Top 20 Alternative Picks for TIFF 2013: Corneliu Porumboiu’s When Evening Falls on Bucharest or Metabolism

When Evening Falls on Bucharest or Metabolism – Corneliu Porumboiu

Section: Contemporary World Cinema
Dates: Monday 9th, Wednesday 11th, Sunday 15th

Buzz: Filling our fix for auteur-driven Romanian film imports, word from Locarno Film Fest (where the film received its world premiere) is that the deliciously titled When Evening Falls on Bucharest or Metabolism belongs to the same tree as his previous pair in 12:08 East of Bucharest and Police, Adjective. Reactions confirm what we already know: the filmmaker behind is a breed apart for his signature cerebral, philosopher, sardonic style, but here Porumboiu visits our favorite sub-genre: films about the filmmaking process. Worth noting for celluloid enthusiasts: this was filmed on 35mm.

The Gist: It’s the middle of a film shoot and Paul, the director, is having an affair with Alina, an actress playing a supporting role. With Alina’s last day on set imminent, Paul decides to rewrite the script in order to shoot a nude scene with her. But tomorrow is always another day. Paul wakes up in the morning and decides not to shoot the scene after all. Instead, he calls the producer and tells her he’s having problems with his ulcer…