Night Shift: Anne Fontaine’s intimate drama is less interested in telling a story than it is in taking a look at the three central characters. They all lead routinely hard lives (marital issues, etc, etc) before their common profession (manifested by the original title) is taken into account. However, the film ends up being too slight in the exploration of those characters, and the worst of two worlds is achieved: neither rich characters nor an engaging story. The structure of the film, particularly early on, is interesting, as editor Fabrice Rouaud keeps the focus full on one character before shifting and reliving some moments from another’s point of view. Acting is good: Virginie Efira, as the policewoman who quickly develops a conscience, gets more time, but Omar Sy (as the looser policeman) and Grégory Gadebois (as the tighter, more by-the-book partner) are all as good. Payman Maadi, as a refugee, projects incomprehension and fear very efficiently. Cinematographer Yves Angelo generally keeps the camera very close to one character and everything else out of focus, a fine visual representation of the film’s structure.