On Falling

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On Falling
Directed byLaura Carreira
Written byLaura Carreira
Produced byJack Thomas-O'Brien
StarringJoana Santos
CinematographyKarl Kürten
Edited byHelle Le Fevre
Music byInes Adriana
Production
companies
  • Sixteen Films
  • Bro Cinema
Distributed byConic (uk)
Release date
  • September 2024 (2024-09)(TIFF)
Countries
  • United Kingdom
  • Portugal
Languages
  • English
  • Portuguese

On Falling is a 2024 British-Portuguese social drama film written and directed by Laura Carreira (in her directorial debut feature) starring Joana Santos.

Contents

Plot

Set in Scotland, the plot follows the plight of Portuguese immigrant and warehouse worker Aurora, trapped in a life governed by wage slavery and social isolation in Glasgow, depicting her emotional breakdown. [1] [2] [3]

Production

The film is a British-Portuguese co-production by Sixteen Films and Bro Cinema, and it had support from BFI, BBC Film, Screen Scotland and ICA  [ pt ]. [2] [4]

Release

On Falling world premiered in the 'Discovery' programme of the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. [2] It was also presented at the 72nd San Sebastián International Film Festival on 24 September 2024, [5] in competition for the Golden Shell. Carreira took the award for Best Director (Ex-aquio) at the festival. It also made it to the 'First Feature Competition' of the 2024 BFI London Film Festival. [6]

Conic acquired UK and Ireland distribution rights, aiming for an early 2025 theatrical release. [7] It also landed a distributor in the Benelux (Vedette), former Yugoslavia (MCF), Greece (Cinobo), Middle East (Teleview), Spain (Vértigo), and Switzerland (Frenetic). [7]

Reception

Critical response

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, calling it "a very impressive debut". [8]

Matthew Joseph Jenner of International Cinephile Society rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, writing that it "conveys a very clear message and delivers it with genuine affection and attention to detail, which is important for a story that carries such resonance". [9]

Fionnuala Halligan of ScreenDaily pointed out how the film grows to become "an intense, enveloping experience". [10]

Sophie Monks Kaufman of IndieWire gave the film an 'A-' rating, deeming it to be "far better than anything living-political-legend Loach made during the final innings of his career". [3]

David Katz of Cineuropa declared the film a "laudably a protest film clamouring for a better way of life, but it still evokes a story's first act mistaken for a whole feature". [2]

Accolades

AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryRecipient(s)ResultRef.
San Sebastián International Film Festival 28 September 2024 Golden Shell On FallingNominated [11] [12] [13]
RTVE-Another Look Award – Special MentionWon
Silver Shell for Best Director Laura CarreiraWon
BFI London Film Festival 20 October 2024 Sutherland Award for Best First Feature On FallingWon [14] [15]

See also

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References

  1. Ntim, Zac (5 September 2024). "Laura Carreira & Jack Thomas-O'Brien On The Strong Collaboration Behind Their Political TIFF Debut 'On Falling'". Deadline Hollywood .
  2. 1 2 3 4 Katz, David (11 September 2024). "Review: On Falling". Cineuropa .
  3. 1 2 Kaufman, Sophie Monks (6 September 2024). "'On Falling' Review: A Quietly Devastating Debut Introduces an Emotionally Sophisticated New Master of Social Realism". IndieWire .
  4. Tabbara, Mona (14 February 2024). "Goodfellas adds Laura Carreira's 'On Falling' To EFM line-up (exclusive)". ScreenDaily .
  5. "La directora portuguesa Laura Carreira presenta 'On Falling': "¿Cuál es el coste de vivir de esta manera?"". Europa Press . 24 September 2024.
  6. Szalai, Georg (4 September 2024). "London Film Fest Unveils Full Program, Including Doc and First Feature Competition Lineups, Series". The Hollywood Reporter .
  7. 1 2 Dalton, Ben (17 October 2024). "Laura Carreira's 'On Falling' sells to key territories including UK-Ireland (exclusive)". ScreenDaily .
  8. Bradshaw, Peter (24 September 2024). "On Falling review – the strip mining of an online warehouse worker's sanity". The Guardian .
  9. "Toronto 2024 review: On Falling (Laura Carreira)". International Cinephile Society . 9 September 2024.
  10. Halligan, Fionnuala (23 September 2024). "'On Falling': San Sebastian Review". ScreenDaily .
  11. Lodge, Guy (28 September 2024). "San Sebastián Film Festival Award Winners (Updating Live)". Variety .
  12. Taylor, Nick. "San Sebastián Announces Their Competition Slate!". The Film Experience. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  13. "Todos los ganadores del Festival de San Sebastián 2024". Escribiendo Cine. 28 September 2024.
  14. Bakare, Lanre; Arts, Lanre Bakare; correspondent, culture (20 October 2024). "'Emotionally resonant' animation wins top prize at London film festival". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 21 October 2024.{{cite news}}: |last3= has generic name (help)
  15. Ntim, Zac (29 August 2024). "London Film Festival: Dea Kulumbegashvili's 'April' And Barry Keoghan Pic 'Bring Them Down' To Play In Competition". Deadline . Retrieved 6 September 2024.