It was another week in a different state this month, so that means I didn’t have an excess of time to dedicate to movies, but there were still a couple that I made count.
Nocebo – At the recommendation of my friend who I was staying with, we popped this horror/mystery film up the night I got in. I was kind of surprised I had never heard of this film released in 2022 with stars like Eva Green and Mark Strong attached, but sometimes titles slip by me! Green plays Christine, a children’s fashion designer at the height of her success when she’s bitten by a creepy ass tick. We catch up with her about a year later, still very much struggling with fatigue from Lyme’s disease. She’s looking to get back in the game though, and without too much hassle, she’s got a bite. To her shock, but ultimate relief, Diana, a caregiver, comes to help out at the family home and with whatever else Christine may need. Look, Diana is creepy as hell, and though she is helpful and shares a lovely connection with Christine’s daughter, you just know there’s something sinister behind her arrival. While a lot of things were practical in this film and could be fooled for tricks on Christine’s mind, there is ultimately a supernatural element to it born out of revenge. Very interesting, and not something I think I would have sought out on my own.
Saltburn – Now this film is definitely all me. Seeing that Alamo Drafthouses were offering a live Q&A stream before the film, in limited release in New York where I happened to be over the weekend, I knew I needed to see this. And what a treat it ended up being in a full house! Oliver arrives at Oxford in 2006 and is as awkward as they come. After helping out it-guy, Felix, in a crisis moment, Oliver has found his way into the inner circle. He also manages to find his way to Felix’s family’s estate, the titular Saltburn, over the summer. From there, excess ensues and Oliver just keeps changing, but certainly not for the better. As someone who’s been a fan of Barry Keoghan for a long time, it was awesome seeing him eat up this lead role. You’ll get that pun once you watch the film. With that, this is certainly not for everyone, and definitely not as accessible as Emerald Fennell’s previous film, Promising Young Woman, but she sure delivers some shocking scenes! I encountered some of the best audience reactions, so I can only hope if you decide to see it that it’s in a crowded theater, too.