A long night shift at the hospital is condensed into a breathless 90 minutes.
Switzerland/Germany 2025, Written & directed by Petra Volpe , Length: 92 minutes, FBW: especially valuable
DA: Leonie Benesch, Sonja Riese, Selma Adin, Jasmin Mattei a.o.
After "Lehrerzimmer" and "September 5", "Heldin" is the third film in a short space of time in which Leonie Behnisch experiences everyday working life under extreme conditions. A long night shift at the hospital is condensed into a breathless 90 minutes.
Behind every door opened by the protagonist lies a different fate, and it is astonishing how close they all come to the viewer, although they are basically only briefly sketched. Each and every sick person is trapped in the unconditionality of their own suffering, their own fears, without thoughts or feelings for the fates right next door. Every patient is both in need of protection and an imposition. Again and again Floria has to put off the old man who suspects that he won't live much longer, the relatives of a recently admitted patient, a disoriented lady with dementia. After just 10 minutes, you wonder how long this can go on if this competent woman loses her patience or her temper and makes a mistake that could be fatal.
Judith Kaufmann's dynamic camerawork conveys the busy routine of the processes and at the same time the breathlessly urgent hectic pace of everyday working life. The film has an almost documentary feel to it. And you can sense that everyone involved wants to make a declaration of love to the underpaid and overworked staff of notoriously understaffed wards with this film.
