From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

Patience, waiting silently, the entire screening room was waiting.

However, until all the subtitles ended, the twist did not appear—

Snap.

The lights in the screening room slowly brightened, instantly stinging Nicholas's eyes. He reflexively closed his eyes, thinking he would be in tears, but he wasn't.

On the contrary, his eyes were terribly dry, so much so that he could still feel the stinging when he closed them, a feeling like working for three consecutive nights without sleep, unable to close his eyes.

All sorts of thoughts surged in his mind.

But how should it be described?

Rarely, Nicholas felt at a loss for words, unable to express himself accurately.

Almost everyone should have thought at least once:

If things could be overturned and restarted, could everything become perfect?

If those sorrows and pains had not happened, how wonderful would life be with only happiness and joy?

If one thing could be changed, could one's life be complete?

"If," a hypothetical question, contains countless emotions behind it such as regret, remorse, greed, desire, unwillingness, anger, grievance, etc., involuntarily thinking that one could do better if it were done again, that everything would be different if that tragedy hadn't happened.

However, only a very, very small number of people are willing to accept a reality:

Pain and hardship are also part of life.

Without sadness, there is no joy; without trials, happiness will not be so profound; on the opposite side of victory, one needs to endure the磨练 of failure.

Everything is relative.

Perfection does not exist, because everything has both positive and negative sides coexisting. Trying to deny one side may result in completely destroying everything.

Darkness is often the background color for nurturing dawn, otherwise it would be like sunlight in polar day or darkness in polar night, they both lose their meaning.

It is precisely those pains, those torments, those frustrations, those things that we try our best to deny and resist, that gradually polish our character and soul, and finally achieve the present self.

Denying them is essentially denying oneself.

So, at the end of the movie, Evan killed himself with the umbilical cord.

However, this is not inspirational chicken soup, nor is it an inspirational pumped-up story.

This is a tragedy, a complete tragedy, a philosophical tragedy.

Because Evan personally erased his existence, disappearing completely.

Also because Evan believed that everyone could be happy without him, this was a thorough denial of himself.

Remember?

Evan once had happiness. He entered university, was suave and healthy, and never had blackouts again; but everything began to fall apart when he tried to play God, correct mistakes, and pursue perfection.

Humans, ah, humans, are always like this.

Again and again trying to play God, again and again trying to manipulate the fate of others, trying to change their own destiny, but never with positive results—

Tragedy, tragedy, still tragedy.

However, have humans learned a lesson?

No, no, humans are still repeating the same mistakes in the cycle of tragedy.

It is greed, it is arrogance, it is pride, just like the "seven deadly sins," people can never escape the shackles of humanity and sin.

Will Tommy, Keller, Lanny, Andrea know that there is such a person who sacrificed himself for their happiness?

The answer is cruel—

This is the saddest and most desperate part.

Perhaps, the real way to have happiness is to face those scars and those pains with equanimity, give up the illusion of perfection, don't be nostalgic for the past, firmly grasp every moment of the present, and write the future with your own hands.

Heh.

Such a simple truth, everyone understands, does it still need a movie to teach it?

But the most absurd thing about reality is that we always understand the simplest truths in the most painful ways, because arrogance and conceit often blind our eyes, and we forget those taken-for-granted things if we are not careful.

Nicholas took a long, long breath, such a simple action seemed to exhaust all his strength to barely complete, that vicissitude and fatigue from the depths of his soul, always lingered.

In just two hours, it was as if he had experienced three lifetimes with Evan. Now he finally understood the feeling that the child in "Yi Yi" said.

"I feel like I'm old too."

In that movie, there was such a line, originally thought that if I lived again, maybe something would be different, but it was still about the same, nothing different. Just suddenly felt that, if I lived again, it seems, there is no need.

Who would have thought that after watching "The Butterfly Effect," Nicholas slumped in his seat, the memory awakened in his mind was actually "Yi Yi," which was completely irrelevant.

Involuntarily, the corners of his mouth slightly raised in an arc, there was a sense of happiness—

Watching movies is really good.

For no reason, purely just sighing, they can watch movies, immerse themselves in the world of light and shadow, extend life, open the world.

Sadness and bitterness, slightly diluted, other mixed emotions surged up, the chaotic brain finally cleared up a little, strength returned to the body, fingertips once again felt the temperature.

A burst of numbness.

Finally, he came back to his senses.

At this time, Nicholas sat up straight and looked around—

What's going on?

It's okay if there's no applause, it's normal, after all, not all movie premiere scenes are thunderous with applause, this is not the Toronto Film Festival; moreover, the ending of the movie is not a conventional ending that makes people cry and feel excited, and the mood can't be excited for a while.

However, no one leaving, no discussion, no movement, this seems very strange.

Could it be… the other viewers don't like it?

No way? Anson's movie is a flop for the first time? Sure enough, the ending of the movie is too sad and too tragic, right?

Nicholas was also very surprised. He didn't expect Anson to like this type of movie at all.

Not only as a producer, this character, this story, this type, all seem very special; in addition, this is Anson's first challenge to a non-decorative role, using performance to inject soul into the role, which also tests Anson's taste even more.

As a result, Anson chose such a work, Nicholas found it very interesting.

It's just that the market reaction is… unpredictable.

After all, this is not hard science fiction, nor is it an adventure action film disguised as science fiction, but a brain-burning type of science fiction. Although it has a group of loyal viewers, the promotion is still more difficult, and overall it is still a bit niche.

Plus this ending… the male protagonist actually disappeared? Isn't this too bold?

Huff.

Nicholas heavily exhaled a breath, sweating for Anson.

Nicholas seriously considered whether he should take the lead in applauding to create some atmosphere. As long as one person applauds, others will at least give some face, right?

But at this moment, there was a rustling commotion from the front diagonal.

What's wrong?