THE DOSE: Two Nurses Play God In This Muted Thriller

In Martín Kraut‘s Argentinian thriller, The Dose (La Dosis), two nurses, one older and one younger, ponder their status at a palliative care ward. Unlike other nurses, they harbor a dark secret: they are not against performing euthanasia without the patient’s consent. Euthanasia is defined as directly or indirectly precipitating the death of another person for that person’s sake. The topic of euthanasia is contentious in and of itself. Many methods of it arguably vary in liability (nonvoluntary, involuntary, active, and passive). Even if there is an advance directive in place, or the patient is unable to express his or her own wishes, the process of bringing about someone’s death will always be viewed and judged critically with consideration of morality. In Kraut’s subtly taut psychological thriller, the ethics of euthanasia coincide with a scathing critique of self-imposed isolation and male rivalry. 

Marcos (Carlos Portaluppi) is a middle-aged, assiduous night shift nurse at a palliative care ward. When dealing with patients, Marcos is even-tempered and sympathetic. But more importantly, he is medically swayed by his own beliefs. From time to time, when he fully believes that a patient is beyond saving, let alone treating, he secretly dispenses a drug to end their suffering. However, Marcos’s routine and status at the ward are threatened when Gabriel (Ignacio Rogers) joins the staff as another nurse. Gabriel is young, charming, and self-assured, naturally winning employees and patients over with his relaxed disposition. Howbeit, ever since Gabriel joined on staff, the death rate has greatly increased, prompting an official investigation. Marcos soon finds out that Gabriel, like him, is killing patients, but he’s not doing it out of clemency, he’s doing it out of sheer pleasure. 

A Peculiar & Gripping Rivalry Between Two Nurses

The Dose opens with an overhead shot of an elderly woman laying on a hospital bed. Nothing but the beeping of the monitor is heard. Soon, the heart of the woman gives out, and doctors and nurses race to the scene to resuscitate the woman. As the doctors call time of death, Marcos, the dutiful nurse, refuses to give up and is able to jump-start her heart. The doctors and medical administrators aren’t too happy with Marcos’ save, as he didn’t only break protocol but the ailing woman is left unresponsive and left to be consumed by an infection. Marcos, now believing the woman’s future as unlikely, administers one last dose of medicine to end her suffering. 

Caring for elderly patients who are still clinging to life is part of Marcos’ everyday life. The sounds of beeping monitors and irritated patients fill up the ward. Muted shades of blue and green, courtesy of Gustavo Biazzi’s detached and dreary cinematography, exude a palpable sadness characteristic of the ward and Marcos’ lonely existence. 

Marcos has been a nurse at the ward for twenty years, and not once did he complain nor did he ever show a lack of concern for those on death’s door. In fact, he does not have much of a life outside of work, living alone in a derelict apartment and living on canned peas. The only person who resembles a friend is his co-worker Noelia (Lorena Vega). Occasionally, Marcos performs an act of euthanasia on a patient who is beyond saving, at least from his perspective; loved ones may disagree. Despite perceiving his acts of euthanasia as merciful, Marcos is not righteous. That realization comes from the arrival of Gabriel, a young and beguiling nurse who shares Marcos’ urge to perform euthanasia, but with uglier intentions. 

Initially, Marcos is unaware of Gabriel’s propensity to kill for the sake of killing. Even so, Marcos is immediately taken aback by Gabriel’s laid-back attitude. With a piercing gaze or a considered sentence, Gabriel toys with Marcos’ feelings. Through guileful tactics, Gabriel threatens Marcos’ position at the ward by winning the affection of employees, giving into patients’ demands, and changing schedules without first telling him. As Gabriel and Marcos’ relationship progresses, Marcos is left confused and annoyed for reasons that extend beyond sheer animosity and jealously. At some point, their interactions imply sexual attraction, something which Marcos is trying to evade, and Gabriel is trying to nurture with friendship and flirtation. The thing is, Gabriel himself is a skilled manipulator. It remains unclear if Gabriel is drawn to Marcos because they are both advocates of euthanasia, or if Gabriel is playing him to control the outcome of their rivalry. From beginning to end, the motivation behind Gabriel’s attraction to Marcos remains temptingly equivocal and deliberately uncomfortable. 

The strange dynamics of Marcos and Gabriel’s relationship are stimulating from the get-go. Kraut writes them as opposites, yet given their professions they must get along. There is little to no capacity for error when wielding the power over life and death. A quietly pained and worried Carlos Portaluppi credibly conveys Marcos’ malaise at Gabriel’s friendly demeanor, youthful appearance, and unbounded vigor. A spirited Ignacio Rogers scarily conveys Gabriel’s calculating attempts to manipulate Marcos while still being able to uphold a veneer of conviviality. Portaluppi and Rogers are both magnetic, written to be polar opposites yet they have an undeniable chemistry that is typified by an underlying hostility. Such hostility is exhibited by strained body language and rigid stares. 

Who Plays God Best?

The film itself appreciates Marcos’ perspective over any other, leaving Gabriel without character insight. But that decision serves Gabriel’s questionable intent to take lives — not to be clement but to feel powerful. In a later scene, Marcos says, “For those who believe, God is everywhere.” Gabriel responds to Marcos with a startling assertion: “Yes, maybe here. But He can only look in the ICU. You and I are the gods in there.” By matching two nurses against each other who act like God by making life and death decisions without patient consent, Kraut’s unnerving thriller explores a scenario where two nurses try to prove that they play the role of God better than the other. 

The discourse on the implications associated with playing God, while innately fascinating, especially when it revolves around medical ethics, almost seems overshadowed by Gabriel’s muzzy motivations to befriend Marcos and Marcos’ nascent psychological distress. The middle portion of the film drags on without engendering novel commentary on the ethics of euthanasia or the exploitation of power. 

Marcos and Gabriel’s status as implementers of euthanasia — Marcos being an angel of mercy, and Gabriel being an angel of death — point to a climactic, potentially violent confrontation that proves one killer worthier, or smarter, than the other. But the reality is less barbaric and more psychologically vexing and ill-defined. Sprinkle in a bit of dark humor and you have yourself a conclusion that is interestingly off-center but still underwhelming. In the end, the film refrains from making a lucid declaration on Marcos and Gabriel’s perspectives on euthanasia or even on their complex relationship. 

The Dose: Conclusion

Despite being slowly paced and frustratingly ambiguous, the superb performances from Portaluppi and Rogers, coupled with Gustavo Biazzi’s caliginous cinematography, upholds the intrigue. On top of being morally suspect, Marcos and Gabriel are embroiled in a relationship that is rooted in rancor and confusion, which originates from fatal attraction, undying competition, and specious rationalization.

Martín Kraut‘s The Dose is a slow-burn thriller that underlines the conflict between two nurses who exercise euthanasia for reasons that align with their beliefs. While meandering halfway through, the film is visually and conceptually rich, bolstered by a somber atmosphere. Above all, this is a story that was not designed exclusively to provoke the main characters; the ethics of it all will challenge even the most knowledgeable viewers. 

Have you seen The Dose? If not, are you interested in seeing it now? Let us know in the comments!

The Dose was released in the U.S. on video-on-demand on June 11, 2021, by Samuel Goldwyn Films.

Watch The Dose