Chai Fonacier delivered quite a memorable performance in “Nocebo.”
That’s no bull.
We saw it with our own eyes.
To say that she held her own opposite her foreign counterparts in the film is actually an understatement.
It is Chai who made the film exciting, riveting.
Truth be told, even Eva Green, one of her co-stars in the film, couldn’t stop praising her.
Said the “Casino Royal” star, “Chai is truly a great actress with extraordinary depth and sensitivity and she was an incredible partner – she blew me away!”
The NY Times also lauded her “knack for coiled tension.”
RogerEbert.com, on the other hand, described her performance in the film as “well-realized, deeply felt.”
Asked to comment, Chai made clear that as much as these are all flattering, she did “good (in the film) only because I was working with an excellent group of people.”
“It’s a team effort,” she quipped.
Mentioning how she could actually be the next Dolly De Leon, who turned a lot of heads in Hollywood just recently for her peformance in “Triangle Of Sadness,” Chai squirmed.
“Oh, no. Please, don’t,” she said. “I don’t want to take away from her success. People should really stop saying the next this, the next that. Each artist is different. Dolly is Dolly. I am me. Let’s not compare. It’s unfair.”
“Nocebo” follows the story of a well-known fashion designer as played by Eva, who suddenly falls ill.
The mysterious illness confuses doctors inasmuch as it also frustrates her child and husband.
In comes a Filipino caregiver played by Chai, who suddenly and surprisingly made it look only too easy to make Eva feel better again.
How did she do it? What is her secret? Her purpose?
Directed by Lorcan Finnegan from a screenplay by Garret Shanley, “Nocebo” already made the rounds of various film festivals abroad.
It is set to open in local theaters Jan. 18 as distributed by TBA Studios.
