Late Shift Review: An Extremely Intense, Singularly Focused Procedural

      Leonie Benesch seems to be stuck in challenging roles. After experiencing the intense pressures of the educational system in the Academy Award-nominated The Teachers’ Lounge, her newest character puts her in another high-stakes situation within a confined institutional environment. Petra Volpe’s Late Shift, which takes place during a night shift at an understaffed Swiss hospital, explores the overwhelming responsibilities faced by a nurse and her small team. Portraying a high-stress atmosphere filled with constant distractions from medical emergencies, Switzerland’s Oscar-shortlisted film is intense and resonant, even if it intentionally lacks a distinctive personality.

      As both writer and director, Volpe has crafted a film that serves as a character study—not of the rather generic nurse Floria (Benesch), but of the larger system that thrusts its workers into life-or-death scenarios with minimal support. Through each rushed interaction, we catch glimpses of the health challenges and stories of Floria’s patients. Volpe’s focused examination of one demanding shift raises broader questions about how countless other nurses globally confront similar hardships. (The film’s neatly conclusive, message-driven ending addresses this.) By setting the story in Switzerland, a nation known for its high-quality healthcare, Volpe implies that if such pressures are felt in a privileged environment, the conditions in less equipped hospitals could be even more dire.

      As Floria tends to the needs of more than twenty patients in her surgical ward, she confronts a slew of emerging issues: soiled clothing, requests for additional pain relief, complaints about incorrect tea orders, and inquiries about forgotten eyeglasses, all alongside critical medical needs. Each challenge is distinct, yet the common thread is that no patient is aware of the others’ requests or the urgency of those demands. Every need is presented with utmost immediacy, and Floria must handle them all with a cheerful demeanor. Through the restless camera work of cinematographer Judith Kaufmann, which follows Floria’s every action and reaction, Benesch delivers a powerful portrayal of internalized anxiety. As the requests accumulate, the film turns into a suspenseful question of when she will reach her breaking point. This climax arrives through an intense moment that feels slightly overdramatic and overly explicit in its social commentary.

      Floria’s only support comes from a fellow nurse and an inexperienced trainee. In the fleeting moments when doctors do appear, they lack both compassion and an appreciation for the burdens of an understaffed environment, highlighting a systemic issue that requires attention from higher up the hierarchy. The film’s episodic structure gives its messages a straightforward bluntness, and Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch’s score tends to overly signal emotions that are already inherent in the story.

      Nevertheless, as a plea for improved working conditions and fair compensation for nurses, its impact is notably potent. With gripping intensity, Late Shift radiates compassion for those on the front lines of healthcare while effectively immersing viewers in the experiences of those confronting life-or-death dilemmas. Given the lives they oversee, a nurse’s only moment of reprieve should not be a fleeting elevator ride between floors.

      Late Shift opens in theaters on Friday, March 20.