WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
The ER wing of any hospital pretty much guarantees intense, sometimes complicated, and almost always life or death situations. Now picture yourself taking on this atmosphere while fighting against your own inner demons. This is the struggle veteran ER nurse Kayle (Leo Oliva) is facing as he leaves his home and heads in for his 12-hour shift. Initially indicating a particular interest in a comatose patient, Kayle’s night takes on an unexpected turn when his supervisor, Floyd (Danny Glover), pairs him with a new nurse, Amanda (Casey Fitzgerald) for her to shadow him during the shift. As they begin their rounds, it becomes immediately evident that the two have very different attitudes towards how to handle patients and their conditions.
As Amanda is more insistent in her stance that every patient is worth fighting for and that every possible avenue must be taken before giving up, Kayle’s approach of simply doing what is best for the patient, even to the extent of not saving someone, grates against Amanda’s entire belief system. Butting heads more and more, played out and escalating between the two until they come in contact with a little girl with cancer, Emily (Genesis Ochoa), and her mother Carmen (Sara Castro), which throws both of their mentalities about faith and caring into a tailspin. But worse, Kayle has been hiding a secret which is tearing at every decision he makes, dealing with the stress of it in unhealthy ways, until it finally boils over in a decision that rocks everyone on shift in the ER.
Next, my Mind:
Director Lee Cipolla and actor/writer/producer Oliva deliver a taut drama that comes across in the first act as a rather slow burn, but then kicks into high, emotionally charged, heart-wrenchingly raw gear in its second act as the dynamics between the two nurses comes to a head and the decisions the viewer witnesses become more and more blurred in presenting their concepts of right and wrong. Seeing Glover on screen again was actually very pleasing, and as the veteran actor present, he always finds the way to make the most out of every scene he’s in, even when being a little understated. Oliva delivers a powerfully real and impassioned performance as Kayle, whose swings between genuine sensitivity, guilty remorse, and rage-infused frustration provide a very engaging character. And watching his inner turmoil build and build as the causes are revealed only adds to this tension.
Likewise, Fitzgerald’s Amanda is the perfect, new to the job rookie, very knowledgeable and capable for her duties, but constantly having to question the moral and ethical validity of actions taken by Kayle, which in her eyes, are becoming completely chaotic and unstable. They both ultimately desire to do what they see as best, but the roads to get to those beliefs are so opposite, and hence, strife ensues. Castro shines as long-suffering mother to Emily, Carmen, who is most certainly not ready to let go, as her pain-filled pleas for help for her daughter illustrate. Finally, Genesis Ochoa absolutely plays little scene stealer for her moments on screen, a picture of innocence, quiet suffering, and a startling level of understanding that dictates the pace of everything leading up to a stunning, affecting finale. In total, “The Shift” winds up being a very worthy indie effort and one that should not be taken lightly.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
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