NOCEBO (2022) Review
Directed by Lorcan Finnegan
There’s something wrong with Christine.
Lorcan Finnegan’s latest horror thriller isn’t the most horrifying movie out there. But it takes its time to build something that’s creepy enough for the viewers to be stressed out. The way the film introduced Philippine witchcraft or black magic is kind of impressive and at the same time, isn’t totally negative.
Nocebo isn’t trying to be groundbreaking or something new. What makes it special is that the story felt whole. The questions that you might ask as the film progresses, they are answered one way or another.
You might think that having Eva Green and Mark Strong be accompanied by Chai Fonacier won’t work but it did. The chemistry between Green and Fonacier and Strong and Fonacier is there. And their performances are one of the best things about this film.
I like that as the story progresses, who you think is the villain isn’t actually a villain and who you think is the protagonist isn’t actually the good one in the story. This is a horror film that really wants to tell a story and not just a horrific one but also one that tackles social relevant themes such as employment in the Philippines, how we perceive witchcraft and automatically think that it’s bad or that it’s done by bad people for bad practices. In this case, maybe. But witchcraft are also and old way to heal or maybe fix something that science can’t.
It may leave you having dreams or maybe not. But having Chai Fonacier and some Filipino culture are just the icings on the cake as Nocebo is a stress-inducing psychological thriller that follows Eva Green’s Christine into insanity. And what a ride!
3.5 OUT OF 5 STARS
‘Nocebo’ is now showing in Philippine cinemas from TBA Studios and EPICMedia. Rated R-13 by the MTRCB.