Huayu: I'm reborn, but you still force me to be a scumbag?

Chapter 549: Conflict with Confucians
The movie has started.

Chen Nuo and James Pritzker went out through the side door next to the stage. Chen Nuo walked in front, but as soon as he stepped out, a burly black figure rushed towards him.

If he hadn't caught a glimpse of Linghu standing motionless out of the corner of his eye, his ancestral groin kick would have made a comeback after many years.

He didn't know who it was until a familiar, slightly breathless, elderly voice rang in his ears.

It was unclear where Darius Congee had come from, but he must have traveled a long way, as he reeked of travel-worn sweat.

"Chen! I really didn't expect that you wouldn't tell me anything! When I received my friend's call, I was still filming a documentary in Africa..."

After saying this, the old man finally let go, but his hands still gripped his shoulders tightly. His beard trembled, and his voice shook slightly: "My God! Why did you do this!?"

Chen Nuo patted Darius's hand and said with a smile, "Why not? I know the Oscars owe you an award."

“Chen, never… I mean, never before has a film featured cinematography so prominently in its FYC ads! Whether it's Warner Bros., Paramount, or Disney, they always only promote the director, lead actor, and Best Picture; cinematography is always relegated to the very end, sometimes not even mentioned at all. But you—”

The old man paused, took a deep breath, patted him heavily on the shoulder, and said, "Thank you. I won't forget what happened today."

Darius Congee's performance immediately reminded Chen Nuo of Janice Man a few days earlier.

When the girl learned that her solo still had appeared in the variety show's internal advertisement, she immediately called him, both panicked and nervous. She repeatedly asked him if he had made a mistake, and only after he reassured her for a while did she believe it was true that she would be representing their film in the competition for a Best Supporting Actress nomination at this year's Academy Awards.

At that moment, Janice Man's performance was similar to that of Darius Congee.

However, Chen Nuo felt that there was really no comparison between the two awards.

Darius Congee is a veteran who has been working on various Hollywood film sets for almost 30 years and has been nominated before, so he has a good chance of getting a nomination. In fact, he is probably the most likely candidate among the seven Oscar nominees that D.R. is aiming for.

As for Janice Man, it's Best Supporting Actress.

She might not even be as good as Charlize Theron as a Best Actress.

Even Alison and the others hadn't initially considered investing anything in this award; it was he who insisted on adding it in, thinking it wasn't his money anyway.

If I were to be nominated, it would truly be a miracle.

So Janice Man's agitation is really unnecessary.

He couldn't really say these things outright.

When Janice Man finally asked her if she wanted to come to the United States, he could only politely advise her against it. On the surface, he wanted her to focus on filming in Hong Kong, but in reality, he was afraid that the greater her expectations, the greater her disappointment would be.

These thoughts were a long story, but they only flashed through Chen Nuo's mind for a moment. He patted the old man on the shoulder and said, "Let's go, Darius, let's go to the lounge to talk."

“OK.” Darius agreed, greeted James Pritzker, then curiously looked at the small door behind Chen Nuo and asked, “Has the movie started yet? Tom Hanks really came?”

“Yes, he’s here,” Chen Nuo said.

……

When the movie started playing, Tom Hanks had no idea what to expect.

For a veteran actor like him who has spent thirty years in Hollywood,
The male lead's acting? No need to elaborate.

After the Venice Film Festival and the global release over the past few days, Chen Nuo's performance has been thoroughly analyzed by various film critics. He doesn't need to see it with his own eyes to know roughly what level it is at.

Plot? Although he doesn't go online much, the discussions about this movie have filled almost every industry publication these past few days. Based on his experience, he can guess the general plot and direction of the story.

Charlize Theron? This South African diamond in the rough isn't exactly his type of acting.

Therefore, in the first fifteen minutes,
Tom Hanks' emotions remained completely unaffected.

Even so, he had to admit—

As the film review said, Chen Nuo portrayed the deep-seated loneliness and loss of a young immigrant who had left his hometown and was adrift alone with exceptional restraint and accuracy.

From the bartender in "My Blueberry Nights" to this lowly character wandering the dark corners of New Orleans, Tom Hanks can clearly see the growth of this young Chinese actor on the big screen over the years.

In the footage, his body language became more restrained, his gaze more introspective, and the ripples of his emotions were often hidden in a subtle breath or a barely perceptible tremor of his eyebrows and eyes.

He is no longer the rookie actor who relies on talent and instinct to run around aimlessly in front of the camera. His performance has begun to understand how to control emotions and rhythm, and how to make the character leave an impression on the audience or film critics in the simplest way.

It can be said that this young man has already walked confidently on the path to becoming a master, and Tom Hanks even feels that there are probably very few people ahead of him.

On the other hand, Tom doesn't think that Chen Nuo's performance in this movie completely surpasses that of his character in "My Blueberry Nights," both in terms of expressiveness and explosive power.

Even by comparison, he still admired the New York waiter who was entirely made by talent, purely by intuition and instinct.

Having played ordinary people his entire life, he always felt that while skill development is a good thing, sometimes, raw impulse and unpolished sincerity are the most precious things.

Just like————

"Oh, you live here? In my basement?"

"Yes, that's right. Thank you for renting it to me."

"Haha, him? Forget it. But he looks alright now, quite clean. By the way, when did you come to our restaurant?"

"Two weeks ago. What would you like to drink? I only have beer here."

"Let's have beer."

Huh?
Tom Hanks was somewhat surprised.

He unconsciously sat up straight, leaned forward slightly, rested his palm under his chin, and adopted his most familiar movie-watching posture, his eyes fixed on the screen.

"How old are you?" The male protagonist looked at the girl with a repressed desire in his eyes.

The girl lowered her head slightly, her eyes filled with shyness, but she quickly looked up to meet his gaze: "Nineteen, what about you?"

"Twenty-four. In America, it seems like you can't drink alcohol if you're nineteen."

So what? Will you stop me?

In the dimly lit basement, the air seemed to freeze.

The girl leaned against a wall with peeling paint, her hands hanging loosely at her knees. As she spoke, she slowly raised her eyes to look at the male protagonist.

Those eyes—in Tom Hanks' eyes—seemed to burn with flames, or rather, they were a naked, unadorned flame of love that left him unable to find even a trace of acting.

Even though he had seen countless outstanding performances throughout his acting career, the girl's sincerity and purity at that moment still deceived his senses.

He almost began to believe that, at this moment, she truly loved him.

One hundred percent, without reservation, from body to soul.

At this moment, the girl's previous naive performance seemed to be given a new meaning—who dares to say that it might have been a deliberate design?

In that instant, a line of words flashed through Tom Hanks' mind:

It was the sentence written on the FYC ad for "Best Supporting Actress" that he saw in Stephen's office.

If he remembers correctly, it came from Peter Travers, a film critic for Rolling Stone. This notoriously incisive critic wrote the following in his review:

“I prefer her scenes with Charlize Theron to her scenes with Chan. In that dimly lit, cramped room, just by looking at each other, the two of them seemed to ignite the air.”

—This is actually true.

……

……

"...I'm going back tomorrow."

Oh? You're not staying in the US?

"No, I came here because of Roger's matter, but I didn't expect it to take so long."

"So that's how it is... I saw on the news that Roger was brought back to life because of you, is that true?"

"Haha, Darius, how could you believe this?"

"Haha, I wouldn't believe it if it were anyone else, but I don't know about you."

"Haha, actually, Roger had already improved when I went to the hospital, it had nothing to do with me."

"Come to think of it, it really does seem like we were blessed by God... I know we made over 3000 million at the box office last week, how about this week? How is it?"

"I think it was around $3000 million, right, James?"

"That's right. This week, we expanded to about 500 more theaters, bringing the total number of theaters showing the film to about 2000. So, the box office is basically the same as the first week."

"Haha, does that mean our North American box office might even exceed $100 million?"

Before Chen Nuo could reply, the door to the lounge was pushed open, and the host said, "Chen, James, the screening is over."

"OK."

Chen Nuo immediately stood up and said, "Let's go in then."

Whether it was genuine or not, when Chen Nuo, James Pritzker, and Darius Congee, who joined at the last minute, returned to the stage, they were met with enthusiastic applause.

Although it didn't have the same grand spectacle as the Venice Film Festival premiere, with everyone standing and applauding for over ten minutes,
However, it rang for more than 20 seconds.

Don't think that 20 seconds is short. You should know that all 350 people sitting in the audience are students and members. There are no shills, no fans, and no film critics who have been paid.

If they can come, that's already good; if they can applaud, that's giving them face.

The fact that the music played for over 20 seconds after the main creators went on stage was definitely a huge honor.

After the three of them took their seats on the high stools on the stage, the most important part of the private screening, the Q&A session, began.

At this point, there was no question of giving them face. It could be said that everyone in the audience was not there to flatter them.

Sure enough, the first question the host asked Kathryn Bigelow, the ex-wife's sister, was fraught with hidden danger.

"As the director, I would like to ask Mr. Pritzker, 'DROP' depicts the lower class of American society very directly. You focus the story on gray areas such as illegal immigration, the sex industry, underground transactions, and racial discrimination."

Therefore, in the movie, New Orleans is almost always rainy and there is not a single sunny day, which makes the camera always present a rather oppressive and dark atmosphere. You used a lot of establishing shots to show this, and I really like this shooting technique.

Okay, my question is, how did you come up with the idea for this filming style, and what was your intention?

Sitting next to him, James Pritzker clearly didn't realize the hook in Catherine's question. Upon hearing "like his filming style," he smiled like a schoolboy receiving praise from his teacher for the first time.

He picked up the microphone and said, "Catherine, thank you for your compliment."

Indeed, in this film, I deliberately kept the sky over New Orleans overcast and rainy. When I was researching, I found that the existence of illegal immigrants, the sex industry, and underground transactions is very common in the United States, especially in southern cities. The systemic dereliction of duty behind these problems is the reason why they are in such a predicament.

I think a rainy day would be a suitable backdrop in this situation.

Kathryn Bigelow said, "So, this movie is actually a..."

Seeing that James was about to continue the conversation,
Chen Nuo coughed lightly and said:
“Catherine, I think you’ve misunderstood. I don’t think that’s what the director meant.”

Chen Nuo smiled and turned to look at James, saying, "I've been discussing this issue with you since the scriptwriting stage..."

James paused slightly when he met his gaze, then immediately put down the microphone.

Chen Nuo secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Not too stupid after all.

He didn't know whether Kathryn Bigelow, this unconventional woman who dared to make "Zero Dark Thirty," was unaware of these things or simply didn't care, which was why she asked them these questions.

But if James says "yes" again, then the screening will have been a waste of time.

The vast majority of the more than 300 Oscar judges sitting in the audience were white men around 60 years old, and 95% of them were Democratic supporters.

Now, during the 2012 election, Obama and Romney are locked in a fierce battle, with newspapers, television, and social media filled with partisan mudslinging.

In this atmosphere, these judges might accept a film that uses art to "reflect" on some social issues, but if the director were to admit to them, "We made this film to criticize American society," then that would be truly laughable.

What's even more crucial is that the story of "DROP" takes place in New Orleans—the Democratic Party's stronghold, a land of blazing blue.

If you make New Orleans shrouded in rain and darkness the whole time, and the judges were to think twice, wouldn't you be implying that the Democratic Party's territory has no future?
That would be an even bigger disaster.

"...Actually, our films have never been about American issues, but about human issues," Chen Nuo continued. "The rain in the film is an external reflection of Cassian's inner world, not some special filter."

This film isn't meant to criticize anyone, neither me nor the director. We simply want to use this story to let the audience feel how an ordinary person finds their place in a huge social current, and how they lose themselves in the process of trying to prove their existence.

We're not trying to preach to anyone; we're simply storytellers of a good story.

Upon hearing this, Kathryn Bigelow smiled slightly, nodded, and sat down.

Next up is the next one.

Ang Lee.

Ang Lee first greeted him politely, saying "Long time no see," before slowly saying:
“I have a question for you. In DROP, Cassian’s story is clearly very much about immigration. He is a young man who left his hometown and wandered in a foreign land, and his story is full of loneliness, loss and struggle.”

During the viewing, I noticed that Cassian's emotional changes were very obvious in the last third of the film.

He went from initial repression and forbearance to intense anger and rebellion, transforming from a gentle and hardworking young man into a ruthless villain.

Does this mean that the film actually tells a story of "oranges grown in the Huai River are sweet, but those grown north of the Huai River are bitter"?

Thank you, oh thank you! You even deliberately used a Chinese phrase to make things difficult for me.

Holding the microphone, he said frankly, "Let me explain the meaning of Director Li's Chinese sentence to everyone."

The saying "Oranges grown in the Huai River become oranges, while those grown north of the Huai River become trifoliate oranges" roughly means that the same fruit can become completely different depending on where it is grown.

If I put it here, everyone should be able to understand what it means.

Director Li was asking me if Cassian had been changed by society while living abroad, transforming from a simple and gentle young man into a ruthless villain.

He smiled.

But I want to say no.

I don't think this is a story about a villain shaped by his environment.

On the contrary, in my eyes, DROP is a story about choices.

Yes, the environment can influence us, but it can never make decisions for us. In the movie, he might lose his job, face discrimination, or be exploited, but this can happen in any corner of the world. Every compromise Cassian makes is his own choice, a personal choice.

This is my understanding.

I hope that when the audience sees Cassian's changes, they will not blame society or cultural conflict, but rather understand that when a person makes a choice, he/she must pay the price for that choice.

So, when you face a fork in the road, please be careful, my friend.

After he finished speaking, there was a moment of silence. Then, no one knew who started clapping first, but within a few seconds, the scattered applause grew louder and louder, eventually merging into a deafening ovation.

Amid the applause, Chen Nuoxin calmed down a bit.

James Pritzker leaned over to him and said, "Chen, you're fucking right. But it doesn't seem to be the same thing we were discussing before. Is that okay?"

Chen Nuo turned his head, trying to maintain a smile, and said, "So you should know why you lost everything, even your underwear, in Las Vegas."

James Pritzker immediately ducked his head.

The applause gradually subsided, and the host nodded to signal the next person.

A woman with black hair and big eyes stood up.

"Wow, Chen, I like what you said about choices. It's like what my high school teacher said. As a C+ student, all I could do was applaud and not even know how to agree."

"Hahahahahaha..."

Anne Hathaway's witty remark immediately drew a burst of laughter.

Once the laughter subsided, Annie said, "Chen, here's my question. Are you ready?"

Chen Nuo said, "Annie, be nice to me."

Anne Hathaway gave a hearty laugh and said, "I will. My problem is, just now when I was watching those erotic scenes, I felt incredibly aroused..."

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

The audience burst into laughter again.

Amid laughter, Anne Hathaway continued, "These erotic scenes have been amplified in recent public discussions. Many film critics, while praising your figure, also believe that your purpose in taking off your clothes was to boost box office sales. What are your and director James's thoughts on this issue?"

Chen Nuo said, "Annie, thank you for your question. First, I need to clarify a fact:"
If we really wanted to sell tickets with a few nude scenes, DROP wouldn't have only been shown in 1200 arthouse theaters.

We'll put it in 3000 commercial cinemas, advertise it everywhere, and we'll even give every moviegoer a condom at the cinema entrance.

"Hahahahaha."

The laughter was so loud it almost lifted the ceiling.

After Chen Nuo and the others' laughter subsided, he said, "Annie, we were actually very careful when filming these scenes. And that physical contact wasn't meant to provoke the audience, much less for box office success."

Cassian is a lonely young immigrant who finds no sense of belonging in a strange city. He longs for recognition, warmth, and even just a little bit of proof of his existence.

In my understanding, women and sex are a way for him to find psychological support.

In those scenes, he wasn't enjoying himself...

To be honest, putting aside the overt and covert attacks in these issues,

This was the first time Chen Nuo had communicated and shared his views on the character in such depth at a film screening.

At that moment, looking at the faces below the stage—some thoughtful, some smiling, and some shaking their heads slightly—he unconsciously began to talk more and more.

"If anyone finds these scenes sexy or pornographic, I'm sorry, Anne, I think it's because they didn't understand the story."

Honestly, DROP is not an easy movie to understand.

Our crew filmed in New Orleans for three months. Every single day, every actor was trying to understand the script, trying to understand the director's intentions, including…

He glanced to the side at Darius Congee, “—me and our photographer.”

We also often get together to discuss how the shots should be taken.

Every scene presented on the big screen now is the result of countless revisions and reconstructions, ultimately determined to be the way best to express the characters and the story.

So, Anne, I think any woman over 25 who understands film wouldn't feel anything when watching those scenes.

Of course, if any part has to get wet, it should be the top, not the bottom. What do you think?

After saying that, he winked at Anne Hathaway.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!"

Everyone had been serious, but when he suddenly uttered his last sentence, there was a brief moment of silence, followed by an instant burst of laughter from the entire theater. The laughter was interspersed with applause and cheers.

Anne Hathaway also crossed her arms, grinned widely, and leaned back.

Hugh Jackman, standing next to her, was laughing so hard he was doubled over, punching Russell Crowe on the shoulder.

After a while, Anne Hathaway wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and said, "Chen, if you were a high school teacher, I think you would be incredibly popular. Okay, I agree with you, I was indeed wet up there, but not down there. Haha."

Amidst another round of laughter, Anne Hathaway asked, "Director Pritzker, what do you think?"

James spoke succinctly into the microphone: "I agree with Chen's opinion."

Anne Hathaway didn't press the matter further, chuckled, and sat down.

Then, the next one.

Ben Affleck: "Drop has no 'success story' and no 'American Dream.' Don't you think it's hard for American audiences to accept a movie like that?"

"Yes, you can say that."

Chen Nuo was still holding the microphone.

"This is definitely not a superhero movie, nor is it a movie about success after failure; the tone of this movie is somber."

Perhaps I can say this: DROP is indeed not a movie made for American audiences.

However, it is for the whole world, for anyone who has ever lost themselves.

Regardless of where they were born or where they live, if this film can help them find a way to reconcile with the world, then I think it will be a success.

Another round of thunderous applause erupted.

Ben Affleck shook his head and sat down. Regardless of what Ben was thinking, he had no choice but to applaud at this moment.

next.

He was an unknown college member.

"Chen, what do you think is the most important theme in 'DROP'?"

"human nature."

Next one.

"The film begins with a lot of empty shots and a very slow pace. Aren't you worried that the audience won't be able to watch it?"

"This was never meant to be a popcorn movie; we've emphasized art from the very beginning. For some viewers, we certainly aren't their ideal choice."

And the next one.

"There's a particularly daring scene between you and Charlize Theron. It must have been your first time filming such a scene. Did you have any psychological barriers during filming?"

"No, we are a professional team. In such a team, I am already struggling just to see if my acting meets the director's requirements. I don't have the energy to think about anything else."

Undoubtedly, this is yet another performance of Chen Nuo's rhetoric, following his Cannes sales pitch for "No Man's Land".

He fully utilized his experience as a former sales manager, handling one question after another with equal eloquence—sometimes at length, sometimes concise—truly a master of debating. If Chen Bicheng from his past life had seen this, he would have resolutely entrusted the entire sales team to him. In the end, while he might have produced many grandchildren, he would certainly have cultivated a group of highly skilled and capable individuals.

Before he knew it, Chen Nuo had finished drinking the bottle of mineral water that was prepared next to him. Meanwhile, the opponents and colleagues who had been looking at him with such harsh eyes gradually changed their gazes towards the stage.

Don't blame these foreigners for making a fuss; the truth is, there's no story like the debate between the scholars in their history.

Finally, the host said, "Alright, I think we've run out of time. Now for one last question. Who wants to answer?"

Wow!

Many hands were raised.

It seems that the number of people raising their hands is no less than it was an hour ago.

As the host's gaze swept across the audience, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he decisively said, "Tom, you come on."

The biggest star in the room, Tom Hanks, stood up with a microphone. The man seemed very approachable, with a gentle smile on his honest face, and said politely, "Congratulations, Chen, James, and Darius. This is a very good movie. I think that in this awards season, I and many of the people here have met our strongest opponent yet."

I hope our butts won't get kicked so badly by you guys.

One of America's symbols showed off his humor in public, and everyone on and off stage laughed along.

"Okay, I actually just have one question," Tom Hanks said. "I really liked the performance of the Chinese girl in the movie. Why isn't she here today?"

(End of this chapter)