Petra Biondina Volpe’s nerve-shredding drama follows Swiss nurse Floria (Leonie Benesch), through a demanding late shift in her understaffed ward. Constantly under pressure, she meticulously tends to her patients that include a critically ill mother, an elderly patient awaiting a diagnosis, and a high-maintenance private patient. However, a tragic event leads to a serious error threatens to derail her shift.
This is a triumph for both Volpe, who directs with a fluid, restless, style and Benesch who gives us her third brilliant performance in the last 12 months, following The Teachers’ Lounge and September 5. Her character is both compassionate and efficient, and she breezes through her work initially. But as the pressures mount, Benesch superbly shows how her nerves are fraying.
Late Shift feels totally believable and it could easily be set in the UK – though the hospital would not look so pristine – or many other countries. It is a timely and breathless film.
Rating: 9 out of 10