The Nurse (Sygeplejersken) is a limited mini-series from Denmark. It is a chilling real-life crime show about a nurse, who has committed heinous crimes over the years.
Its true story tells about the medical crimes committed by the Danish night nurse working at a provincial hospital during the period from 2012 to 2015. The Nurse is accused of killing her patients at the hospital. It is based on the 2021 non-fiction “The Nurse: Inside Denmark’s Most Sensational Criminal Trial” written by journalist Kristian Corfixen.
Focus:- bonus info. on Nordic/Scandi/Scandinavian – Noir
The Nordic Noir genre is also known as Scandinavian Noir or Scandi Noir, as it is set in the Nordic or Scandinavian countries of Europe. Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Åland Islands are part of the Nordic Region.
“The Nordic Noir is most often considered to be a specific genre of TV series. However, it also includes literature, film productions, and video games. Besides, it has even been extended to style, design, and music. Its key elements include a murky atmosphere, dark narratives, and flawed protagonists. Its popularity may lie in the fact that it usually undercuts the dominant narrative of the Nordics as thriving states with happy people and successful economies, but there is a dark underbelly here, too.”
Nordics
Now, let us talk about “The Nurse” (Sygeplejersken) limited mini-series.
Synopsis of The Nurse (Sygeplejersken) 2023) mini-series
A new nurse Pernille Kurzmann Larsen (Fanny Louise Bernth) at a hospital begins to suspect her colleague Christina Aistrup Hansen’s (Josephine Park) desire for attention may be tied to a series of patient deaths. Based on a true story.
Spoilers Free review of The Nurse (Sygeplejersken) 2023 mini-series
Introduction
A new nurse begins to suspect that her senior nurse colleague may be killing her patients in the hospital. Unable to let it go, she tries to find out the hidden truth behind it. Thus this series narrates the story of how she goes on to unearth the ongoing crime in the hospital premises, right under the noses of fellow nurses, doctors and the management people.
In a way, it also delves into a healthcare facility and examines how the existing systems of the hospital allowed the crime of the nurse to continue for so long. Thus, it also examines the work pressure and environment of health service, Last but not least, we also get to see the kind of difficulties and challenges the whistleblower has to go through in such a (health) organization.
The good ensemble cast
The tense and sombre settings of an emergency ward in a hospital are haunting. The basic trick was to keep the thrill, pressure, mystery and suspense going on for four episodes. Fanny Louise Bernth and Josephine Park – both the leading actors of this web series have realistically portrayed the role of Nurses. In fact with the tight script, the ensemble cast of this show has done a good job.
The true story of the killer
The Nurse commits a series of murders. It is a shocking true story about a real-life serial killer in a Hospital. It seems that these murderers come in all shapes and sizes. When the saviours become the killers, then perhaps, it is the worst of the nightmare. Truly, this is an eerie and riveting tale of true crime. Thus, this limited series is a riveting and gripping true crime tale.
The conclusion
Not many people would like to believe that a provincial hospital in a small town could be a happy hunting ground for a serial killer. But then, stranger things have happened in the world. With only four episodes, no doubt The Nurse is a good crime thriller to watch in a single sitting. More so, if you are a true-crime buff.
Ratings of The Nurse (Sygeplejersken) 2023) mini-series
| FM’s rating | 3.95/5 |
| Rotten Tomatoes ratings as of the date | 100% Audience Score |
| Joel Keller / Rotten Tomatoes | The Nurse approaches its serial killer story by showing a killer that doesn’t fit the usual profile, and that by itself is enough to watch the four-part series. |
Spoilers Alert – the non-fiction book by journalist Kristian Corfixen
“The Nurse: Inside Denmark’s Most Sensational Criminal Trial” book
Peek into this book
According to the creator Kasper Barfoed of The Nurse show, “The starting point was the book by Kristian Corfixen … Nobody knows more about the case than he did.” So, this book is an award-winning true-crime account of a Danish nurse Christina Aistrup Hansen accused of killing her patients—and an examination of the controversial evidence used against her.
Show creator Kasper Barfoed talks about this book
Kasper Barfoed told Netflix about this show, “What really most of all interested me [was], How could this [crime] take place over such a long time — when, after the whole thing was revealed, a lot of people seemed to have known about it or suspected it?… That became the key we always went back to. It’s not about just a ‘crazy’ killer — it’s about, How does the system prevent us from speaking up or how does the system protect itself?”…
Kasper Barfoed explains, “There’s a trust [among Danes] more so than in the rest of the world. We’re inclined to trust that the system wants the best for us… We’re vulnerable when things like this happen. Nobody wants to be the one to ruin the good mood.” He further says these particular crimes were even harder to uncover and prosecute because they occurred in Denmark.
Information Source: Is ‘The Nurse’ a True Story? All You Need to Know About the Danish Thriller | Netflix.
What was the true crime committed by the said nurse?
Christina Aistrup Hansen is the said nurse
In 2016 Christina Aistrup Hansen was arrested for the death of three patients at the Nykøbing Falster Hospital in Lolland-Falster, Denmark. The patients were a 72-year-old man who died in 2012 and two more patients, an 86-year-old woman and a 66-year-old man, who died on the same day, February 28, 2015. \
In all of these cases, high dosages of morphine and diazepam (better known as Valium) were found in the bodies of the deceased. And the night nurse working in the hospital department was always Christina Aistrup Hansen.
Information Source: Is ‘The Nurse’ a True Story? All You Need to Know About the Danish Thriller | Netflix.
What happened to the said nurse?
The said nurse was charged, convicted and jailed
The Nurse – Christina Aistrup Hansen was charged by the Danish police with the murder of three patients and attempted manslaughter of a fourth at the Hospital (details shared above). She was sentenced for three murders and attempted murder, according to section 237 of the Danish Penal Code in June 2016. As of today in 2023, she is still serving her sentence in a Danish Prison.
Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD)
Well, it is difficult to understand the minds of serial killers. However, during her court trial, Christina Aistrup Hansen was diagnosed with Histrionic personality disorder (HPD), it is a mental health condition marked by unstable emotions, a distorted self-image and an overwhelming desire to be noticed. People with HPD often behave dramatically or inappropriately to get attention.
So, in this series, we saw that Christina was drugging the patients to save them promptly afterwards with cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Much to the appreciation of her hospital colleagues and the management. Little wonder, she called herself to be part of a dream team. The personality disorder of Christina is a psychiatric disorder distinguished by a pattern of exaggerated emotionality and attention-seeking behaviours.
Information source: Is ‘The Nurse’ a True Story? All You Need to Know About the Danish Thriller | Netflix.
Poster of The Nurse (Sygeplejersken) 2023 mini-series
Key details about The Nurse (Sygeplejersken) 2023 mini-series
| Genre | Crime, Drama, Thriller, Biography |
| Original language | Danish (Denmark) |
| Original name | Sygeplejersken |
| Released in | April, 2023 |
| Age-Certification | UA (16+) |
| Season & Episodes | Season One (1) Only & Four (4) Episodes – April 2023 |
| Writer & Creator | Kasper Barfoed |
| Cast | Fanny Louise Bernth, Josephine Park, Peter Zandersen, Dick Kaysø, etc. |
Trailer of The Nurse (Sygeplejersken) 2023 mini-series
If you like watching the gritty Nordic Noir series, then do check out The Bridge series too.
Featured & Other Images: The Nurse | Netflix.