[Documentaire] Lifting the veil on workplace accidents

In Work to death, Joseph Gordillo follows the steps of parents to obtain the indictment of the employer of their son, Tom, who died at the age of 18 in a slaughterhouse while he was doing a summer job. Alerted to the issue of workplace accidents via the scandals which broke out around the construction sites implemented to host the World Cup in Qatar, the director wanted to know what was hidden behind the few cryptic lines which sometimes cross the pages of the French regional daily press on the subject. Because there are two deaths per day and some 35,000 people each year in France remain disabled or unable to return to work.

Testimonies from victims

The subject of work accidents also refers to the complex procedures for obtaining compensation, even if the concept seems meaningless in the face of a death. To Tom’s story, Joseph Gordillo adds data and the testimony of two victims who survived their accident, to compose a poignant film that should be put before the eyes of all employers who are disrespectful of safety standards at work. Besides Work to deathJoseph Gordillo had previously followed lawyer Ralph Blindauer – the same one Tom’s parents hired – alongside employees threatened by the closure of their factory, in The law of the weakest (2021).

Work to deathdirected by Joseph Gordillo, 1h10, to watch on France TV in replay, until July 16.