Heldin

From Switzerland comes Heldin, directed by Swiss Petra Biondina Volpe and starring the wonderful Leonie Benesch.

The film takes us through a chaotic shift at a hospital, playing the role of nurse Fiora. The film is an intense drama with thriller overtones, brilliantly directed and even better performed by its lead character.

It's a fast-paced film that unfolds with the frenzy of a chaotic day in an emergency room. The film is intense, captivating, heartbreaking, and empathetic. It explores a sensitive character overwhelmed by the chaos of a difficult and agonizing workday. Leonie Benesch is the pure substance of the film, and between its successes and its flaws, the actress carries the entire weight on her shoulders with a character who is simultaneously human, overwhelmed, and warm, creating a complete connection between the protagonist and the audience.

We become Fliora's shadow, and this journey is intelligently guided by the director, who doesn't skimp on delivering pure tension that's at times tiring and frenetic. Petra Volpe's direction is astute and uncompromising, taking you from one extreme to the other without pause, making you live and feel the same as the protagonist with well-executed and thoughtful direction. You set off on a path and it doesn't take long for you to climb into the rhythm, already on the cusp of its final climax.

A great film that deserves every moment we give it. It's true that it's not perfect and has moments where it seems to lose its way, but the result is undoubtedly satisfying. The film manages to rise from its lowest moments and further elevate the intensity of its plot with the cleverness of knowing where to insert the most tense moments, accompanied by a precise and complementary soundtrack.

It's a film that won't bore you and will make you feel the message that the film doesn't hide about the shortcomings of the healthcare system and, in turn, about the resilience of its true protagonists.

The movie shows the daily routine of a nurse in a Swiss hospital when there are not enough nurses. This is already and will become a huge problem in the future due to the increasing age of the population and the decreasing number of skilled workers such as nurses.

Leonie Benesch is great once again, just like in "Teachers' Lounge" and "September 5".

The movie shows a realistic scenario in a full hospital and is barely stereotypical especially compared to other hospitals movies.

The camera work of Judith Kaufmann is fantastic and displays the physical pressure excellent. It feels like we are walking with Floria through the hospital and observe her like in a documentary.

What a ride. More importantly, what a REAL, HARD-HITTING ride. At just 90 minutes, the film not only manages to strike an emotional chord but also tells the stories of so many people suffering various illness, through the POV of Floria (Leonie Benesch). That too, while carefully placing a spotlight on the real-world crisis of nurse shortage. Floria's really committed to her job, and it's shown to us through her interactions with several patients in the ward, including sweet ones, stubborn ones, depressing / terminally ill ones, and even the "entitled" ones. Director Petra Volpe closely follows Floria as she navigates a rather hectic evening, filled with spontaneous requests, immense pressure of follow-ups, and even having to deal with personal dilemmas.

The beauty of the storytelling lies in giving us tidbits of information on Floria and her patients, making the each incidental revelation all the more impactful. Leonie Benesch puts in a fantastic performance -- one that's sure to linger in my head for a very long time for the subtleties alone. And as much as I hate being physically at a hospital, the film aggravated that feeling with its solid sound design and cinematography (characterized by long shots). This unprecedented health crisis is alarming, and I hope the world is taking notes. Late Shift, for me, is cinema mirroring life.

This is one of those about the plight of frontline workers, nurses this time, very much like The Teachers' Lounge actually. And going by the data provided before the end credits it's meant as a public service announcement about the shortage of the nursing staff and the reluctance to go on in this profession. Which is understandable, I couldn't do it.

I found The Teachers' Lounge much more affecting though. Which is not to say that this is not as good, I guess going by the rave reviews I was expecting to be blown away, and I wasn't. It's a quiet little drama actually, very subdued but also resolute in what it's trying to do. I can't imagine the work that Leonie Benesch has had to put in to learn all those mannerisms, and execute all those gestures with the sure hand of a seasoned nurse. It also speaks to the dexterity that nurses in general, good nurses acquire. Or maybe it's something innate, maybe not everybody can do it, no matter how hard they tried. I know I'm very clumsy and I just could not move like that. And this is just the physicality, never mind the mental strength to sustain the pressure and the constant, daily frustration that interacting with these people and the system brings.

And I wish hospitals in my country looked like this and nurses acted like this and this passes for basic care under strained conditions but really sounds like excellent care for others less fortunate. That and the fact that we're losing thousands of doctors and nurses to Germany, Britain and so on. And they're short staffed, what about us? So maybe that's why I am less sympathetic, although on a human level Floria deserves all our sympathies.

This film review is dedicated to nurse Miri and male nurse Jörg, who selflessly supported me during those difficult days in March a few years ago. Unforgotten and with great gratitude!

The Swiss film by Petra VOLPE follows nurse Floria Lind (Leonie BENESCH) during her late shift at a hospital near Basel. The ward where Floria works is chronically understaffed. On top of that, someone is absent due to illness. Selflessly, the young nurse tries to do justice to her diverse patients, some of whom are terminally ill. Like a thriller, events escalate during this particular late shift and culminate in a special action.

Making the late shift the subject of a film was a wise decision by the director. The patients are still awake and venting their despair. The doctors and nurses of the day are exhausted and are clamoring for their long-awaited end of the day. This special atmosphere is captured brilliantly by the quasi-documentary film, which is in fact a stylized monument to all the self-sacrificing people in hospitals around the world.

Hamburg-born actress Leonie BENESCH (2023 EUROPEAN FILM AWARD: nomination for THE TEACHER'S LOUNGE) plays this role - as usual - phenomenally well. This actress has the potential to appeal to a global audience. She brings an extraordinary radiance and inner truth to her characters - whether in television series such as BABYLON BERLIN and THE SWARM or in cinematic masterpieces such as THE WHITE RIBBON, THE TEACHER'S LOUNGE, and SEPTEMBER 5. It's regrettable that former festival director Carlo CHATRIAN had neither a competition slot available for THE TEACHER'S LOUNGE in 2023 nor one for SEPTEMBER 5 in 2024. The fact that the then BERLINALE director failed to recognize the potential of these performances by Leonie BENESCH remains a tragic oversight. However, it's a bad sign that the new BERLINALE director, Tricia TUTTLE, was also unable to find a place for the third consecutive Leonie BENESCH classic in the Berlin Film Festival's competition. Not a good prospect for the future of the BERLINALE!

This film from German-speaking Switzerland is something truly special that shouldn't be missed! Be sure to see it on the big screen, if possible!