I was very wary going into Robina Rose's 1981 film “Nightshift” because just from its descriptions in the MIFF guide, I knew the film was going to be arty, very strange and unlike anything I had seen previous. I was also strangely put off by the phrase “punk scene” used in the description because this is both an aesthetic and music style that I have never responded to. The other thing going against “Nightshift” is my own silly rule which is “beware the film that is under eighty minutes”. This has come about because over the years, I have booked a number of films at MIFF due to their easily digestible running times, and a lot of these have turned out to be some of the most painful films I have ever had the pleasure of sitting through. With a running time of only 75 minutes, I will admit that I was concerned, but the few stills I had seen from “Nightshift” were alluring and strange enough that I decided to take a chance on the film.
This is likely to be one of my shortest reviews yet because almost nothing happens in “Nightshift”, rather it is all about mood and atmosphere. When the film begins, and we first meet our hotel receptionist, we spend a large amount of time just being with her as she does either nothing, or the most basic and menial tasks. Early on, my patience was running very thin, very quickly, and I remember thinking to myself “what is this shit??!!??” and started regretting my golden rule as I feared the next 75 minutes of my life would be mind-numbingly boring, and quite possibly the dullest of my entire life. Amazingly though, the strangest thing happened as “Nightshift” and its bizarre atmosphere started to wash over me, and the whole thing became strangely hypnotic. Suddenly I began to realise that not only was I enjoying “Nightshift” but that my enjoyment was increasing with every minute, despite the fact that very little happens onscreen.
From my point of view, I think the whole point of “Nightshift” is to highlight the very weird and different atmosphere that exists when working a night shift at a hotel; a strange time when the rest of the world is asleep and the characters you do come across are just plain odd. This may be due to a number of reasons, like drug or alcohol consumption, but it is true that from dusk until dawn, people behave in a very different manner compared to the way they act during the hours of daylight. What is interesting about “Nightshift” is that the receptionist is never affected by any of this weirdness, rather she just observes it all and takes it all in....and believe me, there are a number of strange things that take place during her shift, some that almost seem otherworldly. From a woman guest's repeated use of the lift, but never getting out of it when it reaches the bottom, to a group of band members who almost set fire to the restaurant downstairs via their overuse of candles, to the very sudden and bizarre appearance of a woman claiming to be the wife of a guest staying in a room upstairs, carrying with her her whole life with her husband in a knapsack that she proceeds to open and show the receptionist in great detail. Nothing fazes her as it is like she accepts that this is what the night shift is always like, filled with people's eccentricities. She continues to go about her nightly duties around all this strangeness, unaffected.
The highlight of “Nightshift” has to be a long, slow montage showcasing what the patrons of the hotel are actually doing in their room during these hours. More like a number of short scenes than a true montage, due to the time spent with each moment before we change to the next room, this sequence has been stunningly shot in slow motion to add to the dreamy effect, and it is absolutely mesmerising. There is nothing really odd going on in any of the rooms, but for whatever reason, it still feels slightly not of this world. Things include a married couple preparing for bed, a man having a bath standing up to rinse off, an older woman watching the television, and three girls having a pillow-fight with feathers covering the room, in what is the most beautiful image in all of “Nightshift”. Truthfully, like the rest of the film, I'm not sure where the power of this entire sequence comes from, but I found it exhilarating.
So how has director Robina Rose been able to create such a strange and palpable atmosphere in “Nightshift”? One thing Rose has done is directed her actors to both move and speak slower than is the usual norm. This immediately triggers something in the audience that something is a little off, even if it is not discernible to their eyes and ears right away. I also think that the 16mm film stock that Rose and cinematographer Jon Jost have used to compose their images on, has added greatly to the atmosphere. The thick grain of 16mm stock gives “Nightshift” a vintage feeling to it, while the styling of (punk-scene queen) Jordan, who plays the unnamed receptionist, complete with missing eyebrows, gives a lot of the images that she is involved in a look of something like a renaissance painting or the like. Not to mention all the odd happenings that occur between dusk and dawn at the hotel, that when you put it all together, it has created an atmosphere that is similar to that of a waking dream; normal things are happening within but something just feels off with the whole experience. As I mentioned earlier, this atmosphere and unusual pace of “Nightshift” is so hypnotic that you find yourself in a trance with the film.
Something that I assume most people would find as a negative of “Nightshift” is the quality of acting performances, which aren't the best to be honest, but most of the cast are not actors but friends of Robina Rose and Jordan, as well as fellow members of the punk scene who gave their time and services for free so the film could be made. Like everything in this one-of-a-kind film, the performances just add to the surreal nature of the whole experience.
Overall, after initially thinking I would hate “Nightshift”, I was strangely hypnotised by its very odd and palpable atmosphere, and ended up loving it. It is a very unusual film and unlike anything I have seen before (and I am sure that it has a very limited audience), as it accurately presents an experience similar to a waking or lucid dream. It is true that from the hours between dusk and dawn that people just behave differently and “Nightshift” represents this perfectly. As the sun came up and the receptionist's shift has ended, thus signalling the end of the film itself, I realised that I had a giant smile on my face and had enjoyed the film immensely. “Nightshift” will not be for everyone, but I am glad I took a chance on it and found this hidden, lost gem of a film.
3.5 Stars.
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