# Metronom (film)

Metronom is a 2022 drama film written and directed by Alexandru Belc in his directorial debut. Starring Mara Bugarin and Servan Lazarovici accompanied by Vlad Ivanov, Mihai Călin, Andreea Bibiri, Alina Brezunțeanu and Mara Vicol. It had its world premiere on May 24, 2022, at the 75th Cannes Film Festival where it competed for the Un Certain Regard and won Best Director.
The film was named on the shortlist for Romanian's entry for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards, but it was not selected.

## Synopsis

In 1972, Ana and Sorin are two teenagers who fall in love, but the young couple is forced to end their relationship when Sorin tells Ana that he is going to escape with his family to Germany. After that, Ana and Sorin meet again, after the breakup, at the party of a colleague, Roxana. At the party, all the young people listen to the program "Metronom" by DJ Cornel Chiriac, broadcast by Radio Europa Liberă, a radio station banned at the time in Romania. The young people write a letter to Cornel Chiriac, through which they express their desire to leave the country under the communist regime. They are detained by the militia that was notified and forced to describe in detail their participation in an act seen as a protest against the regime.

## Cast

The actors participating in this film are:
* Mara Bugarin as Ana
* Serban Lazarovici as Sorin
* Vlad Ivanov as Biriș
* Mihai Călin as Ana's father
* Andreea Bibiri as Ana's mother
* Alina Brezunțeanu as Sorin's mother
* Mara Vicol as Roxana
* Mihnea Moldoveanu as Geo
* Andrei Miercure as Silviu
* Măriuca Bosnea as Nicolate
* Eduard Chimac as Octav
* Tiberiu Zavelea as Tibi
* Claudia Soare as Maria
* Briana Macovei as Laura
* Pamela Iobaji as Mara
* Ana Bodea as Claudia
* Alin Florea as Ispas
* Alex Conovaru as Dinu
* Alexandru Nedelcu as Photographer
* Horațiu Bob as Security Guard 1
* Daniel Tomescu as Security Guard 2

## Release

It had its world premiere on May 24, 2022 at the 75th Cannes Film Festival where it competed for the Un Certain Regard and won Best Director. Then, it was screened on July 25, 2022, at the 39th Jerusalem Film Festival, on January 31, 2023, at the Gothenburg International Film Festival, etc. It was commercially released on November 4, 2022, in Romanian theaters.

## Reception
### Critical reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 91% of 11 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.6/10.

### Accolades

| Year | Award / Festival | Category | Recipient | Result |
| 2022 | Cannes Film Festival | Un Certain Regard | Metronom | Nominated |
| 2022 | Cannes Film Festival | Un Certain Regard - Best Director | Alexandru Belc | Won |
| 2022 | Jerusalem Film Festival | Best International Film | Metronom | Won |
| 2022 | Adelaide Film Festival | Best Feature Film | Metronom | Nominated |
| 2022 | Chicago International Film Festival | New Directors Competition - Gold Hugo | Alexandru Belc | Nominated |
| 2022 | Camerimage | Best Cinematographer's Debut | Alexandru Belc | Nominated |
| 2022 | International Crime and Punishment Film Festival | Best Film | Metronom | Won |
| 2022 | Gijón International Film Festival | Best Feature Film | Metronom | Won |
| 2022 | Warsaw Film Festival | Crème de la Crème Competition | Metronom | Nominated |
| 2022 | Anonimul International Independent Film Festival | Best Feature Film | Metronom | Nominated |
| 2023 | Trieste Film Festival | Best Feature Film | Metronom | Nominated |
| 2023 | Gopo Awards | Best Feature Film | Cătălin Mitulescu, Viorel Chesaru & Ruxandra Slotea | Nominated |
| 2023 | Gopo Awards | Best Director | Alexandru Belc | Nominated |
| 2023 | Gopo Awards | Best Debut Film | Metronom | Nominated |
| 2023 | Gopo Awards | Best Actor in a Leading Role | Șerban Lazarovici | Nominated |
| 2023 | Gopo Awards | Best Actress in a Leading Role | Mara Bugarin | Nominated |
| 2023 | Gopo Awards | Best Screenplay | Alexandru Belc | Nominated |
| 2023 | Gopo Awards | Best Cinematography | Tudor Vladimir Panduru | Won |
| 2023 | Gopo Awards | Film Editing | Patricia Chelaru | Nominated |
| 2023 | Gopo Awards | Best Sound | Alexandru Dumitru & Răzvan Ionescu | Nominated |
| 2023 | Gopo Awards | Best Production Design | Bogdan Ionescu | Won |
| 2023 | Gopo Awards | Best Costume Design | Ioana Covalciuc | Won |
| 2023 | Gopo Awards | Best Make-up and Hair Styling | Irina Ianciuș & Marie-Pierre Hattabi | Won |