On Falling
By Kit Macdonald
This excellent British-Portuguese social-realist drama directed by Laura Carreira follows Aurora (Joana Santos), a Portuguese immigrant working as a “picker” in a large warehouse/fulfillment centre in Scotland. Living in a shared flat and navigating social isolation, Aurora is caught between the demands of her work and the solitude of her free time. The film explores how precarious labour, financial stress and the emotional toll of being far from home can erode the sense of self, and the monotony, physical toll and algorithm-slavery of Aurora's day-to-day life is starkly placed at the very centre of the narrative.
This is Carreira's debut feature, and a mightily impressive, quietly powerful one it is too. Her knack for social-realism suggests she could be a worthy heir to the crown of Ken Loach, whose production company Sixteen Films is behind this superb film.