DIRECTOR: Petra Biondina Volpe
STARRING: Leonie Benesch, Jurg Pluss, Urs Bihler, Jasmin Mattei, Alireza Bayram
RUNNING TIME: 1 hr 32 minutes
LANGUAGE: German
PLOT: On an otherwise routine day in the surgical ward’s bed unit, the nursing team struggles with a crippling staff shortage. In the midst of the chaos, Floria tends to her patients with unwavering skill and devotion. But as the hours wear on and the pressure mounts, the balance tips, until the shift hurtles toward a breaking point and an explosive outburst.
GENRE: Drama
FILMING LOCATION: Zurich, Switzerland
To check out all previous submissions for Switzerland, click HERE.
STARRING: Leonie Benesch, Jurg Pluss, Urs Bihler, Jasmin Mattei, Alireza Bayram
RUNNING TIME: 1 hr 32 minutes
LANGUAGE: German
PLOT: On an otherwise routine day in the surgical ward’s bed unit, the nursing team struggles with a crippling staff shortage. In the midst of the chaos, Floria tends to her patients with unwavering skill and devotion. But as the hours wear on and the pressure mounts, the balance tips, until the shift hurtles toward a breaking point and an explosive outburst.
GENRE: Drama
FILMING LOCATION: Zurich, Switzerland
To check out all previous submissions for Switzerland, click HERE.
FILM REVIEW:
(This review contains spoilers.)
“I didn't check on her even once."
Petra Vole’s Late Shift unfolds in the quiet hours when most of the world is asleep, capturing the loneliness and small revelations that emerge under fluorescent light. The film follows a young nurse, played with subtle brilliance by Leonie Benesch, as she navigates the endless corridors of her night job, where exhaustion, silence, and fleeting encounters reveal the emotional toll of unseen labor. Vole’s direction elevates the ordinary into something profound, using the night as a canvas to explore both vulnerability and resilience.
The film finds poetry in the clinical environment of a hospital after dark. Vole contrasts the harsh brightness of sterile hallways with the hushed, dreamlike emptiness of the wards, creating a mood that feels both isolating and fragile. The editing plays a crucial role here, keeping the narrative taut and immersive while never rushing its quiet observations. Each cut feels deliberate, maintaining a sense of urgency without sacrificing atmosphere, and allowing viewers to remain alert to the rhythms of night work.
The performances bring emotional weight to this atmosphere. Benesch conveys a nurse stretched to her limits, her fatigue visible in small gestures, but always tempered by quiet compassion for her patients. Supporting characters, from colleagues who share moments of camaraderie to patients who come and go like passing figures in a dream, flesh out the hospital’s nocturnal world. Their interactions highlight not just the monotony, but also the fragile bonds that help these workers endure.
At its heart, Late Shift is a quiet yet urgent commentary on the global nurse shortage. By focusing on one nurse’s grueling night, Vole sheds light on a systemic crisis that too often remains invisible. The film suggests that what may look like quiet persistence is, in fact, the visible strain of an under-supported profession. In doing so, Late Shift becomes more than an atmospheric meditation on solitude, it is also a necessary reminder of the human cost behind an overburdened healthcare system.
(This review contains spoilers.)
“I didn't check on her even once."
Petra Vole’s Late Shift unfolds in the quiet hours when most of the world is asleep, capturing the loneliness and small revelations that emerge under fluorescent light. The film follows a young nurse, played with subtle brilliance by Leonie Benesch, as she navigates the endless corridors of her night job, where exhaustion, silence, and fleeting encounters reveal the emotional toll of unseen labor. Vole’s direction elevates the ordinary into something profound, using the night as a canvas to explore both vulnerability and resilience.
The film finds poetry in the clinical environment of a hospital after dark. Vole contrasts the harsh brightness of sterile hallways with the hushed, dreamlike emptiness of the wards, creating a mood that feels both isolating and fragile. The editing plays a crucial role here, keeping the narrative taut and immersive while never rushing its quiet observations. Each cut feels deliberate, maintaining a sense of urgency without sacrificing atmosphere, and allowing viewers to remain alert to the rhythms of night work.
The performances bring emotional weight to this atmosphere. Benesch conveys a nurse stretched to her limits, her fatigue visible in small gestures, but always tempered by quiet compassion for her patients. Supporting characters, from colleagues who share moments of camaraderie to patients who come and go like passing figures in a dream, flesh out the hospital’s nocturnal world. Their interactions highlight not just the monotony, but also the fragile bonds that help these workers endure.
At its heart, Late Shift is a quiet yet urgent commentary on the global nurse shortage. By focusing on one nurse’s grueling night, Vole sheds light on a systemic crisis that too often remains invisible. The film suggests that what may look like quiet persistence is, in fact, the visible strain of an under-supported profession. In doing so, Late Shift becomes more than an atmospheric meditation on solitude, it is also a necessary reminder of the human cost behind an overburdened healthcare system.
