Anna, a Yenish, was separated from her family and grew up in an orphanage in Switzerland. Many years later, the former orphanage becomes a nursing home and the now grown Anna works there as a nurse. When a woman moves into the nursing home, Anna has to face her traumatic childhood. Where the Shadows Fall is one of the debut films worthy of note this year. It explores the policy of ethnic cleansing employed by the Swiss government between 1926 and 1972, which led to the removal of Yenish children from their parents and their re-location to orphanages or mental institutions. As this film is based on hundreds of real-life examples, the director’s critical mind is clearly in action and his direction of the various scenes is quite remarkable. The clever lighting embodying the interior of the dark nursing home is superbly done and the plot brilliantly contrasting Anna’s past and present in that same place is well structured. The charisma of Elena Cotta, playing harsh “mother,” also makes the film shine. (RHEE Souewon)