At once a microcosmic expression of frustration and another of auto-critique, When Evening Falls devilishly recalls and riffs on seemingly shapeless conversations between its very small ensemble of characters without succumbing to soporific navel-gazing.
When Evening Falls on Bucharest or Metabolism(Când se lasa seara peste Bucuresti sau metabolism)
✭ ✭ ✭ Read critic reviews
Romania, France · 2013
1h 29m
Director Corneliu Porumboiu
Starring Diana Avramut, Bogdan Dumitrache, Mihaela Sirbu, Alexandru Papadopol
Genre Drama
Add to Watchlist
Please login to add films to your watchlist.
A director with two weeks left on his latest production fakes an ulcer to pursue a romance with his lead actress.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
The New York Times by Ben Kenigsberg
[A] dryly funny, enigmatic new work.
The Hollywood Reporter by Boyd van Hoeij
The third feature of Romanian auteur Corneliu Porumboiu that again takes a clichéd-seeming premise and carefully proceeds to turn it on its head through logic, absurd humor and the consumption of vast quantities of cigarettes.
Metabolism contains enough moments that reward patience to balance off the eventual teetering off of its strengths.
Porumboiu so carefully intellectualizes every outwardly inconsequential exchange that the picture has no room to breathe, forcing audiences to work hard to catch the sly playfulness and cunning within.
The A.V. Club by Mike D'Angelo
At times, Porumboiu’s mix of repetition and resignation recalls Samuel Beckett, and if the overall result is more of a clever exercise than a proper movie, it’ll still have some dryly amusing appeal for those who appreciate intellectual absurdism.
For all the formidable intellect that went into its conceit, When Evening Falls On Bucharest has a slightness that isn’t helped much by the weight of the discussion, which occasionally presses it into a flat soufflé. But Porumboiu’s insight into the filmmaking process itself is often fascinating.
Users who liked this film also liked
Fight Club
A man, thoroughly dissatisfied with his life, finds new meaning when he forms a fight club with soap salesman Tyler Durden.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Germany, United States • 1999
- Director David Fincher
- Cast Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, Helena Bonham Carter, Meat Loaf, Jared Leto, Zach Grenier
- Genre Drama
- Available on Hulu, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
Memories of Murder
(살인의 추억)
A daring, nuanced story of the investigation around the man reported to be South Korea’s first serial killer, who was uncaught at the time of the film's release.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea • 2003
- Director Bong Joon-ho
- Cast Song Kang-ho, Kim Sang-kyung, Kim Roe-ha, Song Jae-ho, Park Hae-il, Go Seo-hee
- Genre Crime, Drama, Thriller
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Tubi TV
Charleston
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Romania, France • 2018
- Director Andrei Cretulescu
- Cast Șerban Pavlu, Victor Rebengiuc, Radu Iacoban, Ana Ularu, Andreea Vasile, Letiția Vlădescu
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Joker
A failed stand-up comedian is driven insane, turning to a life of crime in chaos in Gotham City.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Canada, United States • 2019
- Director Todd Phillips
- Cast Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen, Shea Whigham
- Genre Crime, Thriller, Drama
- Available on TNT, TBS, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand
Parasite
(기생충)
A poor family lies and schemes their way into the employ of a wealthy household — successfully, but with great consequences.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea • 2019
- Director Bong Joon-ho
- Cast Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik, Park So-dam, Chang Hyae-jin
- Genre Comedy, Drama, Thriller
- Available on Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand
The Spy Gone North
(공작)
In the 1990s, a South Korean spy attempts to infiltrate the North Korean elite.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea • 2018
- Director Yoon Jong-bin
- Cast Hwang Jung-min, Lee Sung-min, Cho Jin-woong, Ju Ji-hoon, Kim Hong-pa, Jung So-ri
- Genre Drama, History, Thriller
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, YouTube
Matthias & Maxime
Two men confront their sexuality after being asked to kiss on camera for a school project.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Canada • 2019
- Director Xavier Dolan
- Cast Gabriel D'Almeida Freitas, Xavier Dolan, Pier-Luc Funk, Samuel Gauthier, Antoine Pilon, Adib Alkhalidey
- Genre Drama
- Available on MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video
Midsommar
Let the festivities begin.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United States, Sweden • 2019
- Director Ari Aster
- Cast Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, William Jackson Harper, Will Poulter, Vilhelm Blomgren, Isabelle Grill
- Genre Horror, Drama, Mystery
- Available on Max Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Kanopy
1917
Two British soldiers race to deliver a message that will stop over 1,000 men from walking into a German ambush.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, United States • 2019
- Director Sam Mendes
- Cast George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Mark Strong, Andrew Scott, Richard Madden, Claire Duburcq
- Genre War, Drama, Action
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand
Poor Things
When a young woman, Bella, is reanimated by an eccentric physician, she begins her life anew, exploring the pleasures of the world.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Ireland, United Kingdom, United States • 2023
- Director Yorgos Lanthimos
- Cast Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef, Jerrod Carmichael, Christopher Abbott
- Genre Comedy, Drama, Science Fiction
- Available on Hulu, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand
La Chimera
Arthur, an archaeologist with a supernatural gift for locating Etruscan relics, reunites with a ragtag group of tomb raiders.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy, France, Switzerland • 2023
- Director Alice Rohrwacher
- Cast Isabella Rossellini, Josh O'Connor, Carol Duarte, Alba Rohrwacher, Vincenzo Nemolato, Chiara Pazzaglia
- Genre Drama
- Available on Hulu, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand
The Taste of Things
(Le Pot-au-feu de Dodin Bouffant)
The story of Eugenie, a gifted cook, and Dodin, the fine gourmet with whom she has been working for over the last 20 years.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2023
- Director Tran Anh Hung
- Cast Juliette Binoche, Benoît Magimel, Pierre Gagnaire
- Genre Drama, History, Romance
- Available on Acorn TV, AcornTV Amazon Channel, AMC+, AMC+ Amazon Channel, Acorn TV Apple TV, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, YouTube
All of Us Strangers
One night, screenwriter Adam has a chance encounter with his mysterious neighbor Harry that alters the rhythm of his everyday life.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United States • 2023
- Director Andrew Haigh
- Cast Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Claire Foy, Jamie Bell, Carolina Van Wyhe, Christian Di Sciullo
- Genre Drama, Thriller
- Available on Hulu, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand