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| Images courtesy Shudder |
The concept of a woman with a mysterious affliction is by no means unique territory in the world of horror films. Often used as a means to make a compelling commentary about gaslighting and the mysteries of a woman’s body from a male’s perspective, this theme has been explored time and again, perhaps most notably in Rosemary’s Baby. In the case of Lorcan Finnegan’s Nocebo, however, this theme takes on a slightly different commentary as it attempts to criticize capitalism alongside the other ideas we’ve come to expect from these films.
Christine (Eva Green) is a fashion designer who receives an unwelcome phone call that prompts a downward spiral of failing health — or so it seems. She has memory loss, her hands shake uncontrollably, but is it all psychosomatic? Her symptoms mysteriously disappear whenever she visits a doctor for them, so all signs point to “yes.” Nevertheless, this mystery ailment — perceived or otherwise — has been debilitating to her and her career, and her husband Felix (Mark Strong) and daughter Roberta (Billie Gadsdon) are consequently suffering as a result of this predicament too. One day, Diana (Chai Fonacier) arrives as a caregiver for Christine and slowly introduces her to traditional Filipino folk healing as an unconventional way to help Christine’s condition. Diana says there is something “hidden” inside Christine, but what exactly is it, and how will it be released?
Nocebo starts off strong and surreal. A sickly, tick-infested hound with cloudy white eyes barrels into Christine’s store and furiously shakes its ticks onto her as she receives her traumatic phone call that is withheld from the audience. The ambiguity of whether the hound is real combined with the mystery call, followed by the aftermath this causes, is thoughtfully assembled and immediately grips the viewer. However, the intrigue quickly wanes as Christine continuously struggles with her health and Diana enters the picture. What follows is a great deal of lost potential in terms of character and story-building. While the acting is competent enough (particularly Eva Green’s performance), the characters feel two-dimensional and scarce tension is built throughout to maintain interest. This is in large part thanks to a script filled with disinteresting exchanges and uneven pacing throughout.
The underwhelming nature of Nocebo is unfortunate because at its core, it has all the components of an interesting, stylized thriller. Instead, the compelling aspects are either only lightly hinted at or hit like a ton of bricks in a ham-fisted attempt at foreshadowing. The film has a tendency to put more weight in some areas where it should hold less, and less where it should hold more, continuously treading the same exhausted water until the “big reveal” at the end. Outside of some interesting visuals, the film falls flat, feeling inorganic and cold when a small, intimate film about a woman battling an illness should hit on a more visceral level. Because of its mostly “safe,” watered-down approach, it has the essence of a Lifetime movie trying to be a clever psychological horror film.
While the message at the climax of Nocebo and the culmination of the film do hold some power, there’s not enough prior to those moments to truly merit a watch. Yes, the core concepts of Nocebo have been explored before in films, and frankly, they’ve been explored better. Watch the plethora of those before this one.
-Andrea Riley
