Festivals - Fantasia 2020: 12 hour Shift

By Mulder, 08 august 2020

Brea Grant (who also wrote and starred in the Fantasia 2020 film Lucky) has always shown real talent, both as an actress in films such as Rob Zombie's After Midnight and Halloween II, and as a writer and director for her work on the Emmy-nominated LGBTQ series Eastsiders. She has continued to impress the film community with her popular film Best Friends Forever (2020), a testament to her talent for telling poignant stories. It is finally with this second feature film that Grant becomes an exceptional creative force.

Although 12 Hour Shift is set almost entirely in a hospital, the film manages to evoke that authentic sense of familiarity unique to small towns. Set at the beginning of the opioid crisis in the U.S., the film reflects a sense of inevitability, made all the more compelling by the nuanced and flawed secondary characters, many of whom are struggling with their own traumas, contrasting with the more endearing, eccentric and stylized characters. Angela Bettis has never been better, playing an anti-heroine we desperately need to see more of on screen. Behind the camera, Grant sows fine directorial detail and wields a dark humor that is sure to make people laugh. Featuring a supporting cast that includes Chloe Farnworth, David Arquette and Mick Foley, 12 Hour Shift is a compelling crime movie that no PPE will ever stop.

Synopsis:
Late 1990s. Arkansas. Nurse Mandy (Angela Bettis) is about to start a double shift in a hospital she would prefer to avoid at all costs. But she has no choice, she has to go. On the one hand, a drug addict will never say no to more money, it can always be useful. On the other hand, she has to go because this very hospital finances her addiction, largely through organ trafficking that she has managed to set up herself. Tonight will be especially trying for Mandy: people are complicated, and she will have to deal with many of them. A series of horrific events, unfortunate twists and turns and questionable choices will place her in the middle of situations over which she has no control.

12 Hour Shift
Written and Directed by Brea Grant
Produced by Christina Arquette, David Arquette, Jordan Wayne Long, Tara Perry, Matt Glass
Starring Angela Bettis, Chloe Farnworth, Nikea Gamby-Turner, Kit Williamson and David Arquette
Music by Matt Glass
Cinematography: Matt Glass
Production company: HCT Media
Running time: 86 minutes

(Source : official website Fantasia 2020)