Second Victims (2025) (original) (raw)
Synopsis
During a hectic shift in the neurological department, skilled doctor Alexandra takes on extra responsibility. But a misjudgment ends in tragedy.
Cast
Popular reviews
"every doctor has a graveyard."
competent drama that points out topics you haven't seen that much in those tropes; especially the generational gap between the older, experienced one that delivers on the promise of near/distance by excluding their own emotions at times, and generation Z who try to recalibrate the moral compass in the job towards mindfulness.
liked particularly the fact that the characters were not sugarcoated; in fact most guys here are quite unbearable as humans. still you have sympathies towards them all. that's good screenwriting and great acting (Trine Dyrholm especially delivers like the pro she is).
would have wished more attention towards the failing of the health system, that obviously is the biggest part of the problem but only gets a few mentions here while not getting included in the plot. then again, maybe Denmark is not that fucked yet like most of the western countries in those regards?
Been watching some absolute bangers lately and this has to be one of the least talked about gems among them.
the movie is simply brilliant....It follows a young doctor in an understaffed Danish hospital who makes a critical decision during a busy shift and which leads to a teenager's serious medical emergency.
the film starts slowly , taking its time to introduce the staff, hospital environment and the situations they deal with...bcoz everything feels so realistic, you genuinely connect with the characters and you can feel their pressure, anxiety and later on the guilt they go through.
And the intensity of the plot is so gripping that it almost feels like a horror film at times.
Honestly I couldn't find a single negative thing about it.
Must-watch if you enjoy realistic content driven films with no dull moments. 10/10.
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Here's an idea: maybe governments should increase healthcare funding instead of always making budget cuts? It would limit some of the problems seen in this movie.
Working at a hospital myself, I have a lot of respect for both physicians and nurses. The immense pressure they're under. The responsibility on their shoulders. I really don't envy them. They're basically expected to be flawless automatons but of course they're human beings like the rest of us. They make mistakes.
🇩🇰 Alle læger har en kirkegård
🇬🇧 All doctors have a graveyard
FFH25: Movie 09
This is one of my biggest surprises of the year and it really is a fantastic directorial debut from the Danish director Zinnini Elkington.
The movie has a great and important story about a doctor at a hospital, who must battle with guilt and accusations after making a small misjudgment on a busy day, which puts a patient’s life in great danger.
The movie had some great themes and it was a bit scary to see how stressful their days could be and the consequences of it, while the toll a mistake takes on our main character also was heartbreaking. I also found it interesting how the movie explored the reactions of the patient’s family and how our main character…
It's always striking when two films arrive in close proximity that seem to be circling the same thematic terrain. So it is with Petra Biondina Volpe's Late Shift and Zinnini Elkington's Second Victims – at least in their opening movements. Both begin by following a medical professional through the quiet rituals of starting an overnight shift: pulling on scrubs, stepping into corridors, and bracing for whatever inevitable crises await.
But where Late Shift sustains that observational realism throughout, Second Victims condenses its pressure-cooker atmosphere into a single, breathless extended take that comprises the entire opening act. In it, Alexandra (Özlem Sağlanmak), a neurologist, glides from one patient to the next with barely a pause for thought or breath. The camera…
What kind of doctor are you?
Working in the emergency department of an understaffed hospital, a dedicated doctor's day quickly spirals out of control when a patient who she discharged collapses in the corridor in this intense and stressful drama from Denmark. Well cast in the lead role, Özlem Sağlanmak does an excellent job playing a human being trying hard to maintain her composure and care for other patients while dealing with the patient who collapsed. Guilt-ridden after ignoring a junior doctor's suggestion to send the patient in for a scan, she takes to blaming her younger colleague at first, and later the busy nature of the hospital, while deflecting all responsibility. As she also argues with the hospital chief…
A brief review:
Last year, I was in complete awe of the wonderfully constructed medical drama "Late Shift" and had declared it my favourite film released that year. "Second Victims", a Danish medical drama that deals with a day in the life of a young neurologist, played by Özlem Sağlanmak in a performance just as winning and triumphant as Leonie Benesch's in the former, is difficult to separate from "Late Shift" at times. It elicits a similar level of stress and seems entirely plausible owing to the portrayal of a failure domino effect, exhaustion, and a crisis of personal confidence in the unforgiving, yet equally valiant, medical profession. While "Late Shift" followed Benesch throughout her medical shift with characters coming…
Har ikke været så stresset siden Howard Ratner indgik en aftale med Kevin Garnett. De første 30 min er UNCUT GEMS på dansk hospital - selvfølgelig mindre sjov, men Howard var nok heller aldrig blevet læge. De danske debutanter er for vilde i år. Trine Dyrholm udspiller forventeligt alle i venterummet, men Özlem Saglanmak giver kamp til stregen. Så grinern at hyre Anden til at give dramatisk modvægt i de følsomme scener. Som at se Dirch Passer forsøge sig med talen i FESTEN. Resten af filmen er Dardenne'sk socialrealisme om skyld og ansvar, med et skud klassisk dansk melodrama. Pisse godt.
When we’re first introduced to the staff on the neurology ward, one of the doctors is about to be on call alone for the very first time. No senior back-up,
no safety net, just fluorescent lights, ringing phones, and decisions that can’t be undone. Welcome to Neurology Night Shift—Neurologisk bakvakt.
Specialist Christian is frequently off sick. He’s had a difficult year. Complaints have come in. Alexandra, played by Özlem Säglanmak, questions whether patient safety is good enough and argues they should hire another specialist. The system already feels stretched before anything goes wrong.
This is a film you feel in your body. For ninety intense minutes it’s as if you’re trapped inside those corridors, moving from room to room while…
ubehagelig og klaustrofobisk hele vejen igennem
En av de mest stressende og klaustrofobiske filmene jeg har sett på en stund. Skal aldri klage over jobb igjen. Jeg er også midt i The Pitt på Max så jeg er i en ordentlig sykehusdrama-era akkurat nå. Intenst, nervepirrende og komplekse problemstillinger. Har ikke peiling på realismen, og det har ikke så mye å si for meg. Dette var åpenbart en drama som ville fange og formidle en følelse og det gjorde den med glans. Forskjellige aspekter som lav bemanning, misforståelser, kommunikasjon og menneskelige sider innenfor dette yrket som tas opp veldig effektivt på ca 90 minutter. Glimrende regi av Zinnini Elkington og helt enestående prestasjon av skuespillerne - spesielt Özlem Saglanmak som leverer en av mine favorittprestasjoner i år. Også gøy å se norske Iman Meskini.
it felt like the movie tried to fight every single one of my attempts to hold back tears. it won in the end
Story by Central im Bürgerbräu 
Story by Neo Kinos