''Nocebo'' is a 2022 Filipino-Irish

psychological Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries between t ...

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...

directed by Lorcan Finnegan from a screenplay by Garret Shanley. The film stars

Eva Green Eva Gaëlle Green (, ; born ) is a French actress and model. The daughter of actress Marlène Jobert, she began her career in theatre before making her film debut in Bernardo Bertolucci's '' The Dreamers'' (2003). She achieved international reco ...

Mark Strong Mark Strong (born Marco Giuseppe Salussolia; 5 August 1963), is a British actor, best known for his film roles such as Prince Septimus in '' Stardust'' (2007), Archibald in ''RocknRolla'' (2008), Lord Henry Blackwood in ''Sherlock Holmes'' (20 ...

Chai Fonacier Chai Fonacier (born December 25, 1986) is a Filipina actress, singer, writer and songwriter. Career Music Fonancier was a contestant of the first season of ''Pinoy Dream Academy''. She was also a part of the defunct Cebu-based trip hop trio ...

, Billie Gadsdon,

Cathy Belton Cathy Belton is an Irish actress who has appeared in a wide range of stage, film, radio and television productions. Born in the west of Ireland, she is a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin. Her stage work includes many productions in the Abbey ...

and Anthony Falcon.

Plot

Christine (Eva Green), is an English fashion designer, specifically for childrenswear. While at work, she gets a call and seemingly receives terrible news. While she is shocked, a tick-infested dog approaches her. Its ticks were shaken off from its body with one landing on the back of her neck. Eight months later, Christine is taking medications for her mysterious illness. Busy with finding work, she asks her husband, Felix (Mark Strong) to pick up their daughter, Bobs (Billie Gadsdon). After a failed attempt at a pitch, Christine shakily heads back home frustrated as her condition does not seem to get any better. Moments later, Christine answers the door for a woman named Diana (Chai Fonacier), who claims to be the caregiver that Christine hired but seemingly forgot. Felix and Bobs are both distrustful of Diana, a stranger now suddenly living with their family. Bobs exclaims Diana must call her by her full name, Roberta, as they are not friends. Meanwhile, Christine and Felix argue about Diana which she overhears from the vents on her room. With Christine's condition. Diana volunteers to make dinner for the family, cooking a

Visayan Visayans (Visayan: ''mga Bisaya''; ) or Visayan people are a Philippine ethnolinguistic group or metaethnicity native to the Visayas, the southernmost islands of Luzon and a significant portion of Mindanao. When taken as a single ethnic group, ...

dish called

humba ''Humbà'', also spelled ''hombà'', is a Filipino braised pork dish originating from the Visayas Islands of the Philippines. It traditionally uses pork belly slow-cooked until very tender in soy sauce, vinegar, black peppercorns, garlic, bay ...

. Felix and Bobs make microaggressive comments regarding the dish, such as Felix saying it was "surprisingly good" after eating it. Later, Christine gets sudden pains in her arms after reaching for a glass to drink. Diana comes to her aid, insisting she can "make it go away". Diana seemingly cures Christine's pains by hovering her hands over the painful area, leaving the entire family confused. Felix carries Bobs to her room and sees a dog which suddenly changes into Diana.

Cast

as Christine *

as Felix *

as Diana * Billie Gadsdon as Bobs *

as Liz * Anthony Falcon as Jomar

Production

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...

began on February 1, 2021, in

Dublin, Ireland Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 cen ...

Music

The film's ending track featured the Filipino song ''Pugon'' (2016) by The General Strike, which references the 2015 Kentex slipper factory fire, the third worst fire incident in the Philippines, to which the film's subplot is loosely based from. The end credits display the statement "JUSTICE FOR ALL KENTEX FIRE VICTIMS" after mentioning the song's credits.

Reception

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 11212572 Upcoming films Irish thriller films Philippine thriller films Shudder (streaming service) original programming