From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

Wait, what just happened?

On the screen, Joel was completely lost; outside the screen, the Angelica Film Center was equally bewildered. No one understood what that baby-faced interlude was all about; the whole plot was simply baffling.

Karen was stunned: Did I just miss something?

Karen subconsciously turned to Blair and asked in a low voice, "What's going on?"

Blair shrugged, clearly just as confused. But now, it seemed the only explanation was, "Charlie Kaufman."

Just when everyone thought this was just an ordinary love movie, just a story about two strange people falling in love; they forgot that Charlie Kaufman never takes the conventional path. This genius screenwriter's imagination often catches people off guard.

Right now, it was like this —

The scene changed, a very abrupt and crude transition. Day turned into night, still in the car, still in front of Clementine's house, still Joel.

But now, Joel was gripping the steering wheel, crying loudly, tears streaming down his face.

Karen: ???

Blair: ???

This time, Karen didn't need to ask. She could see the astonishment and surprise in Blair's eyes. They both looked at the big screen, afraid of missing any detail that might help them keep up.

So, this is a mind-bending movie?

Blair immediately noticed —

The styling was completely different.

Now, Joel was wearing a knitted hat, and his jacket and shirt were slightly different. Although his tie was loosely undone, he was indeed wearing a tie.

The details proved that this must be another day.

Trapped in pain and despair, Joel couldn't control his emotions even with all his strength. His internal organs were burning, and he drove wildly down the empty streets.

Blair was very certain that this black dot had not appeared before. Such a conspicuous mark was obviously not a makeup error by the crew, so —

What's going on?

Joel parked the car near his apartment and walked towards the building, only to find two people suspiciously following him in a small van.

Joel hurriedly entered the apartment building, stopping at the mailbox to collect his mail, nervously scanning his surroundings for suspicious figures.

Frank, an apartment neighbor, appeared to collect his mail and chatted with Joel, self-deprecatingly mentioning that the only Valentine's Day card he received was from his mother, envying Joel for having Clementine and asking about Joel and Clementine's Valentine's Day plans.

Valentine's Day was only one day away, and Frank didn't want Joel to end up spending it alone at McDonald's.

However, Joel was unwilling to say more, found an envelope from "Lacuna, Inc.," said goodbye to Frank, and said he needed to sleep and rest.

Frank didn't hide his surprise, "It's only 8:30?"

But Joel still left quickly and hurried into the apartment.

Opening the package, he found a set of pajamas and put them on without hesitation; opening the plastic bag, he found a pack of pills and immediately took one.

Blair couldn't help but lean forward slightly, things were getting a little confusing —

From Joel and Frank's conversation, Blair thought this must be after Joel and Clementine had been dating for a year, or maybe two or three years, because they met on Valentine's Day, and now it was Valentine's Day again. Perhaps their relationship was having problems?

But now, Joel put on his pajamas, and Blair immediately recognized that they were the pajamas Joel wore at the beginning of the movie. The director specifically showed a close-up of the pajamas, which was obviously not a coincidence, so where exactly was this scene on the timeline? Was this before Joel and Clementine met?

No, no, no, Frank knew Clementine, so this was 100% after they met. Then what's with the pajamas?

In a short second, a series of thoughts flashed through Blair's mind:

Things were starting to get interesting. No wonder it's Charlie Kaufman.

Blair immediately realized the importance of details, she needed to focus more.

Moreover, since the abrupt black screen transition just now, the movie had become strange, as if it had suddenly evolved from a romantic love movie into a suspenseful crime movie —

What's with those two stalkers?

After taking the medicine, Joel stared blankly at the camera. In the super close-up, one could clearly see those deep, clear eyes, a breathtaking blue, and a faint trace of tears could still be caught.

But there was no time to be sad. The ripples in the depths of his pupils instantly froze, evolving into suspicion and worry, his ears seemed to be catching sounds in the air.

Suddenly, Joel stood up and peered out the window.

The small van was parked right on the side of the road, just outside his window.

Panicked, Joel pulled down the blinds and turned off all the lights in the house to hide himself. Finally, he went to the kitchen, preparing to turn off the kitchen light as well, but his knees gave way, and before he could react, he grabbed the furniture next to him, trying to steady himself, but —

He didn't succeed.

Bang.

He fell straight to the ground.

The small van, which had been waiting anxiously outside, saw Joel turn off the lights and immediately took action, dragging a pile of strange equipment from the back of the van.

There was even a silver metal helmet that looked like an astronaut's helmet!

The two men seemed flustered and confused, not at all like well-prepared thieves or criminals, stumbling all the way and making a lot of noise, as if afraid that others in the apartment building wouldn't hear them.

Then, the two men easily entered Joel's apartment, without needing to break in!

The story suddenly became chilling!

Blair was also full of question marks. Such a story development was simply inexplicable. Could it be —

A bad movie warning?

The mixing and collision of different types of movies often ends in disaster. Coupled with the messy editing and narrative that made no sense so far, a bad feeling firmly gripped her heart.

But, wait, that buzz cut!

The light was dim, and it was hard to see clearly, only a faint profile was revealed. Blair wasn't sure, but that buzz cut looked like that baby face!

The baby face who inexplicably appeared next to Joel's car window asking if he needed help!

So, when did that baby face start watching Joel? No, the baby face appeared at the entrance of Clementine's apartment, so he was watching Clementine, and now he was here to take revenge on Joel?

A series of question marks popped up, causing a brainstorming session, but there were no answers.

Then, the two men carried Joel to the bed and put the astronaut metal helmet on him.

In a daze, Joel opened his eyes and seemed to see the two strangers breaking into his apartment, but before he could speak, a voice rang in his mind and images flashed, returning to three minutes ago:

The scene where he met Frank in front of the mailbox, like a memory rewind, those scenes and conversations were all vivid in his mind.

Wait, what's going on now?