Director: Anne Fontaine
A remote motel, an empty overnight desk, and a new hire who quickly realizes the building keeps its own secrets: that's the setup driving "Night Shift," Anne Fontaine's 2024 horror-thriller from France.
What is Night Shift about?
The film follows a woman clocking in for her very first overnight shift at an out-of-the-way motel. The halls are quiet, the guest register is thin, and yet small details keep snagging her attention: a door that won't stay shut, a sound with no obvious source, a guest who may not be who they claim. As the night wears on, unease curdles into something closer to certainty that the motel itself is not empty in the way it should be. Fontaine, working outside her usual dramatic register, leans into a slow-burn structure that isolates its lead in long corridors and flickering light rather than relying on constant jump scares. The cast includes Omar Sy and Virginie Efira alongside Peyman Maadi, giving the ensemble an international shape that suits a story about strangers passing through a place that doesn't want them to leave easily.
Cast & crew
Omar Sy and Virginie Efira anchor the night with performances built on hesitation and restraint rather than theatrics, while Peyman Maadi and Grégory Gadebois round out a small, tightly controlled ensemble that keeps the motel's guest list feeling genuinely unpredictable.
Context & significance
Released in 2024 and running a brisk 82 minutes, "Night Shift" sits in a wave of contained, single-location horror that trades sprawling mythology for a tight setting and a small cast, letting atmosphere do most of the work over the course of one long night. Fontaine's background in character-driven drama shows up in how much time the film gives to small, quiet exchanges before anything overtly frightening happens, a choice that rewards patient viewers over those chasing constant scares.
Where & how to watch
"Night Shift" is available to stream on K-Time with a free account login, presented in a Farsi-friendly interface with both Persian dubbing and Persian subtitles for the Iranian diaspora audience. No purchase is required to browse the title page itself.