Late Shift

Starring Leonie Benesch, this Berlinale hit is a propulsive and gripping medical drama set over a single night on a hospital ward on the brink of meltdown. Starting her shift, nurse Floria (Benesch) is unruffled by the news that someone else has called in sick. On what seems to be just another night shift, she commences her rounds across the surgical ward, giving us glimpses of each of her 26 patients: some are kind and others more demanding, but Floria tackles every task with composure, levity and grace.

Little by little, however, the petty requests give way to accumulating emergencies, and the night soon becomes a desperate race against the clock.