Nocebo (2022) - Pushing for an Interesting Conversation

Noecbo is a Phillipino-Irish movie produced by Shudder, and does a very good job of being a smaller produced horror movie. Whilst it's not groundbreaking horror, it's certainly worth checking out.

Nocebo follows Christine (Eva Green), a fashion designer who, after an offscreen incident is struggling to find work and has 101 anxiety disorders. When a helper appears on her doostep, she seems like a fairy Godmother, but Diana (Chai Fonacier) has much darker intentions.

Nocebo's aided by the strong performances of its two leads. Green portrays an guilt-stricken, anxious woman manipulated by who she thinks is a friend believably and somewhat sympathetically, which is never an easy task. Whereas Fonacier walks the tightrope of devious and kind with ease, so we never quite dislike Diana and, in the third act twist, can understand her reasoning. Still, there's just enough off about her character that we're never truly on her side - perhaps its the safeguarding concerns of Chrstine leaving her alone with this woman she just met constantly?

Most of the film centers on this friendship and an exploration of natural medicines, playing on the films title. This is a somewhat unique idea that in underutilised in horror. Unfortunately, it serves as more of a plot point than genuine conversation. This deveoping friendship sets a slow and steady pace; perhaps a bit too slow and steady, considering we knew where this is going.

The reveal of Christine's backstory is well-timed to keep us engaged and to explain the appearance of the flea ridden dog at the beginning of the movie. Eventhough the building blocks are easy to put together, this conversation is worth having: the conversation around fast fashion. Nocebo pulls back from the psychological elements to show a bleaker, realistic vision of the fast fashion industy, inspired by the Kentex Factory Fire of 2015. The scenes of the accident are distressing and poignant, and would be to the film's credit if this was explored further. There is a lot of potential for further horror in this concept, but unfortunately it's hidden behind the mystery of the reveal.

The main element of horror comes from the Fillpino folklore element from Diana's character, including her backstory. It's a nice touch that this story isn't confirmed to be true or false until the ending, even if it feels like an unfair one. With plenty of Fillipino crew members, the consesus is that this is well executed, accurate and suitably scary. All of this makes for an interesting use of folk horror, with a few haunting images that will linger with you after. (One, in particular, is a great use of practical effects that has the viewer squirming in their seat.)

Overall, the film is a decent watch that explores a lot. For a small production, it makes the most of its small cast and limited effects to create some chilling moments. Unfortunately, the conversations are limited and it ultimately fails to stand out from the crowd.