Healthcare is an art, and while it may seem inappropriate and reductive to compare something that is arguably the most serious and important profession imaginable to creative fields, which are objectively more trivial in contrast, it does bear some relevance. There is much more to it than just administering treatment, with medicine being a field in which a certain set of techniques needs to be learned to ensure that not only are people given appropriate care, but in a way that feels constructive and meaningful. This is something that we find sits at the foundation of Late Shift (German: Heldin), a tense and enthralling medical drama that follows Floria, a dedicated nurse working at a hospital somewhere in urban Switzerland, and due to a shortage of trained professionals, she has to share the duties to run the entire late shift with only one other colleague. For the next several hours, Floria is constantly on her feet, dashing around in an effort to give care to absolutely every patient, which proves to be nearly impossible. This is made even more challenging by the fact that she is also in charge of the oncology wing, meaning that many of these patients require additional care in terms of psychological assistance, as some of them begin to question (or in some cases, accept) their mortality. Through all of this, Floria has to also take care of herself, which becomes increasingly more difficult as a result of the immense pressure she is put under throughout this shift. A simple but extremely well-made film that sees director Petra Volpe telling a fascinating and deeply unnerving story about the current state of healthcare, shown through the perspective of someone who works in a profession that is amongst the most important and respected in any community, yet remains underfunded and often dismissed as being less-important than other professions within this field. Late Shift is a straightforward exploration of the challenges faced by nurses, carefully pieced together by a filmmaker whose attention to detail and willingness to have some difficult conversations is nothing if not wholeheartedly admirable, especially in how it chooses to depict this woman as she quietly battles against innumerable forces that intend to bring her down, by any means necessary.

The original title of this film roughly translates to “heroine, which is an equally appropriate description for what this film intends to convey. As the epigraph at the end of the film states, there is currently a shortage of nursing professionals in Europe, which is very blunt in stating is a healthcare crisis. The fact that fewer people than ever are going into nursing is troubling, but this film does underline exactly why some may avoid choosing this as their vocation – nurses are the people who are in the closest proximity to patients in the hospital. While the doctors may make bold declarations and guide the process, it’s the nurses who are tasked with actually caring for these people. As a result, they’re often the last to be praised when someone makes a recovery, and the first to be blamed in instances where they aren’t able to pull through or suffer complications. Long hours coupled with the cruel nature of the profession and the maltreatment by those who are looking for a target for their anger, fears and insecurities, make this a job very few seem to want. Yet, this film is not solely focused on the challenges that come with being a nurse, but also the triumphs – these are people who commit their lives to helping others, and while its an undeniably challenging, harrowing job that can cause even the strongest of people to collapse, there is still the reward in knowing that caring for others can be truly fulfilling, especially since the most abusive and angry of people are usually those who need the most compassion and care, as those strong emotions have their roots in the inherent fear that comes with being presented with one’s mortality. The decision to set this over a single shift is not particularly new – many medical dramas take such an approach – but it does add layers onto an already compelling story, showing how much needs to be done within only several hours in between clearly-defined times, which gives the viewer unfettered insights into the trials and tribulations of these hardworking people as they attempt to navigate strong emotions, limited resources and the fact that there is only so much that can be done in the time that they are given, which only further proves what an admirable decision it is to go into this profession, as well as underlining the crucial need for more people to consider this line of work.

Late Shift is a film that examines very complex ideas and presents itself as a sprawling indictment of the challenging conditions faced by many healthcare workers across Europe, especially in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic, which left an indelible mark on the profession on a global scale. Volpe knew she had quite an intimidating task ahead of her, and one method she implemented to ensure everything settled in place was to filter everything through a single perspective, rather than the usual approach of focusing on a larger cast of characters, as is more common with medical dramas that follow entire times. She finds the perfect collaborator in the form of Leonie Benesch, who has become a mainstay of contemporary German-speaking cinema, having broken out a few years ago and gradually coming to be seen as one of the brightest talents currently working. Her combination of authentic grit and quiet intensity makes her a perfect candidate to lead this film – she’s entirely convincing as this young woman trying her best to help others, but who finds herself at the end of her tether, constantly feeling like she is on the edge of a complete breakdown. It’s a masterful, bold performance from someone who has constantly proven herself to be able to handle challenging subject matter, making every character her own, regardless of the challenges that come with certain elements of her performance. This is perhaps her finest work to date, a result of her willingness to not only acknowledge the challenges of this part, but openly embrace them – a lot of her work is done non-verbally, with her piercing stare and incredible command of her movements painting a more vivid portrait of this woman than any words ever could. Over the course of the film, she broadens the scope her character in quiet but fascinating ways, such as her uniform gradually becoming tattier and scruffier as the film progresses, her physical appearance clearly communicating the immense stress and despair being felt by this character – and it is constantly undercut by the frequent reminders that this is not out of the ordinary, and that most of her shifts are equally as tense. It’s an extraordinary performance, and Benesch brings so much humanity to an already extremely complex, layered character.

The reason the medical drama has proven to be somewhat divisive – at least in comparison to some other genres – is that they tend to handle very difficult subjects, and while this is entertaining and intriguing for some, others may find that it can hit quite close to home in many ways. Late Shift does not hide the fact that it is quite a brutal and harrowing film, and tackles subjects that are not easy to discuss. Floria spends every moment in service of her patients – it’s her job, and therefore it should not be surprising to see all she has to deal with over the course of this shift. However, the film does touch on some very challenging ideas, made all the more uncomfortable by how deeply they’re steeped in reality – there is a concerted effort to make this film as authentic as possible, to the point where it could easily be a documentary about the day-to-day lives of hospital patients and the healthcare professionals who tend to them over the course of a single shift. This approach gives the film an inherent candour, one that Volpe makes sure is never contradicted through heavy-handed emotions or moments that come across as merely existing for dramatic effect. The film’s direct, straightforward tone can be mistaken for iciness in some parts (especially in the earlier portions, where it spends the first act introducing the many patients and setting up their individual storylines), but in choosing to take a more restrained approach, rather than aiming for the most obvious tonal cadences. The film is very well-made, and plays like a relatively traditional procedural thriller – fast-paced for the most part, with superb cinematography (the film was shot in a real hospital, and the camerawork by Judith Kaufmann presents it in a starkly different and far more dynamic manner than most films set in such places), but where the more dramatic moments bring the film to a screeching halt, which is where it can slow down and deliver some truly devastating commentary on the challenges faced by those who work in healthcare. It’s a quietly complex depiction of the daily routine of nurses, which is unquestionably heavy subject matter, and is brilliantly captured throughout this film, which handles these heavier themes with tact and nuance, only proving that Volpe truly had the right approach when conceiving of Late Shift and the exact themes that it was looking to explore.

Late Shift is a film that seems simple on the surface – there’s a clear timeframe in which the story can be structured, and it follows a very linear style of narrative, preventing it from becoming too abstract in terms of the themes it sets out to explore. However, the brilliance of this film lies in this exact approach, where the simplicity drives the narrative enough to compensate for some of its quieter, more subtle nuances. This starts at the conceptual level, with the smart dialogue and very specific direction, which blends the rapid-fire intensity of a psychological thriller with the soulful nuances of a character-driven drama, brought to life by Benesch and a sprawling cast of lesser-known actors that join her in adding layers to this complex, daring film. Through all of this, the film makes some very clear statements – it’s not merely a celebration of healthcare professionals, or even an endorsement. Instead, it’s a bold, provocative call-to-arms for the global community to pay attention to a crisis that not many know about, showing the importance of nurses as essential parts of society, and very often the people in whose hands we trust our entire lives. Its message is unfortunately very bleak, since it outlines the many reasons why so many people are not interested in going into this field, despite its importance. What starts as a relatively simple medical drama evolves into one of the year’s most harrowing and unsettling character studies, a poignant examination of the challenges faced by those who decide to dedicate their lives to helping others through theirs – and while it may sometimes be quite cynical, there is an honesty here that we can certainly appreciate, even if it can be a bitter pill to swallow. Not for the faint of heart, particularly in how it can be quite brutal in terms of exploring certain subjects, but Late Shift is nonetheless a brilliant, engaging work that delivers on every promise and proves to be far more revealing than we may have initially expected at a glance.