When Evening Falls on Bucharest or Metabolism

Each story has to fit like a well-fitting shoe - and maybe the best (and cleverest and funniest) shoemaker in European cinema is Corneliu Porumboiu. His third film focuses on a filmmaker (grumpy and despairingly played by a wonderful Bogdan Dumitrache) who wrestles with the end of his film and is having an affair with a supporting actress. In 17 long shots, we see them in cars, restaurants or bedrooms going through life and cinema in general and their own film in particular. In an ironic but loving way, the creative process is made explicit within the film. As a result, When Evening Falls on Bucharest or Metabolism (when you see the film, you’ll understand the title) is not only an ideal film lesson about the nature of reality and the need to film and watch films, but also something bigger. If that is possible.