The Shift: DVD Review
The Movie:
In one 12-hour hospital shift in the ER a veteran male nurse (Leo Oliva), struggling with the haunting guilt of his brother’s drowning, is forced to train a new nurse. The two are at odds throughout the story, because, while they both struggle with the spiritual turmoil of right and wrong, they both come to very different philosophies. One plays life-saving nurse. The other plays God and allows patients to die or even helps them to die.
Nurses have some of the hardest jobs out there. Some of the most horrible and heartbreaking things happen in front of their faces and they have to continue their day like everything’s alright. This film takes those things and puts you right in those situations. The story was one that will make anyone think twice about life and death while watching it. Oliva plays his character with such believability and intensity that you can almost see the burden and weight on his shoulders the entire time and on top of that he has a pill problem. It feels a bit like Nurse Jackie in that sense but that is the only part that is similar. The story kept me glued to the screen the entire time and I couldn’t wait to see how everything would play out. There is a twist at the end that you can kind of see coming BUT it was a satisfying finale that made everything make sense and finalized the film nicely. This was a powerful film that caught me entirely by surprise and had some great dramatic moments that were just as good as any medical themed TV show out there. 8/10
