The Good Nurse is the newest media object that everyone is obsessing over. The film covers the story of a serial killer Charles Cullen played by Eddie Redmayne. Eddie did a great job capturing the sheer essence of the murderer. Director Tobian Lindholm did a great job of fictionalising the victims, so the families do not need to relive the whole situation. He claimed to have kept the victims fictional, but the method of the murders remained the same.
The film The Good Nurse is based on author and journalist Charles Graeber’s account of the whole situation in his book of the same name. Similar inspiration to that of Inventing Anna, whose story was also told through journalist Jessica Pressler’s point of view. Now that we are done watching Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story and The Watcher, let’s dive into the newest true-crime film Netflix has gifted us this season.
Cullen used to work alongside coworker Amy Loughren (Jessica Chastain) a single mother who worked several night shifts. Cullen used drugs to kill his patients, even the ones who had recovered. He worked at Somerset Medical Center in New Jersey when he was convicted of the murders.
Loughren, who was a close friend of his, was shocked at the turn of events when she found out more about her peer and his deeds. Charles Edmund Cullen has been found guilty of the murder of dozens of his patients. The real number of people he killed remains a mystery, as some sources claim it could have easily been hundreds. He worked for a total of 16 years across several New Jersey Medical centres when he committed all those murders.
Charles Cullen pleaded guilty to killing 29 people, but according to the author of the book the film is based on, it could have been any number. We will never know.
According to sources such as CBC News, Cullens was allegedly using heart drugs like digoxin to kill his patients. With the general progression of demographic, his victims did not belong to a particular category. They ranged in age, health, and background. At the moment, one can only confirm that he chose his victims out of random order.
He is currently convicted for his 29 murders and serving his time for 18 life sentences in New Jersey State Prison in Trenton. Detective Danny Baldwin and Tim Braun are responsible for finally catching and putting this man behind the bars.
The ICU nurse Amy Loughren helped in getting her once close friend Cullen convicted. When she first heard the news, she was taken aback by working with a serial killer. However, soon after, she started helping the police strengthen their case against the murderer for trial.
Amy now lives in Florida with her daughters and their children. Soon after Cullen’s arrest, she quit her job and tried to dive into herself to recover from the shock of working with a serial killer for all this while.
With movies such as this, the very question of institutionalism and administration is questioned. Who can be trusted, and how? With true crime stories taking the streamer by storm, questions of the same nature are being asked again and again. Exposure to such tales makes us, as viewers, more and more aware of all the ills that are out there. Simultaneously, they also make us aware and more observant of our recent environments.
In conclusion, even with fictionalised bits, the film is beautifully presented with the very essence of the murderer seeping through your skin. Hop over now to add to your list, or start watching The Good Nurse now! The Good Nurse is currently streaming on Netflix. But first, find out more from its official trailer here!
