A new horror starring Eva Green has a point to make about economic exploitation but lacks a sense of surprise.
Child care is treacherous work in horror movies. Babysitters are invariably stalked, like in “Halloween,” and in “The Omen, looking after Damien leads his nanny to hang herself. This trope is toyed with in “Nocebo,” a new prestige horror about a stressed-out, affluent couple, Christine (Eva Green) and Felix (Mark Strong). They take on help for their young daughter (Billie Gadsdon), who, in the first sign something is terribly awry, attends a school where the uniform includes a beret.
The new nanny (Chai Fonacier), who is Filipino, enters a troubled home and immediately starts handling the family’s problems and concerns, from making dinner to treating the mysterious sickness afflicting Christine using folk healing learned in her homeland. After a telephone call delivering bad news, Christine, a children’s fashion designer, starts feeling extremely off (symptoms include perspiration and seeing scary dogs). Her husband is skeptical.
This movie has plenty going for it: excellent actors (Fonacier has a knack for coiled tension), stylish camerawork by the director Lorcan Finnegan and a point to make about economic exploitation. What’s missing is any sense of surprise. The plot unfolds as straightforwardly as a perfectly fine essay for an academic journal. Every twist is telegraphed. And the scenes are so overt and schematic that they prevent the actors from adding much mess or weirdness. The closest we get is Strong’s ability to imbue his flustered dad with an absurd amount of gravitas. Even in a movie haunted by death, you need more signs of life.
Nocebo
Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 36 minutes. In theaters.
Source: Movies - nytimes.com
