Erotic thrillers used to be a mainstay in theaters, audiences hungry for their offbeat, sexual tales on the big screen. Writer/director Georgia Bernstein aims to remind audiences why the genre is slowly making its comeback with her debut feature Night Nurse. Unfortunately, her freshman debut proves to be an erotic thriller largely devoid of thrills.
Night Nurse centers on a young woman named Eleni (Cemre Paksoy), a nurse and caretaker assigned to look after a middle-aged man named Douglas (Bruce McKenzie). What starts out as an average patient and caretaker relationship quickly evolves into a sexually charged erotic dynamic in which sparks fly and the young nurse becomes enraptured in his well established and highly successful con on other patients in his retirement community.
Debut features are a tricky and unenviable endeavor for any filmmaker, but Bernstein establishes a clear visual voice and palpable atmosphere throughout. The camerawork and cinematography are largely impressive, utilizing a great balance of thoughtfully framed close-ups and wide shots that show a notable knack for effective blocking and composition. There are a wide variety of frames that are not only striking, but effectively showcase Douglas’ power over the multiple female caretakers who also become willingly trapped within his sticky, morally corrupt web. Bernstein does an admirable job making the scenes between Douglas and Eleni feel uncomfortably intimate, even claustrophobic at times, as she slowly and steadily becomes more emotionally attached to and attracted to him. Though her storytelling may come up short, Bernstein has a clear, singular visual voice that has considerable potential in future features. It also helps that her casting choices were inspired in order to sell the film’s unsettling central relationship.
Paksoy makes for a delightfully unpredictable and vulnerable lead, portraying Eleni’s shy, timid nature in addition to her emotional insecurities deftly and with nuance. On the other side of that coin, she’s also able to sell the exponential evolution of the character as she falls deeper and deeper into her tumultuous relationship with Douglas in pursuit of more adrenaline fueled thrills. However, McKenzie is by far and away the highlight of the film, exuding a raw magnetism and gruff charm that makes it easy for the audience to digest why so many women looking after him quickly become enamored with the man. He’s also able to showcase Douglas’ softer side and physical insecurities wonderfully, sporadically giving the audience emotionally potent insight into how he sees himself as he briefly pulls down the overly confident facade he has carefully constructed and cultivated. Despite their characters being quite underwritten, both Paksoy and McKenzie are able to elevate what’s on the page and fill in the gaps in order to make their toxic relationship consistently engaging.
Unfortunately, aside from the visuals and two central performances, this is an erotic thriller that is anything but. Bernstein’s script is the film’s most notable hindrance, the writing largely coming across as flat and underwhelming. The central dynamic between Eleni and Douglas coupled with the pair’s con had tremendous potential to make for a terrific erotic thriller, but the storytelling fails to follow through on that promise. The dialogue feels awkward and stiff, not to mention the transition from patient and caretaker to toxic lovers feels incredibly rushed in the first act, resulting in a relationship that is initially very difficult to buy into and accept. Speaking of their relationship, the deranged and sexually charged moments between them don’t feel earned or nearly as intimate as they should, another unfortunate side effect of the lackluster writing.
The pacing of the film is also incredibly sluggish, moving from scene to scene with very little momentum or energy, Bernstein clearly more interested in basking in the atmosphere she has created rather than telling a compelling and propulsive story within it. As a result, the film’s lean ninety five minute runtime feels awfully bloated. The first two acts of the film feel largely inconsequential, never firmly committing to the erotic thriller it clearly is trying to be or escalating the stakes in a way that feels significant in order to reel the audience in. Instead, once the film reaches its third act, it never feels as if the story never reaches its fever pitch, resulting in a climax that isn’t remotely exciting and feels clunky at best. When the narrative reaches its finish line, it evokes far more frustration and confusion than it does emotional satisfaction or provocative ambiguity.
1.5 out of 5 stars
Night Nurse had all the right ingredients in order to make a highly compelling and engrossing erotic thriller that would’ve been a welcomed entry into the tried and true, beloved genre. Unfortunately, despite a strong visual aesthetic and two fantastic central performances, Bernstein’s debut feature does little to get the heart racing as it delivers very little thrills or erotic chills. To put it simply, this dish needed a lot more time in the oven before being served.
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