Body horror 'Saccharine' shocks Sundance as festival enters final Park City year

Natalie Erika James’ new horror film "Saccharine" premiered this week as a graphic critique of the Ozempic era. This marks the final year the Sundance Film Festival will take place in Park City.

The screening reportedly caused several walkouts during its midnight premiere due to its insatiably graphic nature. The film uses extreme practical effects to satirize the modern pharmaceutical weight-loss craze.

James spoke on the red carpet about the visceral cost of the obsession with physical perfection. She noted that the horror lies in the societal pressure that demands such transformation.

Next year, the festival will officially relocate to Boulder, Colorado. This move ends a four-decade association with the Utah ski resort town.

Organizers cited infrastructure needs and long-term sustainability as the primary drivers for the change. The transition has cast a nostalgic shadow over the current proceedings in Park City.

This year serves as a somber milestone as the first festival held since the passing of founder Robert Redford. Redford established the Sundance Institute in 1981 to support independent voices.

Despite the looming move and the loss of its patriarch, the programming remains focused on provocative cinema. Analysts suggest the shock value of "Saccharine" proves the event has not lost its edge.

The film is currently seeking distribution, with several platforms reportedly in a bidding war. The festival continues through the weekend before the official handover to Colorado officials.