Nocebo (II) (2022) User Reviews

Well worth watching

[mjsreg · 7/10 · 17 December 2022]

I like this film.

Right from the start you can tell that real time and effort has been put in to creating a well rounded and immersive story - something adults will appreciate.

The acting by Eva Green and Chai Fonacier is superb in realising wholly believable characters you can relate to right from the start.

Unfortunately, and this is my only slight criticism, is. Mark Strong's character seemed very one dimensional and wooden. It didn't gel well with the rest of talent displayed by Green and Fonacier and stood out as being under par in the face of their skill.

You may well guess what the general plot is quite early on in the film, but perhaps that is by design and adds to the connection with the characters.

All in all worth watching, and I will certainly watch it again in the future.

6.6/10. Recommended

[athanasiosze · 7/10 · 18 December 2022]

1) Watch it without reading anything about this movie. There are no mind-blowing twists but you will enjoy it more if you don't know anything about the plot. Some things that happened are not difficult to predict, but still, their reveal is shocking.

2) During the first 10-ish minutes, i thought that this was going to be a mediocre to bad movie. I was wrong. This is getting better by the minute. The ending is shattering, i liked it very much.

3) Stil, it's flawed. Green and Strong are very good actors but i didn't love the acting here. Definitely not bad though. Chai Fonacier steals the show, she was amazing. Furthermore, this is a forgettable movie, not exactly formulaic and predictable but definitely not groundbreaking and original either. In any case, I believe it's better than the average movie of this genre.

4) So, if you wanna watch a good psychological-drama horror movie, watch NOCEBO. Not scary, not mindless fun, but a nice movie to spent 96 minutes. I would even call it daring for an American movie, due to its script.

Burn it down

[BandSAboutMovies · 7/10 · 21 March 2023]

Christine (Eva Green) designs clothing for children and one day, at work, she has a breakdown after receiving a phone call. Then, a ghostly dog appears and shakes ticks and fleas all over her with one lodging at the nape of her neck. Her life is destroyed, her work suffers and she must take multiple drugs and sleep with a mask on just to keep some semblance of health. That's when her new caregiver Diana (Chai Fonacier) -- who she doesn't remember hiring -- comes to save her. Then again, as we're in the realm of folk horror, much less Filipino folk horror and more specifically Bisaya/Cebuano folk horror, a lot can and will happen.

Her husband Felix (Mark Strong) distrusts Diane yet she's able to return the spirit and health that Christine lost while being able to find a way to bond with Bobs (Billie Gadsdon), their unreachable daughter. Of course, that's because she's an ongo, a sorcerer of sorts who was given her powers when she watched an old woman die and her powers -- in the form of a bird -- flew into her mouth. While her power allowed her to heal the people around her, they also feared her and stayed away.

Felix finds Christine's drugs, which have been hidden away, as well as an altar in Diane's room. They make her leave the house but by then, the spell has been cast. The illness inside Christine is directly related to her destroying -- man, spoilers on, obviously -- Diane's life when she demanded that the sweatshop that makes her clothes -- the same place Diane made her living -- increase production and be locked so that people can't leave with her product. A fire soon destroys everything and because the door was locked, everyone dies, including Diane's daughter while she watches helplessly outside, clutching the coconut water that her daughter had asked for.

Sadly, that tragedy in the factory is based on reality. The film's credits have the Filipino song "Pugon" by The General Strike, a song all about the 2015 Kentex slipper factory fire that killed 74 people. The lyrics state:

They died at work This box caught fire Imprisoned and buried They were burned there In the factory that became a furnace

The credits feature the words "Justice for all Kentex fire victims."

Sadly, it will have to be in this movie.

Directed by Lorcan Finnegan and written by Garret Shanley, the surprises may be easy to see, but to see capitalism destroyed in such a final way by someone that has been forgotten makes this a film worth watching.

Fast Fashion Revenge Thriller.

[ruthiempowell · 6/10 · 26 February 2023]

First thing that strikes you is that this loaded upper middle class family living in a three storey huge house in London drive an MG. LOL. That isn't The most unbelievable thing about the film though. Although it's far fetched and random to begin with it has a clear message. The films shines a light on the horrendous conditions some people have to work in to produce fast fashion for the privileged. Like most films these days it has a political agenda. Racism.... White privilege.... The consequences of fast Fashion, Etc. You end up rooting for Diana and not feeling distressed when the protagonist gets what she deserves. However the ending is a let down. Unless they're planning on making a sequel, the whole passing on of the power is unnecessary. It's worth watching but you'll soon forget it.

Supernaturally tinged horror thriller that while not atop the genre is a decent entry into it

[danieljfarthing · 7/10 · 27 November 2022]

In the supernaturally-tinged "Nocebo" creepy Philippine housemaid Chai Fonacier (good on her English language debut) arrives at the London home of upper middle-class Eva Green & Mark Strong who're struggling to parent young Billie Gasdson as Green re-launches her clothing design career AND struggles with a debilitating sickness' various dramatic symptoms (inc nightmarish 'hallucinations'). Fonacier helps, though Strong suspects something sinister's afoot (as is gradually shown thru Fonacier's flashbacks). While writer / director team Garrett Shanley & Lorca Finnegan's third collaboration may not top the horror thriller genre, it is a decently solid entry into it.

When philippine witchghosts steal your meds, your lucky red shoes do not work

[dschmeding · 5/10 · 3 December 2022]

Nocebo had a good start... that opening definitly drew me in with that weird tick infested dog appearing out of nowhere.

The female main actors are great and there is some suspense building when the philippine maid arrives and its not clear if the female main character has amnesia or this is some kind of con.

The main character fell ill after being bit by a tick in the opening scene. She is working in the fashion industry and there was some kind of incident that triggered her illness which could be psychosomatic or from an infection. The whole dog/tick thing was too weird to be taken as seen, so we are unsure about that for quite a while.

Anyway, the maid that is supposed to take care of the feisty daughter soon is revealed to be a kind of witch using her healing power on the woman while slowly getting closer to her daughter. Beside using her unorthodox healing methods on the woman, collecting blood and hair from the woman, praying in front of an altar and having weird interactions with ticks and birds the maid is also hiding the womans medication and connecting with the daughter behind her back secretly. The husband is suspicious from the get-go but pretty much ignored on the sidelines for most of the story.

Nocebo really is a solid movie but any movie freak will guess the ending after 15 Minutes. The movie tries to be atmospheric and mysterious but the puzzle pieces are dropped right away. The horror tropes of vengeful ghosts coming to punish the sins of the greedy are mixed with some interesting eastern witchcraft elements and symbolism that is so wooden, i would have never guessed they would really go there.

After a while the movie feels drawn out because you pretty much know whats going on and only wait for a reveal to the opening scene and constantly re-appearing ticks. And that is the final straw that only reveals the script to be extremely bad and cringe. Not only is the movie totally predictable but the symbolism really ends up being "western fashion industry is a leech on the third world" amplified by scenes showing the woman locking fire exits so the workers don't steal shirts which makes her some kind of cartoonish Cruella of this movie. The stupid story about the tick infested dog and the bad FX of giant ticks and closeups of the dog do the rest.

Its really a shame they were so lazy on central parts of this movie because there was some really interesting elements in the backstory of the philippine witch and her relationship to the daughter. The actress playing the witch had an interesting mix of sweetness and sinistery that gave a lot of suspense to the movie But the cheesy horror elements unfortunately drowned out that part for me. In the end i was happy to see that the womans red shoes while not being the lucky charm she hoped for were at least fire resistant and protected her feet.

If you like witch and ghost movies have a go... its definitly not a bad movie (I was weirdly reminded of "Last night in Soho" by the fashion industry background and ghosts in burning buildings part) but could have used some more time on fleshing out that script and connecting the threads.

Well made and starts off strong. Descends into somewhat of a mess at the end.

[bnitcamela · 6/10 · 26 November 2022]

I wasn't even going to watch this film, despite having seen it available on my usual "borrowing" sites, but several IMDB user reviews convinced me to give it a shot anyway.

The film starts off strongly and is well conceived and actualized. For about 2/3 of the run time. Casting was great (Eva Green does a wonderful job), sound tracking was very very good (not overbearing but useful enough ala "Under the Skin"), the production value (with minimal but effective CGI) is very high.

It's just that it lost me at the end. Once the full plot was revealed, it made me think that the setup was ridiculous, whereas before this point, I was pretty into it. And the last 10 minutes of the film are difficult to watch because the director begins to go way over the top in order to, I'm not even sure, scare (?) the audience and beat us into submission. I

In any case, regarding the setup, was this woman actually a Umu or a human Umu hybrid? If the former, why carry about a normal life when you could use your powers for good? IOW, why even work in that sweatshop to begin with if you could make a lot more money just "curing" people??? Also, why does a superhuman spirit creature care about taking revenge on someone from halfway around the world who was only a small part of the sequence of events leading to the need for revenge in the first place?

I'll give it 6/10 for the first 2/3 - Just don't expect a really solid ending.

Misses Some Spice

[Tweetienator · 4/10 · 30 November 2022]

The plot is not that clever - it's simply a revenge movie with some elements of the horror business and a rather obvious and predictable "twist". All in all not too bad but not that good either. Acting and production are solid, but I dare to say, that at least for the horror crowd this one is too tame on the horror-o-meter and the thrilling and creepy parts are too few (for my taste). Anyway, if you like to watch Eva Green or Mark Strong you may dare to take this one on your menu, there are far worse flicks around that you can waste your lifetime on. Nocebo - somewhat dancing on the border of Okayland.

Nocebo

[henry8-3 · 7/10 · 26 February 2023]

Eva Green is a top of the range children's fashion designer suffering from a bizarre psychological complaint that flummoxes doctors. Into her life comes Chai Fonacier, a shaman from the Philippines who manages to improve Green's health immeasurably. Her husband, played by Mark Strong is not so sure neither is her feisty young daughter.

Strong performances all around make for an interesting and rather different horror / thriller which features a good deal of icky, though sometimes unconvincing, effects. Overall though this is a fascinating effort which gets you about 20 minutes from the end and then spells out quite disturbingly, which is actually quite hard to watch in places, exactly what's going on and why Green is ill and why Fonacier is there - quite chilling.

Don't bother

[knvixen · 2/10 · 26 February 2023]

I was attracted by Mark Strong and Eva Green, plus the idea of something a little different to my usual choices. Once the first plot device was revealed I decided to stay in case it was interesting. It wasn't. Without giving anything away, it's unbelievable from the moment Diana arrives. Eva Green is suitably demented, and Chai Fonacier suitably evil. Mark Strong gave a somewhat hammy performance, sadly, though he was constrained by the script and plot. There was a point to be made about fashion's abuse and exploitation of sweatshop labour, but this was a ham-fisted and ridiculous way to depict it. I try to stick with a film once I've got to the point, but I may have to alter my rule. I watch a lot of films, so expect a few bad ones, but this was an unexpected failure.

Surprised by How Effective This Film Was

[ayaa1977 · 8/10 · 5 November 2022]

This is a film that will sneaks up on you with how good and effective it is as horror mystery. The central relationship in this film is between Christine (Eva Green) a fashion designer who suddenly falls to a mysterious and debilitating illness, and her Filipino helper Diana (played by the wonderful discovery Chai Fonacier) who appears from nowhere and starts taking care of Christine using unorthodox methods that alarms Christine's husband Felix (Mark Strong). Diana has drive and determination, but her motives and agendas are mysterious, is she a snake-oil salesman taking advantage of Christine? Or is she un altruistic healer who wants to take care of her? By the end of the film, you will realize this is a horror film that delivers the goods, and it all ties up its threads logically. It's not a very scary horror film, but it's thoughtful and it's cathartic. I really like this one and I highly recommend it.

A descent horror drama

[Sandmanreviews · 7/10 · 12 August 2023]

This film's plot revolves around Christine, a fashion designer who of some unexplained reason has become ill and suffer from hallucinations. She lives in a big house together with her husband and daughter. To make life easier for the family they have decided to recruit a maid. The maid is called Diana and comes directly from the Philippines. She is very kind and very commited to doing a good job. The family is impressed to begin with. However, after a while she starts to act a bit strange and she is getting a little pushy. Diana also says that she can help to cure Christine's illness and they give it a go. Christine is, however, not being cured but it's rather the opposite that occurs, her hallucinations are getting worse. Who is this Diana really, someone she met in the past? Is Christine's illness a result of a feeling of guilt? I think the film is well made with great acting by all the actors, and it ends with a good twist. The film also shows the hypocrisy in the fashion industry where diversity is embraced, but at the same time people in poor countries are being ruthlessly exploited.

If Guardian readers made Hammer House of Horror

[Bobalopacus · 4/10 · 10 March 2023]

The 'horrifying' twist was predictable within the set-up (if you understand the agenda - see below) the only remaining question being how subtle the whole thing would play out, the answer to that being 'not very'.

Eva Green and Mark Strong play Christine and Felix, a couple of wealthy white Londoners living the supposedly idyllic life, albeit with some cracks in the surface.

They don't appear to be great parents - taking their child to school is presented as a chore they fight amongst themselves to avoid - but Christine and Felix's 'sins' go far deeper than this. Things start to go seriously wrong following a phone call, after which Christine starts to show signs of delusion or mental illness, or is something else going on....?!

I won't spoil the plot for those who want to enjoy this.

For me, the 'scares' were absent, the ending laughably overworked, the characters implausible and some huge plot holes remain. It was (unintentionally) laugh-out-loud funny in places, but thankfully I watched this at home - had I been forced to endure it in silence in a cinema I might dock a couple more 'points'.

None of this would be a problem if 'Nocebo' was fully aware that it was utter nonsense, but I fear the makers of this film were aiming for something more.

Some people balk at the inclusion of ideological critiques in movie reviews, but the politicising is so apparent here and the intended 'message' so glaring I would be shocked if anybody failed to see it.

The aforementioned 'whiteness' of Felix and Christine is significant, by the way, as the entire premise is a play on 'white guilt' and the injustices of 'capitalism'. If you think I'm projecting my own ideological presuppositions onto the film here, I'm not - the whole thing is utterly blatant.

To be clear, there is nothing wrong with B-Movie, silly escapism. Nor is there anything wrong with movies tackling serious political issues (if they're capable of nuance). It is the juxtaposition of genuinely problematic real-life issues worthy of serious attention with schlock-Horror cliche, overacting and totally unbelievable characters that is a bit bizarre and, I would suggest, inept and counter-productive.

Predictable

[smoke0 · 23 November 2022]

In the first fifteen minutes you know all you will need to know about where this movie is going and where it will end up. There are no surprises at all, other than showing the Phillipines as a backwards. Third world nation full of sweat shops and military takeovers.

I wanted to see this because of Eva Green, and Mark Strong was a plus, but this could have starred anyone at all and it would still be the same movie; the big names were just a draw to a very predictable and ultimately mediocre story. There are no scares and a very few good FX scenes, but that's about it.

If you have ever seen a movie before, you don't need to see this one, unless you want to see how right you are about predicting how each scene will end.

Not completely bad

[leonidasoriginal · 6/10 · 30 September 2023]

This one is simple. Basic plot is - Rich always exploit the poor. Nothing new about that. It is not that I am socialist, I am not fond of those ideas, but still, at least to some extent, I can relate, since we all, at least most of us go through life while working for someone or some company that doesn't give rats a** about you. It is a world we live in. Simple as that. We can all babble our heds of about how we need to change society, but we will NEVER do it. We are materialist, evil, fake-kind and only spicies on the face of this earth with such combination of traits. Even more, we are becoming worse with old bad stuff remaining while we add new ways to make society a living hell. It is human nature. We are what we are. Either a slave or a master. But always selfish. Either as a master or as a victim looking for vengance. No middle ground. We are what we are.

Good independent horror drama that keeps you wondering.

[rjfromtoronto · 6/10 · 27 November 2022]

This was surprisingly good for a movie I didn't expect much out of or care too much about the characters, the protagonist does a great job of appearing to have the best intentions and but if you look back after can see there were obvious signs, Christine not remembering she hired Diana (because she didn't) the husband accusing Diana of practicing something that uses fingernails, hair and blood, yep, pretty obvious if you have ever seen similar movies that it never ends up well, good job of redirection though lol, that's what made it interesting and watchable, good for a rainy day or if nothing is on the tv. Not too long or short and a decent ending that ends up being a two-fer lol.

Blame Caucasian lady for poor mom's choices/Freddy Krueger is more justified

[christopherxyu-83827 · 3/10 · 1 February 2023]

At first I thought it was gonna be really good at the end to figure out why the Filipino lady is trying to kill the white lady. Maybe she wants to take over her life and become rich, successful and privileged like the white lady? But that's not what happened. Instead, it's a revenge movie where somehow the white lady, by proxy, killed her daughter even though the Filipino people, including the mom is the only one who made the mistakes. So yeah. You could say, "It was the mom's fault because she had asked to put the lock on the door." Reality is life gives you choices. Filipino Lady chose the job in the sweatshop and to bring her daughter. And she chose to leave her daughter alone around negligent strangers and **** happened. If anything, she should have used her powers to kill the manufacturer of those buildings in the Philippines and probably made the conditions of work environments a lot better for her own people, instead of coming all the way across the ******* country to ruin someone else's life. Also, there's this fat Filipino guy who instead of putting out the fire logically by covering it up. He decides to fan the flame with more oxygen. You get a bigger fire. Really. All the Filipino people were stupid? Caucasian businesswoman was smart? She wasn't mean to the Filipino people. She was just being smart about her business. You SHOULD have security on your wares and you SHOULD have an accountant of your stuff. She didn't ask for a superfluous amount, she says a number, and then she asked for like 5 more pieces. That was supposed to be strenuous on the work? I don't know. Maybe hire more people, Filipino man, I don't know. It was a long reach, a very long reach to blame this Caucasian woman who had nothing to do with the working conditions of this company that was contracted to make her clothes. Freddy Krueger nightmare on elm street made more sense.

Never trust somebody who begs for trust

[cjonesas · 7/10 · 28 June 2023]

A gripping, semi-crazy tale of very unfortunate events leading to more unfortunate events and destruction of lives; It is mystically enthralling, semi-logical within realms of reason, but compensating with artful illogical mysticism.

As much as it may be full of sorrows and bearing painful, steamy cold revenge, it paints a very bad picture of the native woman; An indeed bad portrayal; Felix and Bobs will be suffering till eternity, while the ugly, maleficent Diana will soar levitated by her soul's hot eternal flames.

That is not how the screenplay should have been constructed and to my feeling, the first time I despise (a) native genes. I will not utter the country out of respect.

S-E Asian thick dark voodoo, a first!

• Screenplay/storyline/plots: 7
• Development: 7.7
• Realism: 6.5
• Entertainment: 7.5
• Acting: 7.5
• Filming/photography/cinematography: 7.5
• Visual/special effects: 8
• Music/score/sounds: 7.5
• Depth: 7.5
• Logic: 5
• Flow: 7.5
• Editing: 7
• Thriller: 6
• Ending: 6.5.

Quite pointless

[jafferabbas · 4/10 · 26 February 2023]

The beginning is unnecessarily suspenseful. Almost to the point of being forced. There is no proper explanation of anything and it just continues on till the end when you see some correlation. Usually when you hire house help from overseas there is an agency involved, background checks, onboarding etc. All of that has been brushed under the carpet. No doctors involved at any point to help the main character. Just too many plot holes. Then there is the cinematography which is again unnecessarily ominous. Once the movie finishes, you do feel a bit cheated. The best movies are ones which are at least slightly tethered to some form of believability. This one unfortunately is far from any.

strange but intriguing thriller

[LetsReviewThat26 · 6/10 · 26 February 2023]

Nocebo is a movie from the mind of director Lorcan Finnegan, the same direrector of the equally weird, but great movie ververian. In this movie Eva green plays christine. A woman with a past we don't yet know about, but after a run in with an imaginary dog. Tick finds its way into her untill nasty things happen. Always enjoy seeing mark strong in movies and does not dissapoint here as chrisitnes husband felix. Though we dont get to see much of him as christine is the real main event here. There are some other things and it does build up pretty well even with nanny diana that shows up .shes chai fonacier and is actually really good as the innocent character. Overall this movies tension bulds up throughout and with a good cast to back it up, nocebo is a thriller that is certainly worth a watch.

No Cebu?

[wrathazard · 5/10 · 5 April 2023]

The film started great and made me proud being a Cebuano at first ,but when I realized the weak plot after the first 20 minutes (which is obvious revenge) and also realized the movie was a slander to Cebu, I unappreciated the movie especially with its weak scares and sometimes even cringey scenes. I also disliked the inappropriate use of our cultural religious icon. Santo Nino is a sacred cultural heritage not just to Filipinos but especially to Cebuanos. So for it to be used in a vodoo altar is inappropriate. As the movie line says, "Gaba." Basin gabaan intawn mo. But overall my family enjoyed the film so hence the five stars.

Filipino Folk Frights

[Pairic · 8/10 · 15 December 2022]

Nocebo: Filipino Folk Horror, though this is an Irish/Filipino Co-Production and was shot in Dublin and the Philippines the Western parts of the film are set in London. Christine (Eva Green), is a fashion designer who is suffering from a strange illness for which she has to take multiple pills. We see how it started when she had a vision of a wild dog covered in ticks, one of the ticks bites her, perhaps it's all in her mind but her work is suffering as is her relationship with her husband Felix (Mark Strong) and daughter Bobs (Billie Gadsdon). A woman named Diana (Chai Fonacier), turns up claiming that Christine has hired her a carer/housekeeper, by this stage Christine had been subject to serious memory failures so she accepts it. Diana helps Christine with massages and exercises, she then moves on to to use Filipino folk healing techniques. However things take a darker turn after Diana sets up an altar in the fireplace in her room. There are parallel narratives at play in Nocebo, we also see Diana's life from childhood onward, how she developed folk healing skills and the many traumatic events which befell her. The switch from folk healing to folk magic is sharply portrayed, the stronger powers are used to torture and inflict. Pain. There are some really disturbing scenes, both everyday violence and suffering as well as that inflicted through supernatural means. Intricate rituals based on a syncretic religion are carried out. Not so many jump shocks but terror gradually builds up in front of your eyes, The split narrative is confusing at times but all coalesces for the finale. There are some plot twists but you'll have to watch Nocebo if you want to know about them. Directed by Lorcan Finnegan from a screenplay by Garret Shanley. 8/10.

Important message, well told, but...

[Mark-hardy70 · 6/10 · 26 August 2023]

What an interesting and creepy take on an important issue facing the world. But why oh why is a film funded by the Irish & Philippine film councils show all present day characters (bar Diana) as English?!

The message about cheap, disposable clothing and the sweatshop economics required to feed it is global one, yet we choose to focus on a Phillipino scenario and a British designer, family and associate companies.

Irish actors, financed by Irish money play British characters, whilst one of the biggest offending retailers for disposable cheap fashions i.e. Primark is an Irish one!

Would it have have been so hard to have one of the offending nation characters played as Irish?!

Sigh

[FeastMode · 2/10 · 7 May 2023]

I watch too many bad movies. Although "bad" might not be the right word for Nocebo. It's competent, technically serviceable and has some good actors. But my ratings are subjective. And subjectively, Nocebo does almost nothing for me.

It's really boring. The only time I was intrigued was the very beginning before I realized how useless it all is. At no point was I ever scared or creeped out. It's highly predictable. I seriously guessed almost everything and my confidence never waivered.

They use flashbacks for backstory, but what I really wanted to see was how the entire premise even comes about. The antagonist's plan seems to be based on so much random coincidence and luck.

In the end, the decent quality does not save this movie from being a waste of time. It feels like another throwaway streaming movie, one that would never have been greenlit before the days of streaming movie overflow. (1 viewing, 5/6/2023)

Great Thriller

[lukeleroy-67038 · 16 April 2023]

Great story! Very impactful! I thought Chai Fonacier's acting was fantastic! She's definitely an actor that needs to be more recognised, I really hope to see her in more films in the future. Very talented

Great story! Very impactful! I thought Chai Fonacier's acting was fantastic! She's definitely an actor that needs to be more recognised, I really hope to see her in more films in the future. Very talented

Great story! Very impactful! I thought Chai Fonacier's acting was fantastic! She's definitely an actor that needs to be more recognised, I really hope to see her in more films in the future. Very talented

Great story! Very impactful! I thought Chai Fonacier's acting was fantastic! She's definitely an actor that needs to be more recognised, I really hope to see her in more films in the future. Very talented

Great story! Very impactful! I thought Chai Fonacier's acting was fantastic! She's definitely an actor that needs to be more recognised, I really hope to see her in more films in the future. Very talented.