1975; 1h 31m
This drama explores the grim lives of Turkish “guest workers” living in Germany.
Director: Sohrab Shahid Saless
Writers: Helga Houzer; Sohrab Shahid Saless
Stars: Parviz Sayyad; Cihan Anasai; Muhammet Temizkan
Category Archives: Temp/Precarious work
FAR FROM HOME (Dar Ghorbat)
TRAIN DREAMS
2025; PG-13; 1h 42m
Based on Denis Johnson’s beloved novella, Train Dreams is the moving portrait of Robert Grainier, a logger and railroad worker who leads a life of unexpected depth and beauty in the rapidly-changing America of the early 20th Century.
Director: Clint Bentley
Writers: Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Denis Johnson
Stars: Joel Edgerton, Clifton Collins Jr., Felicity Jones
NYTimes: ‘Train Dreams’ Review: Life, Understood in Reverse
Rolling Papers (Pikad Paberid)
2024; 1h 38m
Director: Meel Paliale
Writers: Meel PalialeUrmet Piiling Stars: Mihkel Kuusk; Karl Birnbaum; Edgar Vunsh
A portrait of European youth as they navigate life in their twenties, grappling with uncertainty and searching for purpose.
Self Driver
A desperate cab driver joins a mysterious money-making app, leading him into society’s shadows. As the night progresses, his morals are tested and free will questioned. The depths he’ll sink reveal themselves as darkness falls.
2024
1h 30m
Director: Michael Pierro
Writer: Michael Pierro
Stars
Nathanael Chadwick
Reece Presley
Lauren Welchner
Get a Job (2016)
Full Time (2023)
- 16m
A skateboarder played by Andrew Lutheran (Goldbergs, breaking bad, Palo Alto) gets offered a full time job by a mysterious man played by Iddo Goldberg (Peaky blinders, Snowpiercer) to stand in a square all day. He is making more money the longer he stands there but his life is passing him by.
- Director
- Writer
- Stars
Fallen Leaves (2023)
In modern-day Helsinki, two lonely souls in search of love meet by chance in a karaoke bar. However, their path to happiness is beset by obstacles – from lost phone numbers to mistaken addresses, alcoholism, and a charming stray dog.
- Director
- Writer
- Stars
NYT review: Can a Rom-Com Make Sense in Dark Times? Yes, When It’s From This Master.
Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World (2023)
An overworked and underpaid production assistant drives around Bucharest to shoot the casting for a workplace safety video commissioned by a multinational company.
- Director
- Writer
- Stars
Shoplifters
2018 ‧ Drama/Crime ‧ 2h 1m
Initial release: June 8, 2018 (Japan)
Director: Hirokazu Koreeda
Japanese: 万引き家族
Awards: Palme d’Or, Japan Academy Prize for Picture of the Year, MORE
Nominations: Cannes Jury Prize, Cannes Best Director Award,
On the margins of Tokyo, a dysfunctional band of outsiders is united by fierce loyalty and a penchant for petty theft. When the young son is arrested, secrets are exposed that upend their tenuous, below-the-radar existence.
Sorry We Missed You
2019 ‧ Drama ‧ 1h 40m
Ricky and his family have been fighting an uphill struggle against debt since the 2008 financial crash. An opportunity to wrestle back some independence appears with a shiny new van and the chance to run a franchise as a self-employed delivery driver. It’s hard work, and his wife’s job as a carer is no easier. The family unit is strong but when both are pulled in different directions everything comes to breaking point.
Initial release: May 16, 2019 (France)
Director: Ken Loach
Producer: Rebecca O’Brien
Screenplay: Paul Laverty
Nominations: Palme d’Or, Cannes Best Actress Award, MORE
Production companies: Wild Bunch, Why Not Productions, Sixteen Films
Sorry We Missed You review – Ken Loach’s superb swipe at zero-hours Britain
THE LABOR FILM DATABASE 