Nocebo

Nocebo is a 2022 Filipino-Irish psychological thriller film directed by Lorcan Finnegan from a screenplay by Garret Shanley. The film stars Eva Green, Mark Strong, Chai Fonacier, Billie Gadsdon, Cathy Belton and Anthony Falcon. Plot While Christine, a children's fashion designer, takes a call, a dog approaches and spreads ticks onto her before vanishing. One tick attaches itself to the nape of her neck, subsequently debilitating Christine with a mysterious illness. A woman named Diana arrives at her home, claiming to be the caregiver Christine had hired. Christine's husband, Felix, and daughter, Bobs, are both distrustful of Diana. After settling in, Diana unpacks her suitcase, revealing a collection of relics and folk magic ingredients. She uses a matchbox to summon and capture the tick that bit Christine, then assembles an altar in her room's fireplace and uses its ashes in a ritual to commune with the unseen spirit of a child. During dinner, Christine gets sudden pains in her arms. Diana comes to her aid and cures Christine by hovering her hands over her arms then tickling her until the pain disappears. Diana explains that she possesses supernatural powers which she received in childhood from a dying old woman who was an Ongo looking for someone to transfer her powers to after death. Diana then swallowed a black chick that exited the woman's mouth and approached her. Diana subsequently used her powers for her income but became a social pariah after she is deemed to be a witch. Christine allows Diana to treat her, with positive results. Despite this, Felix remains wary of Diana. He confronts Diana in her room and orders her to stay away from Christine. A defiant Diana suggests he leave, telling him ominously to be careful with the stairs. As Felix is about to descend, he is attacked by Bobs' pet canary, which he kills after hitting it in panic. As Diana and Christine bond while burying the bird, Felix senses that Diana is responsible for the incident and fears she is driving a wedge between him and his family.