Dir/Wri: Petra Volpe | Drama Germany/Switzerland 94’
German actor Leonie Benesch started her career in Michael Hanneke’s The White Ribbon. Then, as a Berlinale shooting star winner, she appeared in the Oscar nominated The Teacher’s Lounge (2023).
In Late Shift, screening in competition at this years Berlinale Film Festival, she plays nurse Floria working her way with passion and professionalism round the wards in a busy Swiss hospital. The film raises the profile of nurses under pressure, even in wealthy countries such as Switzerland with some of the highest standards in Europe. The profession is stretched to the limit and we certainly get the impression that this is a job where even slight errors can lead to tragedy. Floria is highly professional and sympathetic with her patients, even in the most stressful situations, and is immediately on hand in an emergency. But the work is often unpredictable .
Swiss Writer/Director Petra Volpe has her finger on the pulse in this accomplished medical drama, a slick but sensitively told ‘warts and all story’ that certainly tells it like it is.
Nurse Floria joins the titular late shift one day to find a colleague absent and a new nurse who has made an error. But the harsh reality of her daily routine really kicks in when a rude man, a private patient kicks up a fuss and abuses Floria. Despite her professionalism there is a clear atmosphere brewing, and this is not going to end well.
A tense needling score really underlines the pressure of this challenging work and as the night progresses, Floria finds herself racing against time, her demanding shift threatening to push her to the limit. @MeredithTaylor
BERLINALE 2025 | Berlinale Special Gala 2025