Based on the shocking true story of arguably the most dangerous serial killer in modern history, The Good Nurse explores the friendship between Amy Loughern and Charles Cullen, leading up to Cullen’s arrest. On first impression, The Good Nurse is just another true-crime narrative in the streaming space that seems to be overpopulated with narratives and documentaries of the genre. However, The Good Nurse, which premiered at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival before landing on Netflix, stands out for its sensitive treatment.

The Good Nurse starts with the working relationship and personal friendship between two nurses, played by Oscar winners Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne. It’s a slow burn. While it’s based on a true story and the end is well known, the film allows the audience to absorb information one at a time. When we are first introduced to Charles Cullen (Redmayne), he’s a decent man, a good friend, and someone who genuinely wants to help people. His sensitivity makes him likeable from the beginning. Redmayne’s restrained performance helps with that. But when the hospital approaches the police with a suspicious death, the story starts to take a turn and Chastain’s Amy is compelled to look deeper into the situation. If I reveal anything more, I will inevitably ruin the experience for you.

Eddie Redmayne gives his best performance to date. His Cullen is trustworthy and emotional, and the death of his mother may still haunt him. When he’s eventually confronted by Amy right before he’s caught, Cullen tries hard to not be explicit. He holds back, frustrated and aware of what may come. But he still doesn’t misbehave. He speaks with his eyes and his subtle nervous movements. He makes you feel for a serial killer. Once he’s caught, he doesn’t break. Those ten minutes of the film, where you largely just stay on Redmayne’s face, as he holds back his emotions and fights the police by not giving any information is truly incredible to watch.

(L-R) Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne. Twitter

Tobias Lindholm is back in the director’s chair after seven years. His most recent credit was as the screenwriter of Thomas Vinterberg’s iconic Another Round (2020). The Good Nurse is a very different playing field for him, for it is his first Hollywood feature (Lindholm had previously directed two episodes of David Fincher’s Mindhunter).

The Good Nurse has more in common with Minhunter than his other directorial ventures. Not just with the writing, it’s shot in a similar fashion with restrained cinematography — paying equal importance to what’s out of the frame as to what’s in the frame. The music, while generic, is haunting and adds to the eeriness of the mood.

Jessica Chastain’s Amy is layered. She shares a deep bond with Cullen and trusts him to be around her children (she’s a single mother). But when faced with the truth, Amy tries to be protective of the children while also not being confrontational with Cullen. There’s fear but she doesn’t show it. Her heartbeat races but she masks it behind a smile.

Chastain plays with contradictions and pulls it off effortlessly. Her character, just like the real Amy on whom she’s based, acts as the moral compass for the viewer. When the true nature of Cullen’s crimes and his track record is found out, she questions — how has no one stopped him? A system allowed Cullen to exist; unknowingly, of course. But how did no one take responsibility? It’s a simple question and extends far beyond the true events or the film.

The Good Nurse isn’t driven by cynicism. Cullen ultimately breaks and confesses — not with force but with kindness and compassion. It humanises Cullen while still holding him accountable for his horrific actions. He’s after all a serial killer and he mustn’t be followed or idolised.

Amy attests it in the end: his killings have undone all the good things he had done for her. There’s a fair bit of scepticism — how blindly should we trust systems and institutions that are there in place for our benefit? That being said, The Good Nurse also ends on the note that for every Charles Cullen out there, there is an Amy Loughern, a hero without the capes, risking everything to put a serial killer behind bars.