La dosis – Fantasia Review (3/5)

LA DOSIS is a new thriller from Argentina. The English title is The Dose and it’s about a nurse who kills patients out of mercy. Then comes a “real” killer. We screened this movie virtually at Fantasia 2020. Read our full La dosis review here!

LA DOSIS is a new thriller from Argentina (also known under the English title The Dose). It’s all about a male nurse who is extremely set in his ways. Right down to eating the exact same thing for lunch every day. He obviously eats more than this, but we never see that. We just get the same slice of his life every day.

He also has a habit of killing patients in his care. It does appear to be out of mercy when they’re already dying, but at the same time, they only get to die, when he decides it’s their time. Then comes a “real” killer who just enjoys killing because he can.

Screened at Fantasia 2020, this movie has a lot going for it but doesn’t quite hit all its marks.

Continue reading our La dosis movie review below.

Killing out of mercy or for pleasure?

The core plot in La dosis is whether or not you can have a valid reason for killing someone. One person kills out of mercy when he feels the patient is ready. However, he will also bring them back from cardiac arrest when he doesn’t feel like it’s the right time.

Essentially, he wants to play God more than “just” be a merciful killer. But he doesn’t see it that way.

Along comes a new colleague who notices that finally, he isn’t the only one killing off patients. However, this person kills indiscriminately and that does not vibe with our “mercy killer”. The battle between them begins – but in a very indirect way. Basically, one of them thinks it’s more of a partnership.

It’s all about being an extrovert versus and introvert and the advantages and challenges that come with each!

Set in a hospital – sort of!

Or actually, it’s more of a clinic of sorts, so it’s not a big hospital. I never really found out what department, the main character worked in. They called it ICU at times, but it’s unlike any ICU I’ve ever encountered before. Also, some patients seemed like they are very terminally ill, but others were getting ready to leave. Quite strange.

And then there are some elements that seem a bit too fictional (or unrealistic) in terms of care at this hospital. Simple things like showing CPR in a way that is just straight-up wrong. Too slow and not nearly enough pressure.

It may be a small thing, but come on, surely someone on set knows CPR and could correct them. Otherwise, don’t make a hospital the setting. Go with another kind of institution or facility. Both my parents worked at hospitals for most (or all) of their professional careers, so I just get annoyed with errors like this.

La Dosis is perfect for slow-burn fans

Martín Kraut is the writer and director of La dosis (or The Dose) and while this movie will not be to everyone’s liking, I did find myself getting very involved somehow. The slow-burn and “business as usual” drive of the main character was both fascinating and irritating.

This is like a small slice of one person’s reality. You don’t know much about his life outside the job he clearly lives for. He doesn’t seem particularly happy, but he does seem strangely content. It both intrigued me in a good way and left me wanting more.

I did however really like the ending of La dosis so points for that!

La dosis premiered at International Film Festival Rotterdam in January 2020. In other words, it managed to get “real” theatrical screenings before everything went virtual due to Corona. It has screened on major genre festivals such as Bucheon in South Korea and now Fantasia in Canada since then.

La dosis is being screened at Fantasia International Film Festival 2020.

Details

Director: Martín Kraut
Writer: Martín Kraut
Stars: Carlos Portaluppi, Ignacio Rogers, Lorena Vega