Rafa Sales Ross Guest Contributor Amidst the labyrinthine shelves of a fulfilment centre in Edinburgh, a lonely picker scans a variety of items that go from sex toys to office knick-knacks.
The picker is Aurora (Joana Santos), a Portuguese immigrant whose difficult transition to life in Scotland is captured in depth in Laura Carreira’s feature debut, “On Falling.” World premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, then playing main competition at San Sebastián, “On Falling” builds on issues of the mental toll of labor Carreira previously explored in the award-winning shorts “Red Hill” and “The Shift.” “Coming to Scotland and starting my first job was quite crucial in me being introduced to the field of work.
It was such a shock and completely changed the way I saw the world from then on. I am still processing it now,” Carreira told Variety. “I think our world could be a lot more interesting and inventive if we didn’t just succumb to living for our jobs,” she continued. “I guess all my films come from this frustration.
I think the rise in our anxieties and a general difficulty in finding our own purpose and meaning comes from this limitation, especially because most of us need to work so much to make ends meet.” For a feature debut, “On Falling” proved quite challenging an undertaking.
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