Det andet offer

From Denmark comes this intense drama by Danish director Zinnini Elkington starring Özlem Saglanmak and Trine Dyrholm.

The film tells the story of Dr. Alex's shattered trust when a routine case turns tragic. This intense and gripping drama immerses us in layers of frustration and anguish as we unravel the coldness that often surrounds doctors and their patients.

Its director, with daring and astuteness, captivates us with a drama that at times becomes an anguished thriller about guilt and regret. A drama that simmers slowly and precisely so that no interruption allows us to lose the thread of a story constructed to portray the humanity hidden behind the difficult decisions that come with holding someone's life in your hands.

It's a film full of symbolism and dramatic intensity. It immerses you in a personal drama to the point where you see a person's purest confidence and stability crumble. It's also a macabre play on how much life weighs at certain moments and how much fulfilling a profession is worth.

One of the film's greatest strengths is its performances, where Özlem Saglanmak shoulders the full dramatic weight of anguish and despair, even to the point of guilt. Trine Dyrholm, for her part, balances the drama from a different perspective, one that her director masterfully masters. We also add to the entire cast, who also excel.

An intense film with truly harrowing moments, delivered by superb direction by Elkington, who demonstrates her talent and a director to watch. It must also be said that some points in the script are better achieved than others, but they never detract enough to detract from a truly satisfying film.

A brilliant dramatic offering from a Danish filmmaker who continues to demonstrate his talents and abilities. A film that deserves to be seen and enjoyed without a doubt.

***Watched at Scandinavian Film Festival***

Zinnini Elkington's directorial debut "Det andet offer" ("Second Victims") emerges as one of 2025's most emotionally devastating character studies, a film that strips away any romanticism from the medical profession to reveal the profound psychological toll of life-and-death decisions. Set within the claustrophobic confines of an understaffed Danish hospital, this 92-minute tour de force transforms a single, catastrophic shift into a masterclass of sustained tension and moral complexity.

The film follows Alexandra, a skilled neurologist whose unwavering confidence becomes her greatest liability when a routine case spirals into tragedy. Elkington's screenplay, inspired by the real-life psychological syndrome affecting healthcare workers after traumatic patient care events, steers clear of medical procedural conventions in favour of intimate psychological portraiture. The opening sequence-a remarkable long take tracing Alexandra through her morning routine-immediately establishes both her competence and the institutional pressures that will ultimately compromise her judgement.

Özlem Saglanmak delivers a powerhouse performance, anchoring the film's emotional heft. Her portrayal of Alexandra's gradual descent from professional confidence to paralysing self-doubt feels authentically lived-in, never tipping into melodramatic excess. Particularly effective is her interplay with Trine Dyrholm, whose grieving mother becomes both antagonist and mirror for Alexandra's guilt. The supporting ensemble convincingly creates an ecosystem of overworked professionals making split-second decisions under relentless pressure.

Elkington's direction demonstrates remarkable restraint and precision. The filmmaker uses the hospital's sterile corridors and fluorescent lighting to create an atmosphere of mounting dread, while the documentary-like cinematography heightens the raw authenticity of every encounter. Filming on location at an active hospital lends proceedings an unsettling realism that feels uncomfortably immediate.

Where the film truly excels is in its unflinching examination of systemic healthcare failures. Rather than scapegoating individuals, Elkington offers a nuanced critique of understaffing, time pressures, and institutional indifference-a message resonating well beyond Denmark's borders. A staff meeting scene, in which administrators allocate mere minutes to address harrowing events, quietly encapsulates the dehumanising side of efficiency.

"Second Victims" stands as a vital new entry in the genre of medical drama, refusing the easy comforts and neat resolutions typical of hospital stories. Instead, Elkington presents healthcare as a fundamentally human-and thus fallible-endeavour, asking confronting questions about blame, responsibility and the structures that shape both suffering and survival.

My Swedish is rusty and this is Danish, so I'm not sure, but i feel 'Secondary Victims' might have been a better translation of the name of the movie. Maybe that's too clunky.

Alex makes a mistake as she is doing multiple jobs at the same time at the hospital, because they are understaffed.

I think the scene that best shows what this is about at it's core is when the doctors involved and a nurse sit down with their boss to discuss a potentially emotionally charged situation. The boss just says that she has a meeting in five minutes, but she believes they can get this done in that time.

You see what's going on here. There's this facade of humanity that has been built up so that the people who have put the hospital in this dire situation with their actions can feel better about themselves, while both the staff and the patients suffer. On top of this, when the patients suffer for this, it's the staff that takes the brunt of the emotional damage. The actual people behind those decisions can only see numbers.

While I'm talking about this on the macro level, the movie does an excellent job of taking this into the personal level, which is a point of view we often need to understand these situations better.

I like the performances. Alex needs to put on the face that she's fine when in actuality she's falling apart and that's a complicated thing to get across properly. We also get what everyone else is also about.

I like how certain things are explained very economically. Like early on in the movie Alex tells Emilie, a newly hired and young doctor probably straight out of med school that she has to remove her lipgloss, because it makes her look like a nurse. That one line sets their relationship up so well.

All in all an excellent movie. Shorter than dramas tend to be, but that's fine. It might be overwhelming to have to process this any longer than we have to.

"Det andet offer" (Second Victims) by Zinnini Elkington is a gripping Danish medical drama that delves into the profound emotional toll of medical misjudgment. Critics praise its intense, nerve-wracking atmosphere, particularly highlighting its effective use of long takes to immerse the viewer in the high-pressure hospital environment. Özlem Saglanmak delivers a compelling performance as the neurologist grappling with guilt, supported by a strong cast including Trine Dyrholm. While some find the core concept straightforward, the film's strength lies in its raw portrayal of human fallibility and the complex ripple effects of a single mistake.

Is it worth watching? Yes, if you appreciate intense, character-driven dramas with a strong emotional core and a realistic portrayal of a challenging profession. It's a powerful debut from Elkington.

Medical drama, medical tragedy, ho hum, how can you possibly make it new again.

Other correspondent is right, "Second Victims" is inapt, "Secondary Victims" is closer to the true sense in English.

Who cares. The point is, the director has done all this serious research with real people who've suffered real heartbreak, and brought it to life with a fine movie that makes few missteps.

The cast, the script, the production, the length, are all apt. When the emotional dilemmas arrive, they are real, heartfelt, and carry you along, instead of you rolling your eyes, boring, another medical-drama trope.

Even the senior surgeon who is the neurologist's nemesis, but also helps her get through it, is a nice role, with neat lines. That "guilty" red staircase the neurologist walks up and down, up and down, you remember it.

Still not sure, about the very final scene. Again, who cares, it's a success for Elkington.