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‘Late Shift’ Review: A Nurse’s Work is Never Done in a Tightly Wound Overnight Drama
Leonie Benesch plays an overworked, underappreciated nurse juggling crises big and small in Petra Volpe's familiar but absorbing 'Late Shift.'
Floria is played by Leonie Benesch, the German actor with the clear, direct gaze and straight, taut stance who recently starred as the embattled educator in “The Teachers’ Lounge” and the cool-headed translator in “September 5.” Her appearance in “Late Shift” suggests she’s become a go-to thesp for roles that pit roiling human disorder against a veneer of brisk professional capability. In a sterile locker room, Floria puts on one such garment as she readies for her shift on the surgical ward of a major Zurich hospital, exchanging small talk with a colleague, and donning a box-fresh pair of sneakers that — spoiler alert — will look beat to hell in 12 hours’ time. Among the 26 patients requiring her attention are Mr. Leu (Urs Bihler), an elderly man anxiously awaiting a cancer diagnosis from a doctor too busy to check in; Mrs. Bilgin (Eva Fredholm), a terminally ill woman whose three fretful adult sons are more of a burden on Floria’s time; Mrs. Morina (Lale Yavas), a cancer-stricken young mother debating whether or not to continue treatment; Mr. Song (Jeremia Chung), whose particular severe medication allergy is easily overlooked in the rush of rounds; and Mr. Severin (Jürg Plüss), a wealthy, haughty private patient who believes he pays for his herbal tea orders to be the staff’s top priority.
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