Scotland on Screen: Laura Carreira
From her incisive short films to her upcoming feature debut On Falling, Laura Carreira has shown herself to be a filmmaker with an eye for nuanced cinema concerned with social justice. Ahead of On Falling’s UK premiere, we look back at this body of work
Edinburgh-based Portuguese filmmaker Laura Carreira presents the UK premiere of her debut feature On Falling at London Film Festival in October, following its world premiere at Toronto International Film Festival last month. Taking several leaves out of the Ken Loach and Mike Leigh book of social realist filmmaking, On Falling tells the muted tale of a Portuguese immigrant struggling to survive in Scotland while tackling the subjects of mental health, workers' rights and suicide with considerable empathy. Along with her earlier short films Red Hill and The Shift, Carreira’s filmmaking paints a bleak picture of working-class life in Scotland but provides an essential viewpoint upholding social justice through cinema.
Red Hill (2018)
In her short Red Hill, we see the beginnings of Carreira’s signature, nuanced style. Set within a Scottish mining community, the film follows Jim (Billy Mack), an ex-miner and security guard at his former mine, who’s processing the end of his career through participation in a retirement support group. Jim’s life has always centred around the mine in some way, and Carreira’s film explores the idea of losing a sense of self without the purpose of work. When the group leader suggests that “a lot of you won’t have had time for any hobbies” and asks the room to think of ideas for activities, Jim is left speechless. His inability to engage in the exercise is a subtle indication of his loss of identity; working has become all that he is, and it’s a testament to Carreira’s delicate approach that we form this conclusion through performance and narrative alone.
The Shift (2020)
Careirra’s next short, The Shift, made its bow at the prestigious Venice International Film Festival. It’s her most successful and poignant short to date, and after the Venice premiere, it went on to win acclaim and awards at film festivals the world over. It follows agency worker Anna (Anna Russell-Martin) on a trip to a supermarket. She’s tied up her dog outside and proceeds to carefully peruse the aisles, only placing discounted and budget brand items in her basket. Anna’s humble shopping trip is suddenly interrupted by a call letting her know she's not required for upcoming shifts at work, the loss of which means she might not be able to eat this week. As Anna leaves the shop without looking back, we see her dog still tied up by the automatic doors, left behind in a heartbreaking decision of survival. Not only is The Shift a sharp critique of zero-hour contract work culture, it's also a vital depiction of what is truly required of those living on a financial knife edge, where a shift at work can be the difference between feeding yourself and your furry companion.
On Falling (2024)
The themes addressed in these shorts come together to form the very fabric of On Falling, a character-driven workplace drama tracking the daily routine of Portuguese warehouse worker Aurora (Joana Santos), whose hope for a better life in Scotland has turned into a lonely, monotonous existence. Bound by a never-ending cycle of shift work, Aurora clutches at glimpses of human connection surrounding her, whether it be dry workplace friendships or tagging along to the pub with her friendly new flatmate. Subtly referencing a classic movement in British film culture, 'kitchen-sink' conversations provide a pivotal function in Aurora's daily regime. At one point we see her repeatedly entering the kitchen in her flat for a glass of water, the sole purpose being an excuse for potential social interaction.
As she did in The Shift, Carreira is exploring the idea of ‘working to live’, but with a more introspective tone. Rather than financial adversity, which we also see Aurora experiencing in On Falling, what is presented here is a lowered expectation for quality of life where these minuscule interactions are what Aurora is evidently working to live for. This desire for connection is perfectly symbolised by Aurora choosing to fix her broken phone over a much-needed food shop, prioritising her need to ‘connect’ above basic human survival.
Similarly to Jim in Red Hill, we also see Aurora begin to lose her sense of self to the workplace. Towards the end of the film, Aurora is interviewed for a position as a social care worker, which presents a new, hopeful trajectory that would allow her to escape from soul-destroying shift work. However, when she's asked what she likes to do in her spare time, Aurora is only able to answer “the laundry”, mirroring Jim’s inability to consider recreation outside of work.
Collectively, Jim, Anna and Aurora are all victims of a flawed social system that has caused them to lose their humanity and purpose due to ineffective working conditions. While Carreira’s filmmaking is demonstrably devastating, it is also a vital source of representation for Scottish working-class stories, and seeks to educate and advocate for future change-making in the sector through her resonant artistry.
On Falling screens at London Film Festival on 17 & 19 Oct
Filmography (selected): On Falling (2024), The Shift (2020), Red Hill (2018)