Thinestra (2025) YIFY - Download Movie TORRENT

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by 8 / 10

A likable enough and enjoyable body horror effort

Desperate to lose weight, a photographer's assistant decides to partake in a secret a model from a session indulges, which turns out to be a secret weight-loss drug that's not cleared for general use yet, and as she starts to see a change in her appearance, she realizes a dangerous creature is following her.For the most part, this was a pretty solid and likable genre effort. Among the more likable factors involved with this one is the impressive setup that provides one of the more relatable and striking setups in the genre. Looking at the main girl through not just her job that keeps her around the high-gloss environment of fashion photography that keeps her completely overwhelmed by the beauty people that bring her anxiety to the forefront as a part of her job makes quite a bit of sense as to how she gets involved in the pill that starts everything, much like the constant food being included in her life that enhances those factors quite heavily. There's a great touch and build-up to the eventual reveal that it's built around the new drug being pushed in the community, which leaves this one with some fun starting points to get this going. That brings about the solid second half when it all starts turning upside down as one of the side effects starts to take centerstage. Not knowing much about the way it worked and how it starts getting something dangerous hanging, there's quite a lot to like with the revelation about the creation of the doppelganger version of herself and how it all comes to disrupt her career and personal life. With the idea behind it bringing about a slew of effective scenes showing off the inherent change in a profound physical way that turns into a series of fun, violent outbursts when the others around her meet up with the strange being, this section creates a slew of intriguing and impressive visuals that work nicely as a whole while being patently based on another genre effort entirely. The concept, the visuals, the idea of what's going on, and some of the setpieces are quite similar and built rather similarly, which constitutes a flaw for this one.Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence and Graphic Language.

Reviewed by 8 / 10

Review for Thinestra

This was a film that I learned about due to it coming to the Raindance Film Festival. It made its world premiere there which was interesting. The title intrigued me. It makes sense as we get into the movie. Other than that, I decided to come into this one blind.Synopsis: A young woman takes a new weight-loss pill and the fat she sheds returns in the form of her blood-thirsty doppelgänger.We start this at a surreal spin class. There is a woman that is hungry who ends up attacking her teacher. This turns out to be Penny (Michelle Macedo). She is struggling with body issues. What we'll learn is that her mother pushed eating as a coping mechanism. Now that she's an adult, she's having issues breaking this mindset. What is interesting is that she's far from obese. She sees herself that way.Now she touches up photographs for a living. The photographer she works for is Neils (Brian Huskey). He's passive aggressive with comments he makes. The model they're shooting that day is played by Mary Beth Barone. Chaela (Shannon Dang) is also the makeup person. Penny tries to make small talk with the model, asking her what it is like to be thin. This is where she is given a new mysterious weight loss drug, Thinestra.When she goes home, we see a cute interaction with her neighbor, Josh (Gavin Stenhouse). He's attracted to her and she feels the same. She does deny coming to his place as she is exhausted. She also is afraid that if she breaks her diet, it will cause her to gain weight. Even with what she's doing, she seems to be.Penny gives in and tries the drug. It has vicious side effects. It makes Penny ill to the point where she's vomiting. It also causes her body to leak fat. It also makes her ravenous, to the point where she attacks people. She doesn't remember doing these things and maybe she isn't. She is rebranding herself Penelope (Melissa Macedo). This brings her new found confidence, but there's also a dark side that can't be controlled from it.That is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I'll start is something that I'm seeing other people say about this film. It coming out as close as it did to The Substance is going to draw unfair comparisons. I will say that they are dealing with similar themes. We're looking at the unreal expectations of women. Where that one is dealing more with aging, both still look at weight and the need for the perfect body. They're both using a miracle drug with dangerous side effects.Now that I've set that up, let me delve more into our lead character Penny. What's funny is that when watching the opening credits, I saw that there were two characters with the same last name. It didn't click until about the end of the second act. What I will say here is that I don't fully buy into what this film is doing since I don't think Michelle Macedo is big as they're trying to get us to buy. That's not necessarily the point though. This is something that I've gotten into a debate with my wife about. Penny isn't comfortable in her body. She's trying to make changes and struggling. When she's given this pill, she's willing to try since so many other things have failed.It is from here that she deals with the dangerous side effects. There's gross body horror as she is leaking the fat. It made me gag so I give credit to make it look real like it does. It just seems so greasy. To make it more gross, I know what it smells like due to having a deposit on my neck that I had to drain. Every time she takes a dose, she loses 10+ pounds. She's excited for the results, but she also loses control. There is Penelope this extra confidence that does have a byproduct as well that she is rude. It goes farther than that when she becomes a feral monster with uncontrollable hunger. She hurts those that she loves in the process.Let's then shift to the acting performances. Since this is a character study of Penny/Penelope, let's start with the Macedos. They're both great in bringing this character to life. This isn't meant to body shame in any way, but they're body size wasn't overly noticeable on screen. I'm glad that for the more confident version, she wears more revealing clothing. I do like that Michelle plays timidly where Melissa is more aggressive. Husky and Dang are good as the two people she works with. Stenhouse is such a nice guy in his role. I also like Norma Maldonado as her mother. Everyone is good at setting up and pushing our lead character to where she ends up.All that is left then is filmmaking. I've already started talking about the effects so let's finish that. The practical effects are great. Not only was the fat gross but the blood we got looked good. I also look at what they do with Penelope when she goes feral. The ears are great and she looks monstrous. That's also a credit to Macedo for how she played it. I should also praise the cinematography and framing to hide the seams. What they did with the surreal scenes was interesting. I don't love dream sequences, but since Penny loses herself and blacks out, it makes sense. Other than that, the soundtrack for what they needed to build the atmosphere. Sound design as well.In conclusion, this offers a compelling and at times grotesque exploration of body image and societal pressures. While comparisons to The Substance are inevitable due to shared themes, Thinestra carves its own niche with its unique take on a dangerous weight-loss drug and its horrifying consequences. The practical effects, particularly the leaking fat and the monstrous transformation of Penelope, are visceral and effective. Michelle and Melissa Macedo deliver strong performances, embodying the multifaceted struggle of Penny/Penelope with nuanced portrayals. The supporting cast, cinematography and sound design further enhance the film's atmosphere and narrative impact. Despite minor quibbles about the initial portrayal of Penny's body size, the film ultimately succeeds as a thought-provoking character study, leaving a lasting impression with its unsettling blend of body horror and psychological drama. If that sounds interesting, I'd recommend giving it a watch.My Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Reviewed by 8 / 10

Supernatural body horror drama...with goo

Thinestra is the latest entry into the recent wave of body horror films, a term that has been tossed around pretty loosely for the past couple years. I guess it's a fair enough descriptor, but here, director Nathan Hertz and writer Avra Fox-Lerner are more interested in the "horror" a woman named Penny (Michelle Macedo) experiences about her body and the way she looks, rather than a Cronenberg-esque gross-out of flesh decay.Penny works as a digital retoucher for a fashion photographer, spending her days erasing tiny blemishes in pictures of skinny models, only to feel increasingly more inadequate about herself. We learn that she has never felt comfortable with her body (she never calls herself fat until late in the movie), probably going back to her childhood and the role her mother played regarding eating. What makes this character even more interesting is that she is far from obese, making the central theme of the movie even more powerful. Honestly, I feel uncomfortable commenting on her body type, but Thinestra asks us to challenge our own assumptions and biases.The movie begins with a visually stunning opening title sequence showing Penny grinding it out in a spin class from hell, where everyone else looks like Peloton professionals and the instructor is obsessed with reminding everyone to "be sure to hydrate!" We learn that Penny is on a diet that seems to consist of nothing but some sort of branded "thin" shakes, yet she cannot resist the urge to binge on glazed donuts.There's an emotional conversation between Penny and her mother where Penny says she's terrified of "ending up old, fat, and alone". I love how honest the script is here, revealing how Penny is exhausted from the messaging the world now sends that "all bodies are beautiful", which serves to point out her insecurities even more.One day, after a photo shoot, Penny asks a rail-thin model, "What's it like to be...perfect?" Her unexpected answer: "It's amazing". The model gives Penny a few non FDA-approved pills called "Thinestra" which prove to be life changing, but come with some unfortunate side-effects which lead to the body horror elements. After taking one Thinestra, globs of oily fat begin to ooze from her skin and she vomits even more. But wait...she lost 13 pounds overnight!Immediately, Penny gains newfound confidence and begins to transform her entire attitude. People talk to her differently. She dresses more boldly, and is even less awkward around her equally awkward neighbor who's had a crush on her all along. But as the drug settles in, another side-effect reveals itself: Penny now has a penchant for blood and the need to kill.This is where Thinestra slides into horror with some great looking practical effects and blood spewing moments as Penny gets savage on people. But is it really her or has the drug released a doppelganger she calls Penelope? Without revealing too much, I don't think it's a spoiler to mention that Michelle Macedo's sister Melissa Macedo is also in the movie. It's a brilliant bit of magic: no CGI required.Both Michelle and Melissa deliver strong performances, with Michelle carrying the bulk of the film's heavy moments. Penny is a character anyone can relate to thanks to the solid script and emotional, nuanced lead performance.Thinestra is a well crafted, beautifully filmed drama that transforms into a thoroughly entertaining supernatural/body horror flick. It's not particularly scary, but it's tense in all the right places and horror fans will appreciate the gore. Mostly, I loved its layered examination of body image and the conflicting messages culture sends about body types. Even perfectly average ones.

Thinestra

2025

Horror

Thinestra

2025

Horror

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Director

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Movie Reviews

A likable enough and enjoyable body horror effort

Review for Thinestra

Supernatural body horror drama...with goo

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