‘Night Nurse’ Review: Two Perverts Join Forces in a Gloriously Deviant Oddity About a Caretaker Drawn Into Her Patient’s Grifting Games

Bruce McKenzie and newcomer Cemre Paksoy hypnotize in Georgia Bernstein’s daring feature debut, an erotic thriller that spins a real-world tale of exploitation into a disturbingly sumptuous fantasy.

By Beatrice Loayza

Beatrice Loayza

Latest

• ‘Red Rocks’ Review: Weirdo, Cliff-Jumping Kiddies Are the Focus of Bruno Dumont’s Latest Experiment 2 months ago
• ‘The Birthday Party’ Review: Hafsia Herzi and Benoît Magimel Have a History in Léa Mysius’ Lackluster Home Invasion Thriller 2 months ago
• ‘I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning’ Review: Clio Barnard Returns With a Clunky Social-Realist Weepie About Five Friends in Birmingham 2 months ago

From the moment we meet luxury nursing-home patient Douglas (Bruce McKenzie), we feel something is up. The knowing sparkle in his baby-blue eyes; his slender gold chain and tufts of chest hair poking out of his medical jammies; his low, measured drawl — is it the voice of a former player who knows his mind is fading, and is playing sly to save face? Or is he perfectly in control of his faculties? In Georgia Bernstein‘s gratifyingly perverse debut “Night Nurse,” this ambiguity upends the usual patient-caretaker dynamic, especially since Douglas’ new doe-eyed nurse Elemi (Cemre Paksoy) seems especially vulnerable to being controlled. 

Related Stories

LISTEN: Politics Puts a Spotlight on the Production Exodus From California and Other U.S. Filming Hubs