Night Shift

Virginie, Erik and Aristide are police officers. All three try to keep their personal and emotional lives together while dealing with daily incidents of violence in homes and on the streets. One night, they are assigned an unusual mission: to drive a migrant to the airport for unspecified reasons. On the way there, Virginie discovers that the man will be sentenced to death if he goes back to his country. Faced with an unbearable dilemma, she starts to question their mission. The trio has one night to decide a man’s fate. Prolific French filmmaker Anne Fontaine tackles this dramatic and relevant topic with all the intensity and empathy it requires. Her stellar French actors are as committed as the characters they embody are hesitant. They are supported by Iran’s Payman Maadi who gives a devastating performance as the Tajikistani who can’t speak a word of his “host” country’s language. Their struggle to express a variety of overwhelming emotions resonates deeply and moves the viewer beyond words. (Berlinale)