MAYER WAKEFIELD has reservations about the direction of a play centered on a DVLA re-training session for three British-Pakistani motorists
Victims of the gig economy
RITA DI SANTO speaks to Laura Carreira about her study of workers in an Amazon warehouse, On Falling
on falling
New releases from Steve Knightley, Jupiter & Okwess, Jason Palmer, Lisa Knapp and Gerry Driver, Kin'Gongolo Kiniata, Ingrid Laubrock/Tom Rainey, Dan Sealey, Simin Tande, PAZ
JOHN GREEN relishes photography that unfolds a longstanding and poetic relationship with Leeds
A uncomfortably misogynistic authorial voice that sometimes seems to lack insight troubles FIONA O’CONNOR
MARY CONWAY is disappointed by a production that panders – if inadvertently – to Western prejudice against China
JOHN GREEN is fascinated by a history that excavates the enormous role played by agricultural workers in recent times
ALEX HALL recommends a book that places empirical evidence at the heart of understanding racism
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.
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RITA DI SANTO casts an eye over the winners - and the overlooked films - from this year’s festival
RITA DI SANTO assesses the political reaction to Francis Coppola’s epic, self-funded depiction of the decline of the US empire
RITA DI SANTO looks at what is on offer
