Closing Time

At a curbside eatery in Taipei, Mr. Kuo and his wife, Mrs. Lin, cook late into the evening for the city’s night owls. As locals, laborers, and passersby alike stop in for warm bowls of rice, a portrait of a community slowly takes shape through overheard conversations and the routines of the restaurant. Filming patiently and with an unobtrusive hand, the Swiss-born Nicole Vögele takes a holistic approach to her subject, observing with a thoughtful distance the goings-on in front of and behind the counter, and in the process vividly captures a working-class milieu rarely seen on screen.