From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

"Surprise!"

The effect was patchy, sparse, and completely failed to meet expectations.

However, it was precisely this natural and unpretentious, even bordering-on-out-of-control style, that made people clearly feel that everything was a live broadcast, detached from the script.

In other words, it was live.

So, what did this mean?

Just then, an avatar on the big screen dimmed, and a line of subtitles popped up:

Elijah Wood has left the chat.

One second, two seconds, everyone was stunned, no one knew what had happened.

The screen was briefly silent.

Anson's avatar flashed, "See, you guys scared Elijah away."

Boom!

The Angelica Film Center finally reacted, one or two people clutching their stomachs and laughing, doubling over, applause and whistles all surging up in a hubbub.

But before long, Elijah's avatar reappeared.

Elijah: "Sorry, my cat just kicked the network cable plug, I got disconnected."

Haha, hahaha.

The Angelica Film Center was going crazy with laughter, the manic laughter completely unstoppable.

It wasn't until now that the audience gradually came back to their senses:

Post-screening! Surprise post-screening!

Without any psychological preparation, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" actually had a post-screening!

Although the actors were located in different cities, and Anson and Kate's schedules couldn't be coordinated to promote the film's release, the actors still found a way to connect with the Angelica Film Center after the screening—

Absolutely a surprise!

After finally understanding what was going on, the ecstatic emotions instantly overwhelmed reason, deeply plunging into the storm, and a storm of unimaginable energy erupted.

Instantly, release.

A mushroom cloud slowly rose.

So noisy, so shocking, that even the cars coming and going on either side of the Angelica Film Center couldn't control themselves, and even when just passing by, couldn't help but cast inquiring glances.

The never-ending rush hour traffic jam was already making people feel like they wanted to die, one red light after another, as if the entire island of Manhattan had come to a standstill.

As a result, one or two people couldn't help but crane their necks and peek, unable to resist checking out the situation at the Angelica Film Center, which was annoying to see—

"As annoying as paparazzi."

In the driver's seat, a man finally couldn't control his irritable temper and began to grumble.

However, the woman sitting in the passenger seat seemed particularly relaxed, glancing at her boyfriend behind the steering wheel, who looked like the Hulk.

Recently, the two of them had just argued over Valentine's Day.

People say that Valentine's Day should be a romantic holiday, the best season for couples to cultivate their relationship and relive romance; but now life is not like that, Valentine's Day is actually the easiest season to argue and conflict, and even the number of breakups on the eve of Valentine's Day has suddenly increased—

The complaints from the driver's seat didn't stop, "It's just Anson Wood, two eyes, one nose, one mouth, there's nothing special about him, I don't understand…"

"You're talking about Anson?" The woman grasped a key point.

The man didn't pause, "Yes, him. Tonight his movie is showing at the Angelica Film Center, I bet it's packed again."

The woman looked slightly surprised, "How do you know? Are you following his news?"

The man rolled his eyes, "No, I'm not. There."

Following the man's gaze, on the billboard on top of the building across the street, you could see at a glance—

"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", March 18th, Angelica Film Center.

The man muttered, "It's everywhere. Everywhere. You can't ignore it even if you want to, I don't understand, why is everyone talking about him, he has no charm at all, he's just an ordinary…"

Before he could finish speaking, the woman had already pushed open the passenger door and left directly.

The man looked bewildered, "Where are you going? Hey, what are you doing?"

The woman turned around, "Going to see an ordinary man, so, you won't mind, right?"

After saying that, she ignored the man's response, turned and strode away, moving in the direction of the crowd, and naturally found her destination.

Obviously, she wasn't the only one getting out of the car midway.

One after another, sporadically, men, women, old and young, gathered in twos and threes, converging towards the Angelica Film Center.

Laughter echoed in the streets and between the buildings, light and pleasant, immersed in it, and without even needing to look at faces, you could feel the cheerful and relaxed atmosphere from the laughter, and the pressure that had been building up due to the traffic jam quietly eased away with the cool night breeze.

Then, you could hear someone asking.

"Kate, can I ask, the hairstyle in the movie, was that designed?"

"Oh, I'm so happy someone finally asked about this question. In fact, I've been waiting for this opportunity, ready to really show off."

A burst of light laughter made people curious, Kate? Kate Winslet?

"I must commend Anson, this is the result of a conversation between Anson and me before filming started, we realized that hair color is part of the character of Clementine…"

For viewers who haven't seen the movie, this conversation seems a bit abstract, they have no idea what this discussion is about.

But looking around, the crowds milling around the Angelica Film Center were inexplicably gathering a large number of people, and more and more.

Perhaps, at first, it was just out of curiosity or boredom, and they hadn't seen the movie and couldn't understand what they were talking about; but they never expected that, slowly, slowly, they were actually listening, and the focused and enthusiastic atmosphere on the scene made the temporary strangers effortlessly integrate into it.

For this reason, "The New Yorker" wrote a special report:

"…Never has a movie attracted more people after its screening.

Even more charming than the movie itself.

When film promotion and distribution try to use post-screening interactions as a promotional gimmick to attract more viewers, 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' generously opens its arms, from free screenings to open post-screening discussions, they invite the audience into the world of the movie in a frank and sincere way.

This attitude also proves the charm of the movie itself, it is not only about the protagonist of the movie, but also about the men and women trapped in the world of love in contemporary life, it welcomes and even hopes that more people can feel the bitterness, sadness, and happiness conveyed by the movie.

When we try to judge a movie with common sense, Anson smiles again and gently waves.

'Hey, how was this surprise?'

At least, judging from the post-screening traffic jam, more than six thousand people participated in the entire post-screening and stayed until the end, which is enough to explain a lot.

New York, experiencing a romantic night that belongs to them."