Late Shift review – pressure is on in badly understaffed hospital as compassion shines through
Here she plays Floria, a nurse (and a single mum) working the late shift in a gleamingly modern but evidently badly understaffed Swiss hospital. Floria has to hit the ground running from the very beginning of every working day. (The original German title is Heldin, or Heroine.) Writer-director Petra Volpe has adapted the autobiographical novel Our Profession Is Not the Problem. It's the Circumstances, by German nurse turned author Madeline Calvelage. It's shot using classically Aaron Sorkin walk-and-talk lines, with Floria exchanging terse technical dialogue with colleagues in the corridors. And there's almost a real-time single-take aesthetic, although there are conventional edits. British audiences would be within their rights to compare it to Casualty or Holby City.
Floria is compassionate and conscientious, but it is clear that the workload is almost intolerable. Over the closing credits, the film invokes World Health Organization findings that there is a global lack of nurses. Every conversation or encounter with a patient is pressured, and patients are either poignantly grateful or resentfully on the verge of complaining. To calm one old woman with dementia, Floria sings the German lullaby The Moon Has Risen, and the woman quaveringly joins in. It's a touching moment, which briefly stills the movie's frantic pace, but it makes Floria late for everything and everyone else.
The crisis arises with a pompous man who has paid for a private room and is furious because Floria is late bringing him his tea. Floria snaps, but the situation is resolved a little too easily. This is where the movie begins to look like a TV soap whose storylines have to be wrapped up within the hour (and the final montage with sad music ranging across all the patients verges on cliche). But Benesch brings a tough, smart, credible presence.
Late Shift is in UK and Irish cinemas from 1 August.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
13 minutes ago
- The Sun
Watch moment Love Island stars left in shock as Maya Jama returns for savage dumping and final twist
THE Love Island villa will be rocked for the final time tonight as Maya Jama returns for the last - and very brutal dumping. With just one day to go before the final, the islanders are left in shock as Maya enters the villa while they are lounging around. 8 8 8 She tells them: 'I have some very important news. Can you come and join me on the lawn? 'As you know, last night Megan and Conor were dumped as a result of receiving the least amount of votes for most compatible couple. I'm now going to reveal the two other couples who received the fewest votes and are at risk of being dumped from the island.' But there is more shock to come as Maya dramatically reveals exactly who will be deciding who goes home. As the stars looked on in horror, Maya announces: 'Today, one more couple will be dumped from the Love Island Villa. And that decision will be made by some very familiar faces.' The ex-Islanders make their return as they gather at the fire pit primed to unleash their opinion on the two couples at risk. Maya tells them: 'Welcome back guys. You must now individually decide which couple is the least compatible. The couple with the most votes will be dumped from the island immediately.' One by one the ex-Islanders have their say, leaving the couples at risk less than impressed by their comments. And the decision is made to send one pair packing - meaning they miss out on the chance of winning the £50k in the final. Viewers are convinced they have worked out who will be heading home and took to social media to share their opinions. One person wrote: 'Harry & Shakira.. your time is up!' Love Island fans figure out when villa divide happened as they reveal exact moment the girls turned on each other A second said: 'Got a feeling this lot will have it in for Shakira and Harry. Should be Mug and Mustard…' While a third commented: 'It won't be Dejon and Meg because some vindictive ex islanders like Blu, Lucy, Lauren, Harrison, Tommy et al will not vote them out.' Others expressed their upset at letting the former Islanders make the direction - one person raged: 'Worse ever decision to let a group of biased & bitter (rejected!) people back to vote in the least fair & least objective way - spoils it every time! Please stop it!' 8 8 8 8
The Sun
13 minutes ago
- The Sun
New Mario game kept me up until 1am – it's a perfect multiplayer title for kids this summer or late nights with pals
Sean Keach, Head of Technology and Science Published: Invalid Date, A GREAT measure for a game is when it's so fun, you completely lose track of time. Ticking that box is Nintendo's revamped Super Mario Party Jamboree, which kept not only me but six pals awake until 1am. If you've got kids, this is an absolute dream family title. 11 11 The game actually came out in October 2024, but it's just been upgraded for the new Nintendo Switch 2. WHAT IS SUPER MARIO PARTY JAMBOREE? This new version has some extra modes and mini-games, but it's largely the same game. Super Mario Party Jamboree (Nintendo Switch 2), £66.99 Buy at John Lewis And it really is a good game. If you're new to the Mario Party franchise, it's basically a giant collection of mini-games with very low barriers to entry. You can just pick it up and play. It's fine to play solo, although it's way better if you've got someone else with you. We had friends visit recently, and it kept us up late into the night. It's moreish, like spicy crisps. Or most other Mario games. If you've ever played Jackbox Games, Mario Party serves a similar purpose. It's packed with loads of Mario-themed mini-games. Some of them demand speedy reactions, while others will challenge your memory. And some even involve physical movement – like flapping your arms in the air while holding the Joy-Con controllers to fly. If you're alone then you'll play against the computer. The Sun tries new Nintendo Switch 2 and Mario Kart before it's out But with friends, you can take on each other – or even team up – in a bid to win. SUPER MARIO PARTY JAMBOREE GAMEPLAY The good thing is that all of the games are very simple. There are dozens on offer, and you'll easily pick any of them up in seconds. And they're all bright, colourful challenges where you'll play as (and alongside) iconic Mario characters. 11 11 One fun game saw me collecting coins on shifting sands. Spiky bars rolled right at me, so I had to quickly sidestep or leap in the air to dodge them. Another had me yanking bread out of an oven – but only once it had baked to perfection. Too soon? No coins! You can enjoy a sort of 'Grand Prix' of mini-game series, so you'll earn points after a few rounds – and then see who came out on top. If you've got four people playing at once, it's very high energy. This is great for a child's party, or an adult's party for that matter. 11 The Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game has some clever upgrades. They're mostly tucked into a new section of the game called Jamboree TV. One of the main differences here is a set of games built for mouse-style controls. That's made possible by the Switch 2's upgraded Joy-Cons, which can be placed on a surface to work just like a computer mouse. 11 But it's worth noting that mouse control games require a single Joy-Con per person and a surface. Oh, and you can't use the Pro Controller for those games either, as it doesn't have mouse functionality. If you have the Nintendo camera accessory (keep in mind, this is £50!), you can play three games that make use of it. It's a bit like the old Xbox Kinect camera system. One involves following physical commands, which is fun if you like moving around. Probably the best is Goombalancing Act, where you try not to drop Goombas balancing on top of your head. So what's bad? Well, there are a few downsides. It took me quite a while to actually get playing. I'd say there's a good five minutes of unskippable content before you can start. It's not the end of the world, but I'd rather have just been able to get going right away. As well as that, the game has a £66.99 price tag attached. So you'll want to make sure you're going to get enough use out of it. IS SUPER MARIO PARTY JAMBOREE WORTH BUYING? It's always tempting to just stick on Mario Kart. And the new Mario Kart World is very good. 11 In fact, it's probably enough reason to buy a Nintendo Switch 2 alone. But Super Mario Party Jamboree is a great alternative with loads of variety, and sparks a bit more chat than a regular Mario Kart game. You're also far less likely to see major skill differences on this versus Mario Kart. Rather than one person always winning, you might be good at one mini-game and rubbish at the next. There's loads of variety so you won't get bored. And it's simple enough for basically anyone to play – even people who aren't used to holding game controllers. This really is as close as it gets to "fun for the whole family". It's not exactly cheap at £67, but if you snap it up now, you'll probably get loads of play-time in over summer. And then again at Christmas. The Sun says: One of the best "family" games out there – but it's perfect for a night with friends too. A mini-game treasure trove that will hook Mario fans, and convert everyone else. 4.5/5 Super Mario Party Jamboree (Nintendo Switch 2), £66.99 Buy at John Lewis 11 All prices in this article were correct at the time of writing, but may have since changed. Always do your own research before making any purchase.
The Guardian
41 minutes ago
- The Guardian
‘As if we're real guests': the startup selling strangers invitations to weddings
When Jennifer, an actor, visited a Paris wedding fair with her future husband as they planned their big day, she noticed a company offering something that seemed bizarre. A Paris startup was proposing couples sell tickets to their wedding to a handful of strangers via an app in order to help pay their costs. In return, the paying ticket-holders, who may not otherwise be invited to many weddings, could mingle with other guests and enjoy somebody's happy day. 'I thought: 'woah, that's quite something', having people you don't know at your wedding,' said Jennifer. 'But we took the flyer, went away to think about it and decided why not? If we can see the profiles beforehand on the app and choose who to accept, it could be something quite original to do.' Jennifer, 48, and her husband, Paulo, 50, who met on a dating app during the pandemic and have an 18-month-old son, will marry later this month at a country manor an hour east of Paris. Theirs is the first wedding to have paying guests. Their friends and family will number 80 adults and 15 children, some travelling from England, Germany and Portugal. But alongside those loved ones, there will be five paying strangers who have bought tickets. The ticket-holders will be present for the whole day, from the afternoon wedding ceremony and vows in the garden, to outdoor drinks on the lawn with live music, then a sit-down dinner in a vast dining room, with a choice of fish or vegetarian options – no meat because the bride is vegetarian. Then there will be the traditional partying on the dancefloor. The paying guests have to abide by the dress-code – defined on the wedding invitations as 'chic and elegant' – and Jennifer and Paolo vetted their profiles before choosing who will attend. 'It's not only about the money, which is a drop on a hot stone in terms of the overall wedding cost,' said Jennifer, 'although it will help a bit in terms of the cost of things like decoration and the dress. It's also because we thought it could be fun and we're extrovert and open to sharing things.' Jennifer, who acts on stage and TV, and Paulo, a former athlete who works in the building trade, also thought that the five paying strangers – one couple and three single men – could be a boost for their other guests. 'We have a lot more single women friends coming to our wedding than single men, so we thought this could balance things out a bit,' Jennifer said. Laurène, 29, a toymaker living in the Paris area, and her husband, a landscape gardener, will be among the handful of strangers paying to attend. 'I thought selling tickets to your wedding to strangers sounded interesting,' Laurène said. 'I don't have a big family so I don't get to go to lots of weddings, it's great to be able to experience a wedding and different traditions, even if it's strangers. I'm keen to check out the decoration and music, and we'll be partying on the dancefloor.' Katia Lekarski, who founded Invitin earlier this year to match wedding couples with paying guests, said six marriages so far were due to take part, mainly in the Paris area. 'I was renting my house in south-eastern France to some people who were attending a wedding, and my five-year-old daughter asked: 'Why aren't we also invited to weddings?' I thought: what if we could pay for tickets to a wedding and help the couple getting married in that way?' Lekarski's view was that with so many apps proposing meeting up with strangers – from tour-guides to dating or dinners with groups of new people – why not add weddings into the mix. In India, the company, Join My Wedding, already connects foreign tourists with couples having traditional weddings, as a cultural experience under the line: 'You haven't been to India until you've been to an Indian wedding'. In France, the idea was for local people to attend a wedding as a day out and shared experience, with Invitin taking a commission. Lekarski, a former fashion model who previously ran an online platform selling and distributing interior design goods for children, described the project as at a very early stage and said her biggest challenge was finding couples and guests to take part. Couples who have shown interest in opening up their wedding to paid ticket-holders have been mostly between 25 and 35, Lekarski said, but there was one much older couple preparing to renew their vows. Only a small number of paid guests would attend – five to 10, each paying an average of €100 to €150, but tickets can be higher depending on the venue. They would have to sign up to strict rules including dressing appropriately, arriving on time, drinking with moderation, and not publishing or sharing photos without authorisation. The wedding couple, who usually have so many of their own guests to talk to, aren't obliged to meet the paying guests and chat to them. 'A wedding has its own ecosystem where guests get chatting to each other of their own accord,' Lekarski said. The paying guests Laurène and her husband, who got married themselves a month ago at a historic farm building south of Paris, are taking it very seriously. 'We're going to go about it as if we're real guests, we'll dress up nicely and bring a little gift.' Laurène's grandparents met at a wedding in Dijon and she thinks weddings are the ultimate social feelgood event. 'Everyone is in a kind and happy mood, dressed up and celebrating love. This is not something you can do too often as tickets are quite expensive, but it's a great opportunity.' The only thing they're not sure about is whether they'll be in the wedding pictures. 'We'd love to be in the group photo, but I'm not sure how that will work, it is a bit bizarre after all.'
