Keswick Film Club - Reviews - On Falling

Why is so much of modern life alienating? This is the question asked by the film "On Falling" which was shown last Sunday at the Keswick Film Club. We followed the main character, Aurora, through her unfulfilling days working in a warehouse, and then her lonely evenings in a shared flat. Aurora was trapped in this spiral of being broke, cold and hungry with no obvious way out.

Her friends and colleagues were all trapped in the same way, but seemed to be able to make a better life. The film didn't question why she was so passive and unable to live a little more. Her job was boring but not awful, her flat was warm and friendly and everyone around her was supportive and caring – almost to the point of being unreal. In one very upsetting scene, she was being interviewed for a new job, but despite the interviewer being remarkably supportive, she was unable to respond and just showed how desperately needy she was.

The film was shot in natural light in a Scottish winter and so was rather gloomy – in fact the only real light was ironically the fluorescent glare of the warehouse

The actress playing Aurora, Joana Santos, was excellent at showing the passivity and vulnerability which prevented Aurora from living a full life, but in doing this gave the film an empty centre.