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!
