Directed by Lorcan Finnegan
Written by Garret Shanley
Starring Eva Green, Mark Strong, Chai Fonacier, Billie Gadsdon
Unrated
Runtime: 96 minutes
In theaters November 4, on demand and digital November 22

by Victoria Potenza, Staff Writer

Ticks are parasitic critters that live by feeding on the blood of mammals. These parasites will latch onto a host and leach off of their victim until they are full. Sometimes ticks can carry harmful germs that cause diseases like Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Lyme disease. It is not uncommon to come across people that act like parasites. They latch onto others around them and they take everything and anything they can to fill themselves up. They take your feelings, space, voice, or culture. Nocebo is a story about such parasites, those that take and take without a second thought to the devastation and disease they can leave in their wake.

In Nocebo, Christine (Eva Green) works as a children's fashion designer who is trying to make her big break. On the day of one of her big shows she is bitten by a tick and contracts a strange illness that causes her immense pain and affects her memory. With no cure in sight Christine tries to live with her illness while being supported by her husband and young daughter. One day, Diana (Chai Fonacier), a Filipino caretaker, shows up on Christine's doorstep and tells her she is here to help her. While their relationship has a rocky start, Diana soon becomes accepted by the family through her cooking, her patience, and traditional folk healing that is able to help Christine’s chronic illness. But tensions begin to mount in the home, and it is clear that dark secrets will bubble to the surface.

Nocebo does a great job of leaving you guessing what is happening. The story is structured in such a way that oftentimes some detail that seems important goes away and makes you forget until it comes back around later in the film. It is surprisingly effective at holding its cards close to the chest and having a poker face that is hard for viewers to read. When it does throw down its cards and reveals exactly what story is unfolding before you it is shocking as well as impactful in its social message. While the cast is small, the ever changing dynamics between characters keeps the audience wondering exactly what people are up to. Everyone offers moments where you distrust them or find them potentially villainous.

Eva Green is such an effective performer and it is easy to empathize with the pain she is going through. Showcasing chronic illness and the pain it causes, as well as the disorientation of not being able to remember what you did or said is heartbreaking to watch. You also see the ripple effect and how her illness affects their family dynamics and causes strain due to the additional pressure everyone feels. Mark Strong is equally effective as her husband although his villainous performances and appearances make his character someone you immediately distrust. On the other hand, Chai Fonacier gives an incredible performance as Diana, with simple changes in looks or inflections in her speech that she can go from being kind and warm to cold and mysterious.

This film was also a reminder as to how important representing different cultures on screen is. I have not seen too many stories that depict Filipino cultures, strife, living situations, as folklore. By opening the audience up to a different experience it also becomes an entertaining way to educate people on the differences and similarities between our different cultures. At the same time we get to see the microaggressions, misconceptions, and cultural appropriation that has become second nature to many living in cultures shaped by white supremacy. There are moments where it becomes clear how little people care about cultures other than their own, where Filipino culture can be looked upon as a novelty or something to be picked apart to showcase all the beautiful parts, while ignoring the parts that colonizing nations have played a role.

There has been an ongoing trend in horror to dissect cultural issues through stories. There are films like La Llorona out of Guatemala which takes the real life tragedy of genocide to discuss national healing. The Netflix film His House focuses on the refugee experience and carrying trauma with you. And then there are films like Slaxx which take the subgenre of horror/comedies to tell a story about fast fashion, corporate greed, and child labor. Nocebo fits in well with these other new releases in its use of horror to discuss cultural issues and how white supremacist cutlure still plays a major role in our lives.

Nocebo delivers on many of these ideas and effectively details the horrifying realities of late stage capitalism. While it is a good idea to go in blind it is also essential to be receptive to these themes as the overarching story is deeply rooted in our disturbing reality.