The Good Nurse (2022)

Submitted by ThrowawayThestral t3_ydxyp5 in movies

The film absolutely blew me away.

Eddie Redmayne is the jewel of our generation. This dude can ACT. Holy fucking shit. Man I'm in love with his ability to make the viewer so uneasy. The tension is palpable.

Jessica fucking Chastain. That's all.

The whole thing came together - actors, script, pacing, directing, cinematography. One of the best films I've seen this year.

What a breath of fresh air when it comes to taking a realistic and victim-focused approach to serial killers and their crimes.

I'm so in awe of this film.

176

Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

Giddey_Cent t1_itw6tdm wrote

Chastain was incredible in this.

I felt sick to my stomach when she come out to find him hanging out with her kids. That scene was soooo well acted, the emotions portrayed was amazing

I really was enthralled by this movie

124

ThrowawayThestral OP t1_ityq8j5 wrote

That scene was breathtaking. And it was more effective because we as the audience knew he had attacked his previous coworker that he had dated but Chastain's character presumably didn't know this and she was already scared because she knew he had killed.

42

powerfulKRH t1_iu2w9bq wrote

Brooooo that made me lose it. I work in healthcare, and am a dude, and have been very close with some females I work with. Some have kids

I would NEVER be alone in a house with children who aren’t mine and I don’t have any. Not for any reason lol. That’s so fucking creepy and scary and weird. Even if he meant well it’s still insane

34

narkaf2945 t1_iu9aopu wrote

They're both definitely getting a ton of nominations for this even though I think the film went on a bit too long and that the third act could have been faster.

Chastain's scene in the diner and Redmayne during the interrogation really stood out.

20

Elegant_Cricket_2977 t1_itx9m7v wrote

As I watch this movie progress, my education that the systems that are built and suppose to be designed for the patients or consumers or citizens protection are actually systems in designed & built to protect the law makers and corporations.

91

ThrowawayThestral OP t1_ityqci0 wrote

It's a very thought provoking mirror held up to how the medical industry in the U.S functions.

(I'm not from the US and lawsuits etc are not as common in my country so it was very interesting to see how industries use laws to their benefit or rather save their asses at the cost of lives)

31

Caramelman t1_iufolei wrote

You guys (Americans) Should be out in the streets protesting every day until universal healthcare happens.

I think this is how most of us Canadians Germans French Italians et cetera Feel. You pay taxes like we all do yet you don't get this very very basic human right.

18

Elegant_Cricket_2977 t1_itx4l4w wrote

Accurate conditions of healthcare workers in the beginning. Epitomizes the failure of our elected politicians & greedy corporations to destroy the workforce for their billions the last 4-5 decades. All of them. All of them are to blame.

72

-lover-of-books- t1_iugw84t wrote

Also accurate medicine! The codes, while shortened and missing a lot of the finer details, were decently legit. The medical equipment was used accurately on patient, the vitals on the monitors were correct. It was a refreshing to see medicine portrayed how it should be, with all the shows like Greys and House that are so far beyond incorrect and countless medical scenes in all aspects of television and movies using incorrect equipment, terminology, and data.

21

Caramelman t1_iufoo60 wrote

You guys (Americans) Should be out in the streets protesting every day until universal healthcare happens.

I think this is how most of us Canadians Germans French Italians et cetera Feel. You pay taxes like we all do yet you don't get this very very basic human right.

5

TopBeerPodcast t1_iuj77ce wrote

We Americans are barely scraping enough to survive. Don’t have time to go out and protest when you need to earn money to feed your family. We don’t have that luxury.

12

Herbacult t1_itxzlac wrote

I’m not gonna link the article, bc fuck her, but this article author Ellin Stein is such a twat:

> it also stars Eddie Redmayne and Jessica Chastain as the world’s most improbably good-looking (even with unflattering normie haircuts) ICU nurses.

Way to insult ICU nurses and all of us “normies” in one go.

67

socalmd123 t1_ityaphy wrote

There are some VERY good looking ICU nurses and I speak from direct knowledge.

40

zZINCc t1_iu1mi01 wrote

Yeah, wtf. Every hospital I have worked at has had some super model looking nurses, both male and female.

27

Rogue_2187 t1_iu0wt0c wrote

I just looked up the real Amy Loughren. She’s gorgeous.

12

Technical_Ear_7040 t1_iuhcn8y wrote

I was in hospital for 6 days last year. I fell in love with so many hot nurses.

7

NemoTheEnforcer t1_itx8tj8 wrote

The book it's based on is much better. Unfortunately the movie didn't encapsulate the true horror of he did. His victim count is likely several hundred. It also didn't give Jessica chastins character nearly enough credit. She got hom to confess one on one in restaurants without any direct police interaction. Just her and a microphone and a ton of risk

66

bicika t1_iuf94jh wrote

True horror is workers from health industry not having mandatory free healthcare, i mean what the fuck is wrong with that country

40

BlueEyedIguana00 t1_itxii4o wrote

The book was a really good read. Infuriating at times but very engrossing. The movie was ok. I almost feel like it should have been a series instead to really cover all the horror of his crimes and the failure of the hospital systems too.

24

CaveDeco t1_iuh25qn wrote

I agree that this would’ve made a great series!

2

-lover-of-books- t1_iugwe5a wrote

The book was so good!! Goes into all the hospitals he worked with, his childhood, young adult, nursing school life, his start of nursing and all the units. Plus much more details on the "internal investigations" and the cover up by the hospitals. It's impossible to prove, but if he really killed over 400 patients like they think we may have, he'd be the most prolific serial killer in America.

12

livindagoodlife t1_iuaezrt wrote

Also that they said the hospitals never had repercussions when there were multiple lawsuits filed.

10

travelplanmonster t1_iuassuz wrote

No criminal proceedings were brought; the lawsuits were civil.

8

livindagoodlife t1_iuat1wx wrote

Ah hahaha well no, of course no criminal proceedings would have happened. That's kind of an interesting choice for the movie to lead the viewer to think nothing happened and there was no accountability for the hospitals.

Thanks for clarifying!

−2

hoochnuts t1_itzlfpv wrote

Oh that is interesting, I wonder why they changed it. I guess to make it more believable but still, the one on one microphone would have been better imo.

8

Mysterious_Ad_8173 t1_iu19gbp wrote

I think having the confession in the police station helped build drama and intensity for the situation. If it would have happened in the restaurant with no one else involved there would be very little suspense, and it would be an anticlimactic ending.
The real story is much more bold though considering how terrifying it would be to go through that alone. It's just not as cinematic.

25

movieguy2004 t1_iu1p021 wrote

I thought this worked on multiple levels. It’s an emotionally affecting human drama, an interesting procedural thriller, and a really tense horror film. They all come together really well to make you feel a wider range of emotions, sometimes simultaneously.

Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne are predictably great in it. Chastain is really empathetic and believable, while Redmayne is appropriately creepy. He is genuinely likable for the first half, and it’s really unsettling how that affability turns to menace while the performance itself hardly ever changes. Even by the end, I still almost felt bad for him.

And the story itself is both interesting and horrifying. I was pretty interested in the procedural aspect of things, and while true stories like this can often seem exaggerated, this one feels really authentic, and I can totally believe this type of tragedy and corruption would happen.

It’s tough to sit through, but if you’re up for it, I think it delivers a very sad, scary, effective story.

56

Elegant_Cricket_2977 t1_itx9yxy wrote

He must have had an overwhelming insatiable desire to kill because some of the patients would not have fallen into a category to "really watch this one tonight, She/he may not make it to morning."

43

teleekom t1_iu84tw5 wrote

It's a shame people don't talk about this one more because this one really stand out from the barrage of Netflix produced movies. It's very well acted and the story is really gripping.

38

Level-Candy-387 t1_iubdls7 wrote

Agree with the sentiment but it's number 1 movie in the on the UK Netflix.. Not sure about elsewhere

11

ViralRiver t1_iudc9gh wrote

Number 1 here in Japan, which is not common for a western film so decided to watch it!

7

iSmellLikeBeeff t1_iu6163j wrote

There’s a big medical scandal now in the UK where a nurse was killing dozens of babies on the NICU. Lucy Letby, same methods. Insuline, injecting milk into blood vain, pumping air into vains and stomach. Horrible stuff.

34

-lover-of-books- t1_iugw3fg wrote

There's an anesthesiologist in America who was arresyed for killing patients by spiking saline bags during surgeries!

18

Open_Grapefruit_2713 t1_ityemi9 wrote

Can some one explain to me the beginning .. when she flipped the patient over who I would assume was in a coma ?

23

ThrowawayThestral OP t1_ityqksq wrote

Yeah the patient was in a coma. When someone is on a bed laying in one position for too long, their body can develop sores. So nurses or caretakers usually shift the person from one side to the other every day to make sure they aren't sleeping in the same position for more than a few hours. Bed sores are very nasty and painful for bed ridden patients.

Since Jessica Chastain's character has myocardial issues (heart problems) - lifting and shifting another person from one side to the other is tough and dangerous. The person's weight can pull on the nurse's heart muscles and cause stress.

57

cpalfy2173 t1_iu239sg wrote

Thank you! I was so confused by this sequence.

12

Elegant_Cricket_2977 t1_itx6hlu wrote

Pretty good representation of how the system works. If consumers could see movies like this that reflect reality the public would be so much more empowered to control the system that harms people.

20

EvenDead-ImTheHero t1_iu62djg wrote

>I believe there's no explanation that he could give and be happy to be known for. But if you read the book you get a sense of motive. It was a compulsion, something which gave him a sense of control and at times pleasure or satisfaction or power. And the consequences of his habit (the death of innocent people) didn't really weigh on him negatively, so there was no reason (in his mind) to stop.

Author about killer's motive

15

SleepyRobotDev t1_iu2nmn9 wrote

This was everything Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile couldn’t be

14

gigilero t1_iubuc6w wrote

The acting was incredible for a Netflix film. Geez they really redeemed all the shit Netflix movies I’ve watched with the acting in this one. Eddie was absolutely stunning in his portrayal. I felt for him and was scared of him at the same time. Jessica is just an organically magnificent actress. Weird seeing them together bc they look so eerily alike haha but I’m glad they did a movie together

13

robby8892 t1_iu9png9 wrote

The performances all around feel really good.

My biggest issue is the length holds this movie back. As in it should of been longer for the story they're trying to tell.

Pacing is a massive issue in that they hardly settle into anything meaningful which is saved by the performances.

45 minutes could easily have given us more from detectives, better relationship building with our leads, and more mystery.

The movie feels like it should have been a documentary the way everything is obviously established from the beginning.

11

-lover-of-books- t1_iugwm3v wrote

I wish it was a mini series!! The book was long and had so much information, about his childhood to young adult to nursing school and every hospital he worked in. Plus his alcoholism, a struggle with multiple suicide attemps and psych issues (he'd swallow a bottle of pills and then call 911 right after), interpersonal and personal relationships (animal abuse, domestic violence, stalking). They had so much content to create a really good miniseries and it would have made an even bigger inpact on how fucked up this guy was! And how long he got away with this!

9

Electronic_Ad4560 t1_iub6hua wrote

So he might be the most prolific serial killer known to history…

I’ve looked into it a bit and his estimated 400 victim count is the highest estimated victim count of any serial killer I can find listed anywhere

11

av1652 t1_iu6yoa7 wrote

Pretty boring and slow imo

10

Turnover-Greedy t1_iu9c7ws wrote

Yeah.. absolutely nothing against Chastain and Redmayne because they are grade A actors, but it was pretty dull. JMO.

3

av1652 t1_iu9s94r wrote

Agreed. So it's our opinion now 🤣

1

myKDRbro_ t1_iuikwi8 wrote

There were some scenes with really lengthy pauses where nothing happened. Good acting as expected but the movie felt like it was trying too hard with those specific scenes.

1

TotesTubular t1_iugjodi wrote

I can't. I can't. I can't. I can't! I can't! I CAN'T! I CAN'T! I CAN'T!! I CAAAAAAAAAAAAAANT!!!!!!!!!

10

M1ntyMango t1_iujg0qv wrote

Watching that exact scene and reading your comment haha

6

unlikedemon t1_iu27yoq wrote

I thought Eddie Redmayne sounded a lot like Jim Caviezel in the movie.

9

phaetae t1_itxld45 wrote

I loved the movie.

5

mrsrabadi777 t1_iuayvor wrote

Why is it so blue and dark? Makes it hard to watch. Most hospitals are pretty well light. Most scenes i can barely recognize eddie redmayne

5

-lover-of-books- t1_iugwpaw wrote

Probably to add some dramatic effects but also, hospitals at night, or at least my ICUs, are usually pretty dark. Lights should be off in the hallways and nurses station to allow patients to sleep. So they got that accurate to real life.

8

mrsrabadi777 t1_iuir9nu wrote

I switched from vivid setting to natural and it was less blue. But the whole movie was filmed in dingy light. Not just hospital scenes. Even outdoors. So depressing. It's annoying

3

livindagoodlife t1_iuaet77 wrote

Why did they say at the end that the hospitals never had repercussions? It says online that many lawsuits were filed and settled out of court....

4

-lover-of-books- t1_iugwrrl wrote

Probably meant criminal repercussions. They settled on civil cases. No charges were brought to any hospital. However, many laws were changed in those and other states to prevent someone moving from hospital to hospital like he did without reporting.

8

Halo909 t1_iufp9cn wrote

He had to fast forward through many parts I couldn’t stand to watch the patients suffering and knowing they were going to die. Those hospital administrators should be held accountable as well and I almost can’t believe all this happened for real.

4

brownieboy2222 t1_iu3j00x wrote

Acting was amazing as expected from these two

3

ze11ez t1_iuc47dv wrote

I’m not a fan of chastain. She was brilliant in this movie. Hands down. I watched this last night and was going to make a new thread but the search button works.

This is a good ass movie. Sad stuff though, unfortunately this stuff happens in real life

2

UtterlyConfused93 t1_iugaxjo wrote

The acting was fucking incredible. I think it dragged on a little too much towards the end but thats to be expected these days.

2

Think_Tailor_9913 t1_iu2x5ar wrote

***Spoilers*** Ok unpopular opinion here but as an oncology nurse I found this movie absolutely hilarious. In the beginning they're doing CPR and give breaths every two seconds?! The ratio is 30 compressions: 2 respirations brah!! Is there not a single writer in Hollywood with CPR certification?! C'mon. They never have IV pumps in movies either which I find hilarious for an "ICU" in 2003. Also, "blisters on the heart" is NOT cardiomyopathy... it's endocarditis and it's usually caused by an infection! Get on some antibiotics, sis! I'm gonna finish the movie but damn, these medical errors are making my eyes roll back in my brain.

−6

ahimsaxl t1_iu6ts6t wrote

I know, I couldn't help but get distracted by the noncompliance with BLS and ACLS. There was a scene when she started a round of compressions and immediately the doc told her to pause to do a pulse check. Also the first code scene, they were shocking without even checking the rhythm. And her turning patients on her own, WTF?? Maybe it's because I live in California where there are ratios, but I will never EVER turn a patient on my own. Still enjoyed the movie though. Probably the most accurate portrayal of nursing on tv/movies.

2

-lover-of-books- t1_iugwxpw wrote

Lot of people turn patients on their own, unfortunately.

I thought the general running of the codes were accurate but expedited/simplified. At least they included pulse checks, breathing, compressions, epi, more than most shows do. But yea, could have been more accurate. But definitely words better than any other medical movie or tv show I've seen. Especially using accurate equipment, like the trach ties, the correct vent tubing, correct rhythm during the code.

2

socalmd123 t1_ityaetm wrote

Very good acting. However my wife is a nurse and makes 150K/YR working 3 days per week and is Jessica Chastain's age. I'd recommend this movie however the part where she can't afford health insurance is ridiculous. Nurses are well paid and have excellent benefits. I'm a doctor so the whole hospital bashing was so over the top and made the scapegoat for the benefit of hollywood drama.

−19

SQUID_FUCKER t1_itytlkl wrote

It wasn't that she wouldn't have benefits. She was relatively new, she needed to be there for 6 months to qualify. That's pretty standard in a lot of places.

25

DearestBadger t1_ityu13x wrote

The hospital bashing is more than justified and was not nearly enough for my taste. They all let him get away with the murders. Hundreds of people died because nobody intervened. Remember that this is based on a true story.

22

NurseMia96 t1_itzy68f wrote

The average salary of a nurse is certainly not 150k outside of travel nursing or living in California. The movie was also set in 2003 so you can’t compare what nurses are making now to then. Nursing has always been a relatively lower paying job until the pandemic hit and the precedents that management had been setting to optimize profits and fuck over staff were given the middle finger by staff nurses who then left. THEN salaries were raised but still mostly only for travel nurses. If you’re a doctor then I’m surprised you don’t know all this…unless you’re a doctor who has become upper management for a hospital. Every doctor I know has no love for management and can see the way hospitals have abused staff to maximize profits.

18

Pradfanne t1_iu0ykwq wrote

It's based on a real story. Now I'm not sure how much of it is real, but if he has a real life kill count of 29 that he plead guilty too and it's assumed to be in the hundreds. Then the hospitals did fuck up big time.

It's not only Hollywood drama, it happened for real

12

friendofelephants t1_iug4wok wrote

The way that the hospitals were portrayed protecting their own interests and not patients was accurate, but I agree with the above commenter that it wasn’t realistic how they portrayed her struggling financially that much. Could hardly afford shoes for her daughter, etc. Nurses do pretty well income-wise for themselves, and the movie made it seem like they are paid as much as retail workers.

2

-lover-of-books- t1_iugy2m3 wrote

It's 2003, she is a single mom of two kids, she lives in a house in new york, lives on a single salary, has to pay a babysitter, nurses definitely weren't making bank back then, plus she had a medical condition that required expensive tests, specialists, and medications that all cost a lot of money.

So yea, I'd say the struggle was pretty accurate.

And in many states, they are making very little more than some retail places. Nurses in states like Florida still start out making on the $20s an hour.

4

unlikedemon t1_iu27ac7 wrote

They mentioned explicitly quite a few times that she needed to be there a few more months for be able to receive benefits (she was new). It had nothing to do with affordability as she paid $1k earlier in the movie out of pocket.

8

gopms t1_iubqskq wrote

But they did also show that she was struggling with money. She clearly had a hard time paying the price for the tests and she was a week behind on paying the babysitter. She also said that she was sorry her daughter couldn’t have as much as her friends. So the point still stands that the movie depicts nurses as not making much money. According to the internet nurses in New Jersey make an average of $88,000 a year. There is no reason to think Amy would make less than average at that stage in her career and working in the ICU. Not enough to live lavishly but enough to pay the babysitter.

1

-lover-of-books- t1_iugy97l wrote

That may be the wage now, but definitely not in 2003, when this took place. And factor in being a single mom, with a medical conditions she had for a while with expensive tests and specialists and medications, plus a house and a babysitter she has to pay. I can very much believe she would struggle to make ends meet. Nurses only recently are starting to be paid a wage that reflects the work we put in.

2

gopms t1_iuhc8d6 wrote

A) the wage would be different but so would the cost of living so presumably she was making the equivalent of the average wage then which would go (at least) as far as it does now. B) my comment was in response to someone who seemed to be disputing that Amy was struggling financially (in response to someone who thought that was unrealistic given what nurses make) so I was pointing out that the film shows she was struggling financially (presumably for all the reasons you point out).

2

ImSometimesSmart t1_iuegwz5 wrote

In america you wait a maximum of 3 months to get insurance and that gap is covered by insurance from previous workplace.

−1

CaveDeco t1_iuh5din wrote

That is not true at all…

First, this was depicted as being in 2003, the affordable care act (ACA aka Obamacare), came into effect only in 2014, and was the first time it was required that employers have no more than a 90 day waiting period. Before the ACA it was not uncommon for a year long waiting period after starting a new job before becoming eligible for health insurance. 3 months is the law today, but not the case in 2003.

Second, no gap is paid for by previous employers. The gap you are talking about is what is known as COBRA, but basically once you leave a workplace they have to offer you the ABILITY to stay on their plan for 18 months, but they have no obligation to PAY for it. Generally employer insurance is mostly paid by the employer, with the employee paying a very small portion. When you use cobra as an someone not employed you have to pay BOTH portions. I left a job recently and I paid ~$100 each check while there. For me to go onto cobra is was going to be ~$1500 a month.

4

-lover-of-books- t1_iugx86a wrote

She was a single mom of 2 kids in new york, with a house and babysitter and a single income, plus a medical conditions with high out of pocket expenses. It was 100% accurate. And as a nurse, we definitely do not always have excellent benefits...especialy when you add in lots of medical bills and medications. And this was 2003, not 2022.

And 9 hospitals shuffled this nurse around for like 15 years, many knowing he was responsible for killing or harming patients but couldn't prove it or didn't want the liability, so they let him be hired by the next hospital. Then the last hospital covered up once they found fowl play and only finally went to the cops months later because they legally had to, and slowed down the investigation by not being forthcoming with results and information....which resulted in many more deaths. He potentially killed over 400 patients over his life as a nurse, makes him the most prolific serial killer in America.

You should read the book, it goes into so much detail on his entire life, every hospital he worked at, his psych history, suicide attempts, alcohol abuse, domestic violence, stalking, multiple arrests, animal abuse, the cover ups by the hospitals, how he got away with being shuffled around.

They had so much content to use, I wish they made this a mini series instead!!! Would have been even better!!

2

CaveDeco t1_iuh5w4x wrote

  1. Pre-ACA. Year long waits for insurance eligibility were very common, and individual plans were obscene, and I say obscene compared to todays govt marketplace rates. What you can find on the govt marketplace still a steal compared to then!! It’s still a fraction of the cost even without including inflation.
2

Open_Grapefruit_2713 t1_ityen4e wrote

Can some one explain to me the beginning .. when she flipped the patient over who I would assume was in a coma ? You

−1

-lover-of-books- t1_iugx4zs wrote

She was turning the patient on their side to relieve pressure on the tail bone, which can lead to a pressure ulcer or beadsore. Patients who can't move themselves must be manually turned every couple hours to shift pressure off boney parts of the bodies. You should never ever turn a patient yourself because you can injury yourself, but people do it because of short staffing.

1