gone-awry when the latest ‘get thin quick’ drug – THINestra – induces side effects which might include homicidal tendences, split personalities, metastasized doppelgangers, and even cannibalism (though it never explains why).
And here you thought that the uncomfortable bloating was bad? Just wait until you develop a hankering for your snooty boss’s second chin!
It’s the holiday season. Rather than wait until the New Year to lose a few unwanted pounds, Penny swears off anything remotely fattening over the next few weeks so that she can once again fit into her preferred outfits. Naturally, this means skipping just about every sugary concoction that makes the silly season worth celebrating. But a chance encounter with a Russian model on her latest photo assignment swings open doors unimagined when the lovely lady drops a packet of THINestra into Penny’s chubby fingers, warning her that not everyone has the stomach for the potential side effects. (Egad, will we never listen?!?!) For a time, common sense prevails, and Penny sticks to her gameplan of trying to trim her girth with diet and the local spin class. However, the young urban professional eventually reaches a breaking point; and she succumbs to the temptation of chemical intervention. After a single pill produces noticeable results overnight, she realizes she’s found a way to both eat what she wants – literally anything she wants – and still drop more than a few pounds. Because this is Horror (after all), complications arise once she uncovers a latent desire for – you guessed it – human flesh.
Like so many didactic thrillers of late, THINestra’s script suffers from the fact that Penny really has no positive male role models in her life. Hollywood hates the supportive man and all they’ve done to society, so – by design – the film layers on more than a few irresponsible ones who contribute to our protagonist’s jilted perspective. While her mother admirably does all she can to prop up her daughter’s flailing self-esteem, the underlying reality of Penny’s day job – namely that size (or lack thereof) matters most in modeling – continually shifts the woman’s psyche into overdrive; and she can’t escape the desire to perhaps look better than she feels. Naturally, our lead character is already trapped in a world of Body Horror – albeit one of her own psychological design – so her road to ruin can and will only be paved with her own best intentions. Despite some positive attention from Josh (Gavin Stenhouse) – her attractive and already desirous neighbor who already accepts her as she is – Penny can’t help but push herself to the limits of what a safe weight-loss program would be.
Not unlike 2024’s The Substance (the Demi Moore led chiller) and perhaps even a bit derivative of the idea, THINestra’s magic relies on its magic pill, science be damned. While The Substance effectively turned the ‘old you’ into a ‘younger you,’ the entire sordid affair was a biting commentary on our society’s unhealthy fixation on beauty standards. Both scripts here still conveniently ignore the fact that, eventually, it is the individual who makes the bad choice to risk life and limb on unproven medicine. Heck, in THINestra it’s even a woman – the model – who irresponsibly shares her pills with Penny; but call me an insensitive male for reminding everyone involved that momma always said not to take drugs from strangers. These ladies would rather be squeegeeing the sweating and oozing fat off their bodies with wash cloths (in stomach-churning sequences, so be warned), so there’s something still to be said about personal responsibility.
Essentially, THINestra’s own fascination with body image kinda/sorta derails the narrative to the point wherein it gets difficult to distinguish between what’s really happening and what could be transpiring between Penny and her kinda/sorta evil twin. At one point, the film clearly suggests that Evil Penny is a being grown from the fat cells she from the host body; but the remainder of the film includes scenes and sequences which imply there’s really only one Penny after all. This constant back-and-forth of what’s authentically taking place muddies too much of an otherwise interesting psychological thriller, one which has its own Dr. Frankenstein turning himself (or herself) into her own monster; and a bit of clarity – instead of so much visual trickery – could’ve gone quite a ways toward clearing up the confusion. As it stands, what remains isn’t bad … just bloody confusing.
THINestra (2025) was produced by Dogplayer, Hitmakers Media, Mary Ellen Moffat, and Stay Lucky Studios. The included press materials inform me that the film will be available for streaming effective April 14, 2026. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I can assure readers that the provided sights and sounds are quite good throughout, though (as mentioned) I did find it a bit difficult to distinguish between fantasy and the story’s intended reality in a few spots. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? As I viewed this one entirely via streaming, there were no special features under consideration.
Mildly Recommended.
While imperfect, THINestra (2025) gets decent enough mileage out of the Body Horror conceit of what impact the pursuit of the perfect you might unintentionally lead a woman to do. The problem lies chiefly with the execution as director Hertz never quite comes clean over what precisely is happening with Penny: is she simply developing a craving for human flesh, or has her shed fat somehow metastasized into a living, breathing, eating being that wishes for a life of its own? A bit more clarity – and a bit less visual symbolism – might’ve better positioned this cautionary tale for its time in the spotlight. Still, it’ll always be instructive and ironic that a flick about weight loss suffered from a little narrative bloat, no?
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Breaking Glass Pictures provided me with complimentary streaming access to THINestra (2025) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
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