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A very realistic depiction of the everyday professional life of a nurse. The atmosphere in the film is excellent, so much anxiety, stress and lack of time, that it often causes a raw mixture of emotions in the viewer. From anger, tension, to sympathy with the main character and hope for people. An excellent choice of characters, where each, in their own way, shows a certain type of human character and each, in their own way, affects the main protagonist. The camera is exceptional and through the entire film fantastically portrays the events almost exclusively following the main character. Dialogues are short, very realistic and meaningful. Leonie Benesh, in the role of the nurse who carries the plot of the film, is fascinating. And the rest of the actors, in the roles of patients, are up to the task. Although, in several moments, I had to collect my thoughts, due to too many memories that certain scenes evoked, the film is really excellent. Perhaps it is not for those who carry too much trauma from the hospital, because there is too little fiction and too much reality.

This film hit me deeply - not just as a viewer, but as someone who has seen parts of this world up close, though never from the inside. It's a quietly devastating portrait of a healthcare system where staff are constantly overwhelmed, and patients often reduced to numbers. The film is restrained in its tone but unflinching in its realism.

For medical professionals, especially those who have worked in underfunded hospitals, this might feel less like cinema and more like déjà vu. A person close to me worked in multiple hospitals over the years and immediately recognized the emotional detachment that can become necessary when death is a regular occurrence - not because you stop caring, but because the system gives you no room to act otherwise. For them, the film was not emotional but eerily accurate - a reflection of shifts they'd rather forget.

But for viewers like me - those who've only seen the burnout and emotional toll secondhand - the film was powerful, even overwhelming at times. I found myself on the verge of tears multiple times, not only out of empathy for the patients but also out of frustration and deep respect for the caregivers who navigate this impossible environment.

The acting is superbly naturalistic, with a rawness that serves the film's themes perfectly. The sound design and score are minimal but poignant, never pushing emotion but allowing it to surface organically. This is not a feel-good film - far from it - but it's an essential one. It asks not only how we treat the sick and dying, but how we treat those who care for them.

If you're looking for comfort, look elsewhere. But if you're ready to see what "broken system" truly means, this film will stay with you.

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.

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.

• Overall Impression

Heldin offers a raw, realistic portrayal of a single shift in the life of a nurse. Without dramatization or sensationalism, the film immerses us in the intense, high-pressure environment of a hospital, showing the weight of responsibility that nurses silently carry every day.

• What Worked

One of the film's greatest strengths is its subtlety. The external pressures from the nurse's personal life - outside the hospital walls - are never explicitly explained, yet deeply felt. Through expressions, pauses, and quiet moments, we understand the emotional toll of balancing life and profession.

The film gently reminds us of life's fragility, and the importance of finding moments of joy - especially for those whose jobs revolve around death and suffering. That silent contrast makes the message even more powerful.

• A Story Grounded in Reality

Rather than building toward dramatic peaks, the narrative follows a steady, linear rhythm - much like real life. That structure, far from being a flaw, reinforces the realism of the film. It doesn't seek to entertain with plot twists, but to resonate with truth. And in that, it absolutely succeeds.

• Final Verdict

Heldin doesn't shout - it whispers. But its message lingers long after the credits roll. A quiet, deeply human film that honors the emotional and psychological layers of nursing with honesty and grace.w.