Not all Nurses are Good in The Good Nurse

by Kathia Woods

The Good Nurse is based on true events. A brave nurse Amy Loughren (Jessica Chastein) discovered her co-worker Charles Cullen(Eddie Redmayne) was killing patients. 

Loughren through her friendship with Cullen was able to gather a confession out of Cullen. Director Tobias Lindholm (A War) tells a chilling tale of how a heinous crime like this was able to take place. Academy award winners Eddie Redmayne and Jessica Chastain lead the tale. 

Amy Loughren (Jessica Chastain - Molly's Game, The Eyes of Tammy Faye) is a single mother and nurse who discovers she has a serious heart condition. Because she is months away from obtaining health insurance, she conceals her condition at work. Her two daughters, too. A new nurse named Charlie assists her at work (Eddie Redmayne – The Theory of Everything, The Trial of the Chicago 7). He assists her both on the job and at home with her daughters.

When an unexpected patient death occurs, the hospital initiates an investigation. The two detectives assigned to the case begin questioning, and evidence begins to point towards Charlie. After initially being skeptical, Amy comes to mistrust Charlie as well. She then begins working with the police to uncover the truth, endangering her own life in the process.

This is Danish filmmaker Lindholm's debut film in English. It is an excellent debut. Talent is not limited to him, Redmayne, and Chastain. In addition, you receive it in the form of the screenwriter. Krysty Wilson-Cairns, who was nominated for an Academy Award for penning the screenplay for the war film 1917, has written episodes of Penny Dreadful and the film The Last Night in Soho.

The cast is led by Oscar winners Eddie Redmayne and Jessica Chastain. Both performers are strong, yet their performances are vastly dissimilar. Redmayne surpasses Chastain in my estimation, despite Chastain's customary excellence. His performance spans a wider spectrum. This is a more arduous challenge than convincing us of the monster's humanity. In front of our eyes, arrest-related jail scenes are steadily playing out. Redmayne must find a middle ground between acting insane and overacting. Before our very eyes, Charlie morphs into a crazy murderer.

Nnamdi Asomugha as Danny Baldwin shows that he is growing as an actor with each role. If Chastain as Loughren is the anchor Baldwin is conscious. It is his drive to uncover the truth that helps push Loughren to turn on her friend.

The Good Nurse speaks to you because, as Cullen says, "no one stopped me," which is a commentary on society as a whole. It's also a look at the strain we put on our healthcare workers. Those tasked with caring for the most vulnerable receive the least amount of assistance. The other issue is that this man was allowed to continue his killing spree by moving from job to job because he stated that no one wanted to stop him but rather just make him go away in the hope that it would fix it. A frightening scenario.


The Good Nurse is currently available on Netflix