Nocebo (2022)

Christine (Eva Green), a kidswear fashion designer living with her child Roberta and marketing consultant husband (Mark Strong) gets stalked by a mangy mutt out of the blue during a mysterious phone call. She then suddenly suffers from an unexplainable illness from that encounter in the coming months which leaves her struggling to function.

An unexpected (yet expected?) help arrives in the form of Diana who appears at her doorstep. She hesitantly welcomes her and introduces her to the family. Things then start to get strange as we’re shown weird objects and rituals coming from Diana. We’re told that all she just wants to do is to help Christine.

In time, the family realizes that Diana has become quite the blessing seeing as she is also helping Christine with her ailments with her folk medicine. As viewers, we are also shown a part of Diana’s past and what made her become who she is now.

In case you were wondering, this is where the title of the movie comes into play. Nocebo is defined as a harmless substance or treatment that may cause harmful side effects or worsening of symptoms because the patient thinks or believes they may occur or expects them to occur. Christine then does what Diana asks her to do up to a point. 

As someone who also comes from the ‘Kilid-kilid’ as well, I found this movie very entertaining. I understood the dialogue which made it all the more interesting and it was quite validating in a cultural sense. We get to see the concept of an Ungo (Wakwak, balbal, kikik) on the big screen and it’s a great chance to show others the paranormal side of our culture

The movie gives us a glimpse of how fast fashion works and the things that happen behind factories in developing countries that are mass-producing items. Even displacement due to land grabbing. It gives one a sense of awareness as to what happens in other parts of the world.

(P.S. I heard Eva Green speak a bisaya sentence in this movie! So cool.)