"Creating a Modern Erotic Thriller": Georgia Bernstein Discusses Night Nurse and Catherine Breillat

      Sundance is widely regarded as a hub of excitement and discovery, serving as a launching point for films that will shape the upcoming year and filmmakers who will rise to prominence in the future. However, in reality, only a handful of premieres are truly worth viewing. From a distance, it was evidently clear that one notable exception would be Georgia Bernstein’s Night Nurse, which garnered acclaim for being helmed by a first-time, entirely unknown director.

      Night Nurse delivers its share of shocks without seeming to force surprises. A pivotal performance by Cemre Paksoy—who genuinely may deserve the often overused label of “breakout”—provides much to conceal as well as to hint at the underlying motivations behind her character's eyebrow-raising relationship with a captivating older man (Bruce McKenzie). Bernstein skillfully navigates scenarios, allowing them to develop in the most thrilling and seductive ways; the film often mirrors a troubling situation you've unintentionally found yourself in before fully unleashing its dramatic potential. While her debut is too self-assured to be dismissed as merely a “calling card” film, viewers hope it marks the beginning of a promising journey.

      I was pleased to discuss minor aspects of Night Nurse’s production with Bernstein and delve into the broader, more complex issue of her current moment in cinema—particularly regarding the influence of prominent figures like Catherine Breillat.

      The Film Stage: Your success at Sundance was significant—both as a result of your own efforts and the subsequent IFC acquisition. Having worked in distribution myself, I can confirm that they are a legitimate company.

      Georgia Bernstein: Yes, they are. We’re truly excited to be partnered with them. They’ve been fantastic.

      The film opens with an IFC credit. Typically, when a movie is acquired at a festival, it’s already complete, and the distributor places their logo at the beginning without overlaying it on the footage. Did you intentionally leave space for them in the film’s opening?

      Absolutely. We were hoping for a sale, so… I didn’t completely leave space for them because I thought, “We could place it over black and possibly extend the beginning a bit.” I did add a few seconds, but yes, "IFC Presents" was always the goal.

      You modified the visual duration for its appearance in the film?

      Yes, I inserted five seconds of black. I debated whether to add three or five seconds. [Laughs] I ultimately decided on five and thought, “Why not?” It’s funny to hear you mention distribution; when you were in that field, did you include a “company presents” when acquiring a film?

      We’d place our logo upfront. The industry can be quite peculiar—especially if you aren’t familiar with creating a DCP yourself. You'd take it to a post house, and they’d charge exorbitantly just to add your logo. As a result, many releases didn’t have one because we refused to pay for another DCP.

      We were always going to invest in creating another one. Additionally, I made minor tweaks to the film after Sundance; I stabilized the opening shot and performed some color adjustments—nothing an audience would notice unless they were a super fan. But we were planning on making those changes regardless.

      When did you decide to implement those adjustments? Did you feel anything was amiss after watching the film in theaters?

      Yes. I confess I’m a bit of a perfectionist. Upon receiving the Sundance acceptance, our film wasn’t finished, which is common; we rushed to complete it. We had to submit by early January, and I realized I couldn’t address a few minor issues before Sundance. I promised myself I would fix them after the sale. When IFC came on board, I felt it was the perfect opportunity to implement those adjustments.

      The main issue was I wanted the opening shot to be stabilized—shot with a robo-arm in a garage. I hadn’t seen it projected until we tested our DCP for Sundance, and I thought, “I wish this were a bit more steady.” This was due to the robo-arm being code-driven, shooting with a probe lens while our actress remained still. Every slight movement would cause the arm to bump into her. Small imperfections in that opening sequence were bothering me. That’s a more detailed explanation, I suppose, but yes.

      No, that opening shot was fantastic. Part of me hesitates to ask how you achieved it because some mysteries are best left unexplored. It’s a remarkable way to commence the film. Night Nurse is full of surprises, and I was unprepared for how strikingly unique Cemre's face is. It feels like any director or DP would covet an actor with such a distinctive look. You’ve known her since your college days, right?

      Yes, we met on our first day at Northwestern, which is our adorable backstory. We were both theater majors, and the program emphasizes consistent casting in the same acting class for three years, fostering deep connections. We like to say we