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.
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.