The serial killer film “Good Nurse,” starring Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne
“Good Nurse,” a new Netflix original film starring Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne, is based on the true story of serial killer Charles Cullen, an ICU nurse who admitted to killing 29 of his patients but may have murdered more than 300.
The film revolves around Amy Loughren (Chastain), a colleague nurse and friend of Cullen’s who exposes his crimes and puts an end to his murdering spree. The book “The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder,” written by Charles Graeber in 2013, is the source material for the film.
According to the Associated Press, the film’s director Tobias Lindholm and screenwriter Krysty Wilson-Cairns made a conscious decision to center the narrative on Loughren and the shortcomings of the American healthcare system that allowed Cullen to commit 16 years of premeditated murder against his victims.
The new Netflix movie “Good Nurse” explores the real story of serial killer Charles Cullen. It stars Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne.
According to Lindholm, “I saw the potential of doing a serial murderer in a way that we had never seen it before, where we wouldn’t be tempted by why he is doing this or how damaged he is as a person, but take a step back and look at why and how would we allow for this to go on.”
“In my opinion, he is not Hannibal Lecter. This smart mind is not it. A system permits a fairly basic man to carry out a reasonably easy task.
By infusing fatal quantities of medication into his patients’ IV bags, Cullen used his position as a nurse to murder his patients. He was able to avoid capture by switching between hospitals in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. In order to limit their exposure to liability, for-profit institutions may have covered up for Cullen, according to both the book and the movie.
According to Lindholm, “this case questions us if it’s a good idea that people are generating money off of other people’s health.” Is it wise for hospitals to operate like businesses?
Ten years ago, Wilson-Cairns began drafting her version of Graeber’s work. She told the AP that she went to Loughren’s house to start her study.
Wilson-Cairns recalls, “I showed up at the genuine Amy’s residence in upstate New York.” “I believed I was 23 or 24. I thought to myself, “I’ve never done this before.” I place a lot of importance on it. It is the tale of your life. Can you assist me?
Wilson-Cairns also spent two weeks observing nurses in a Connecticut hospital. She stated, “What I discovered is that the actual health care providers — the doctors, nurses, radiologists, and anesthesiologists — are all fantastic and heroic.
They put their own life in a box in order to save others. None of them, in my opinion, are paid enough. Even ten times as much, in my opinion, those nurses aren’t being paid enough. I discovered that the system they are required to operate under is not the most beneficial for patient care.
From her chats with the real-life nurse, Chastain drew inspiration for her portrayal of Loughren. Chastain jogged around to raise her heart rate prior to filming in order to accurately portray Loughren’s arrhythmia on television. While filming a scene, she additionally donned an earpiece with a heartbeat that might speed up.
Her daughters believed she was a stay-at-home mother since she worked overnight. She insisted that her children had seen her when they were awake, according to Chastain.
“The fact that this lady would put her comfort at risk by skipping sleep in order to provide for her kids told me so much about who she was and what she was capable of.”
The actor who portrayed Cullen, Redmayne, reviewed video of the actual Cullen from his court hearings and his 2013 interview with “60 Minutes.” In 2006, Cullen received 11 consecutive life sentences.
Redmayne remarked, “There was something in his body that was appealing to me.” He is a really calm man. However, if you really pay attention, you’ll notice that he is constantly calming himself. Touching fibers can be comforting if that’s the appropriate word.
“Something is constantly in motion. The man was a horribly damaged human being, so the notion that he may seek solace intrigued me.
On September 11, “Good Nurse” had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, where Loughren was greeted with a standing ovation. Wilson-Cairns expressed how pleased she was to see Loughren honored for her bravery.
Wilson-Cairn claimed that “this woman just wasn’t recognized for what she did.” “Common women aren’t viewed as these kinds of heroines by the general public. They don’t appear frequently enough on television, in the news, or in books.
It made me feel good to see the genuine Amy finally receive some recognition for what she accomplished, which was to save countless lives. I’d repeat that.
On October 26, “Good Nurse” will start to stream on Netflix.
