THE highly anticipated debut of Laura Carreira’s On Falling, winner of the Sutherland Award for Best First Feature at the 2024 BFI London Film Festival, has finally been released in UK cinemas. On Falling is a powerful critique of the capitalist system and is highly commendable. It tells a compelling working-class story of immigration, isolation, and poverty.

The main character, Aurora, works at a Scottish fulfilment warehouse, tirelessly walking down aisles and picking items from shelves to be sent to online shoppers. Her shifts begin early in the morning and end late in the evening. Her productivity is constantly monitored, and her wages are low, barely enough to cover rent, food, electricity, and fuel costs. With little joy in her life, a glimmer of hope appears when her new Polish flatmate, a van driver, invites her out for a drink.