On Falling

2024 film
On Falling
Film poster
Directed byLaura Carreira
Written byLaura Carreira
Produced by
  • Jack Thomas-O'Brien
  • Mário Patrocínio
StarringJoana Santos
CinematographyKarl Kürten
Edited byHelle Le Fevre
Music byJoshua Sabin
Production
companies
  • Sixteen Films
  • Bro Cinema
Distributed byConic (uk)
Release dates
  • 6 September 2024 (2024-09-06) (TIFF)
  • 7 March 2025 (2025-03-07) (United Kingdom)
Running time
104 minutes[1]
Countries
  • United Kingdom
  • Portugal
Languages
  • English
  • Portuguese
Box office$181,376[2]

On Falling is a 2024 social realist drama film, written and directed by Laura Carreira and starring Joana Santos. A British-Portuguese co-production, the film is Carreira's debut feature.

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 and its repercussions, leading to her emotional breakdown.

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].[3][4] It was the feature film debut for Carreira, previously known for her shorts The Shift and Red Hill.[5]

Release

On Falling had its world premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival as part of its Discovery programme.[3] It was presented at the 72nd San Sebastián International Film Festival on 24 September 2024,[6] in competition for the Golden Shell; Carreira took the award for Best Director (ex-aequo) at the festival. It featured in the First Feature Competition of the 2024 BFI London Film Festival.[7] where it was awarded the Sutherland prize for Best First Feature.

Conic acquired UK and Ireland distribution rights,[8] and released it theatrically on 7 March 2025.[9] It also landed a distributor in the Benelux (Vedette), former Yugoslavia (MCF), Greece (Cinobo), Middle East (Teleview), Spain (Vértigo, which scheduled a 19 September 2025 theatrical release date), and Switzerland (Frenetic).[8][10]

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 94% of 16 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.4/10.[11]

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, calling it "a very impressive debut".[12]

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".[13]

Fionnuala Halligan of ScreenDaily pointed out how the film grows to become "an intense, enveloping experience".[14]

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".[15]

David Katz of Cineuropa declared the film "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".[3]

Accolades

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
San Sebastián International Film Festival 28 September 2024 Golden Shell On Falling Nominated [16][17][18]
RTVE-Another Look Award – Special Mention Won
Silver Shell for Best Director Laura Carreira Won
BFI London Film Festival 20 October 2024 Sutherland Award for Best First Feature On Falling Won [19][20]
BAFTA Scotland Awards 16 November 2025 Best Feature Film Won [21]
Best Writer (Film/Television) Laura Carreira Won
British Independent Film Awards 30 November 2025 Best Director Nominated [22]
Best Screenplay Nominated
Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director) Nominated
Best Debut Screenwriter Nominated
European Film Awards 17 January 2026 European Discovery – Prix FIPRESCI On Falling Won [23][24]
Goya Awards 28 February 2026 Best European Film Pending [25]

See also

References

  1. ^ "On Falling". TIFF. Retrieved 27 March 2025.
  2. ^ "On Falling". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  3. ^ a b c Katz, David (11 September 2024). "Review: On Falling". Cineuropa.
  4. ^ Tabbara, Mona (14 February 2024). "Goodfellas adds Laura Carreira's 'On Falling' To EFM line-up (exclusive)". ScreenDaily.
  5. ^ Ntim, Zac (5 September 2024). "Laura Carreira & Jack Thomas-O'Brien On The Strong Collaboration Behind Their Political TIFF Debut 'On Falling'". Deadline Hollywood.
  6. ^ "La directora portuguesa Laura Carreira presenta 'On Falling': "¿Cuál es el coste de vivir de esta manera?"". Europa Press. 24 September 2024.
  7. ^ Szalai, Georg (4 September 2024). "London Film Fest Unveils Full Program, Including Doc and First Feature Competition Lineups, Series". The Hollywood Reporter.
  8. ^ a b Dalton, Ben (17 October 2024). "Laura Carreira's 'On Falling' sells to key territories including UK-Ireland (exclusive)". ScreenDaily.
  9. ^ Billington, Alex (17 February 2025). "New Trailer for 'On Falling' Film - About Loneliness in the Gig Economy | FirstShowing.net". www.firstshowing.net. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  10. ^ Partearroyo, Daniel de (17 September 2025). "Crítica de 'On Falling': Laura Carreira retrata con naturalidad a una generación destinada a caer". Cinemanía.
  11. ^ "On Falling". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 27 March 2025.
  12. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (24 September 2024). "On Falling review – the strip mining of an online warehouse worker's sanity". The Guardian.
  13. ^ "Toronto 2024 review: On Falling (Laura Carreira)". International Cinephile Society. 9 September 2024.
  14. ^ Halligan, Fionnuala (23 September 2024). "'On Falling': San Sebastian Review". ScreenDaily.
  15. ^ Kaufman, Sophie Monks (6 September 2024). "'On Falling' Review: A Quietly Devastating Debut Introduces an Emotionally Sophisticated New Master of Social Realism". IndieWire.
  16. ^ Lodge, Guy (28 September 2024). "San Sebastián Film Festival Award Winners (Updating Live)". Variety.
  17. ^ Taylor, Nick. "San Sebastián Announces Their Competition Slate!". The Film Experience. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  18. ^ "Todos los ganadores del Festival de San Sebastián 2024". Escribiendo Cine. 28 September 2024.
  19. ^ Bakare, Lanre (20 October 2024). "'Emotionally resonant' animation wins top prize at London film festival". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  20. ^ 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.
  21. ^ Parfitt, Orlando (17 November 2025). "'The Outrun', 'On Falling' lead winners at 2025 Bafta Scotland awards". ScreenDaily.
  22. ^ Ritman, Alex (30 November 2025). "British Independent Film Awards: BDSM Romance 'Pillion' Claims Top Honor, 'My Father's Shadow' Wins Best Director". Variety. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  23. ^ Roxborough, Scott (18 November 2025). "Nominations for the 2026 European Film Awards Unveiled". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 18 November 2025.
  24. ^ Ntim, Zac (14 October 2025). "'Bugonia', 'On Falling' & 'Sound Of Falling' Among Titles On The European Film Awards Nominations Shortlist". Deadline. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  25. ^ Cabeza, Elisabet (13 January 2026). "'Sundays', 'Sirât' lead 40th Goya Awards nominations". ScreenDaily. Retrieved 13 January 2026.


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