This director is vindictive.

Chapter 299 Third Master: Are you making a movie or conducting a social experiment?

Chen Mo revised several versions of "The Vanished She".

However, none of them satisfied him. Although the logical flaws were rationalized, he found that the suspense and plot twists were significantly lacking.

Moreover, upon closer examination, some of the seemingly logical flaws are not actually that logical.

Suddenly, a pair of hands pressed on his temples, gently massaging them.

"Still struggling with the script?" Fan Binbin asked with concern as he massaged Chen Mo's head.

"Yes, a little! You've given me a tough time!" Chen Mo rested his head on her plump thighs, comfortably squinting his eyes, but said this.

Fan Binbin applied just the right amount of pressure with her fingers. She looked down at Chen Mo's furrowed brows and said softly, "How about we put it aside for now? Let's go see a few movies of the same genre. Maybe that will spark some inspiration?"

Chen Mo opened his eyes, looked up at Fan Binbin, and smiled slightly: "You really understand me... My brain has been really sluggish lately."

He sat up and closed his laptop. "Any recommendations? Preferably something like, 'You think you've guessed the ending, but you get a rude awakening.'"

Fan Binbin smiled and pulled out a handwritten list of movies from the coffee table drawer: "I've already prepared them! 'The Invisible Guest,' 'Andhadhun,' 'The Sixth Sense,' and a lesser-known but brilliantly plotted movie, 'Searching,' all of which are known for their plot twists."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Chen Mo said, kissing her.

The two quickly arrived at the lavishly built private home theater.

"Xiao Ai, play 'The Invisible Guest'!" Chen Mo and Fan Binbin sat on the sofa, and Chen Mo's hands began to fiddle with the music involuntarily.

"Okay, play 'The Invisible Guest'!"

Fan Binbin gave him a charmingly disdainful look, but instead adjusted her posture, leaning against him to make him feel more relaxed and comfortable.

That's why mature women are so great. With just a glance or a gesture, they know what you're trying to do. Not only will they not stop you, they'll even cooperate to make you feel more comfortable.

The two of them started watching like that.

Chen Mo had certainly seen this movie before, but watching it again gave him a completely different feeling than when he first saw it, since he was watching it with the intention of making a reference.

On screen, "The Invisible Guest" was reaching a crucial moment. The male protagonist confronted the mysterious lawyer in a closed room, and the oppressive feeling of layers of lies being exposed was overwhelming through the Dolby sound effects. Chen Mo's hand unconsciously tightened suddenly—he gasped the moment the lawyer tore off his disguise on screen.

Fan Binbin also gasped! She glared at Chen Mo with seductive eyes.

But it turned out that the scoundrel's action was completely unconscious.

"This structure! Wow!"

Chen Mo suddenly had a flash of inspiration: "All the previous testimonies are nested boxes arranged in reverse chronological order, and only at the end is the real box pulled out."

Suddenly feeling a dampness, he turned his head and saw that Fan Binbin's pajamas were soaked in a large area!

He immediately gave an awkward smile and withdrew his hand.

"Ahem, well, sorry, I hurt you!"

Fan Binbin rolled her eyes at him, then looked down at her pajamas, which were now soaked from the baby's food, thanks to Chen Mo, that unreliable father.

However, she asked with some curiosity, "So, you found inspiration so quickly?"

Chen Mo couldn't help but put his hand under his nose and smell it. Hmm, it smelled strongly of milk!
For some reason, his thoughts suddenly wandered, and he thought of Xiao Zhao, which made him feel sorry for his own child, wondering if he could eat his fill.

He shook his head to dismiss these strange thoughts, and Fan Binbin slapped him in an annoyed tone.

Even though they've been married for a long time, Chen Mo's action still felt a little strange to her.

"I guess I've found some inspiration. Before, I was only thinking about making the plot more logical and reasonable, but now I realize that even these excellent films have a lot of bugs if you really want to find fault with them."

So why can't we exploit these bugs?

Chen Mo said with a smile.

"Use these bugs?" Fan Binbin was a little confused.

"What if, when the audience is looking at these obvious plot holes and thinking to themselves, there's a sudden twist, like the protagonist actually knew all along that these things were fake, but he pretended not to know? Or he turned the tables on them?"

"By using these things in return to achieve their own goals, viewers who previously thought the protagonist was too weak will realize that those obvious logical flaws were not because the protagonist was stupid, had low intelligence, or was easily fooled, but because he did it on purpose!"

"How about this reversal?" Chen Mo asked with a smile.

Fan Binbin's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he looked at Chen Mo with a hint of admiration.

Because she was carefully thinking about the scene Chen Mo had described.

Putting yourself in their shoes, you suddenly realize that this reversal actually has a better effect.

Moreover, I suddenly realized how it is!

You thought he was on the third layer, but he was actually already in the atmosphere!
"The most amazing thing is that those obvious logical flaws were perfectly resolved at this point! Right?" Fan Binbin said with amazement.

"Yes!" Chen Mo snapped his fingers loudly!
"Should we continue watching?" Fan Binbin asked.

"What are you still looking at! I have to reward you properly!" Chen Mo said, looking at Fan Binbin with a somewhat malicious expression.

Fan Binbin gave him a flirtatious look and said, "Are you rewarding yourself?"

"Oh, don't worry about the details, it's all a reward anyway!"

A night of flamboyant revelry!

As a result, the two of them slept until late morning the next day.

With a clear idea in mind, Chen Mo discarded all the previous versions of the script, keeping only one version and making some modifications. He discovered that sometimes, movies are just that magical.

All those previous changes are not as effective as the current series of minor tweaks!

With the script finalized, the rest is simple!

Chen Mo's version of "The Vanished She" is actually quite different from the original.

Even Chen Mo was a little worried about whether it would pass the censorship!

The main issue is that his version is a bit too "dark," including the ending!

While the plot remains largely the same as the original, some details, plot twists, and the ending are quite different.

However, Chen Mo himself is very satisfied with this version.

He wasn't sure if such an ending would be too daring, so he took the script directly to Master Han.

"You little rascal, you really are always the first to come when there's trouble, and the last to come when there's none! What's wrong? Is there anything this old man like me can do to help you with?" Third Master said to Chen Mo with a hint of annoyance.

"Third Master, you're wronging me! I was just afraid of bothering you. If that's the case, then don't find me annoying in the future!" Chen Mo said.

"Alright, tell me, what's going on?" Third Master smiled and pointed at Chen Mo before speaking.

"Third Master, take a look at this script!" Chen Mo smiled and pushed the script in front of Third Master.

Upon seeing the script's title, "The Vanished Her," Third Master Han couldn't help but laugh and asked teasingly, "You didn't adapt this script based on your own romantic escapades, did you?"

Chen Mo looked completely bewildered: "What do you mean, my romantic escapades? I didn't, I didn't, don't talk nonsense!"

Are you kidding me? What do you mean by "adapting my romantic escapades"?

I've given away billions and tens of billions, is it really necessary for me to do this?
"Such a strong reaction? It can't really be true, can it?" Seeing Chen Mo's reaction, Third Master Han became even more curious. "No, Third Master, what exactly do you mean by this?" Chen Mo was genuinely confused.

"Uh, really not? When your movie 'Fame and Fortune' was released, your confidantes didn't attend the premiere, which caused a trending topic called 'The Vanished Women', didn't it? What? Your script has nothing to do with that?" Han Sanye asked in surprise.

Chen Mo was truly at a loss for words when he heard this.

He never expected that Third Master, at his age, would still be so gossipy.

The key point is that Chen Mo really didn't think about it in that way at all!
However, he suddenly touched his nose. Hmm, it seems, perhaps, maybe this can be used to promote the movie?
"The Vanished She" and "The Vanished Women" are quite similar, although they are actually somewhat unrelated. Hmm, it's a bit like what happened between Third Master and myself just now, talking at cross purposes!

The publicity could totally be reversed!

What you think it is, is actually not at all!

"Let me take a look first!" Grandpa Han realized he must have misunderstood.

Come to think of it, if it really was related to Chen Mo's romantic affairs, then there would be no need to use it to screen people for me!
Third Master started reading.

Upon seeing this, even though it was just the beginning, he knew he had made a mistake.

However, his brows gradually furrowed slightly.

Because he already knew the theme of Chen Mo's script.

"You're really good at timing this! Did you get the inspiration from those overseas wife-killing cases like the Thai cliff-falling case and the Thai swimming pool murder case?" he asked, somewhat surprised.

Chen Mo smiled and nodded, saying, "In recent years, there have been quite a few cases like this both domestically and internationally, especially in Southeast Asian countries. I think it's quite meaningful to film them!"
As the saying goes, girls must protect themselves when they are out!
Focusing on real-life cases of husbands murdering their wives, exposing the dark side of human nature, and aligning with the current widespread societal concern about women's safety, if it can raise the safety awareness of even a small segment of the audience, then I think that would be a truly meritorious act!

Master Han smiled and pointed at Chen Mo, saying, "You've got a lot to say, but it's true, you really are one of a kind when it comes to realistic films!"

Then I continued watching.

But then, he became somewhat puzzled.

I couldn't help but stop watching it halfway through.

"Is this really the script you wrote?" Master Han asked, frowning.

"Of course, what's wrong? Is there a problem?" Chen Mo said this, but he was secretly pleased because he knew why Master Han had reacted this way.

"You're behaving far below your usual standard!" Master Han said without holding back, speaking frankly.

As a legendary figure in Chinese cinema, Master Han has truly watched countless films.

Therefore, it's immediately obvious that Chen Mo's script has its flaws. While the suspense in the beginning is strong, there are also quite a few logical problems in the details.

Or rather, it simply doesn't stand up to scrutiny.

"Isn't this male lead, He Fei, a little too easy to fool?" Third Master Han asked.

Chen Mo calmly poured him a cup of tea, then raised the teacup to Third Master.

He took a sip of tea, put it down, and said, "Third Master, please continue reading. We can discuss this further after you've finished, okay?"

"Oh? Very confident! It seems this is intentional? I'd like to see!" Seeing Chen Mo's confident demeanor, Third Master Han became curious.

“That’s true. With your level of expertise, you shouldn’t be unaware of these things, yet you insisted on writing them this way. It seems I was being one-sided!” As he spoke, he continued reading.

Suddenly, when he saw the crucial plot twist, he gasped.

I got goosebumps all over.

He couldn't help but look up at Chen Mo, who was leisurely sipping his tea, and couldn't help but smile bitterly to himself, realizing that he had really spoken too soon.

He never expected that everything that had seemed so obvious to him, and that he thought the mistakes were so basic, would suddenly become reasonable after just a reversal.

However, when he saw the end, especially the finale, he was suddenly stunned!
He finally understood why Chen Mo had suddenly asked him to look at the script.

Because this ending is really...unconventional! No, it's not just unconventional, it's incredibly daring.

If the setting were in China, it would definitely be rejected! But this movie is set in a Southeast Asian country.

Then this standard is open to discussion, but it might also feel a bit too extreme!
From the perspective of ordinary viewers, many people would probably applaud this ending, because it can be said that this ending is the best way to vent anger!

It took him a long time to come to his senses.

"What exactly are you trying to express with this ending?" he couldn't help but ask.

"It's not about what I want to express, but how the audience wants to understand and interpret it!" Chen Mo said with a smile.

But he couldn't help feeling smug.

Even someone like Master Han asked such a question, which means that the ending design was very effective!
Chen Mo's version of the ending can be said to have completely broken away from the original ending's formula, but it appears bolder and more open-ended!
Master Han was stunned. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that this ending was indeed a brilliant touch.

just
"Third Master, what do you think?" Chen Mo asked again.

"It's a bit hard to judge! From a cinematic perspective, this twist is indeed quite unique! It has a kind of open-ended horror feel, which makes it easy for the audience to interpret many answers themselves. However, to be honest, I'm not sure how to judge this aspect!" He suddenly frowned and said.

Because this ending is very "realistic," but it's a bit too realistic, so realistic that even he's not quite sure what to do.

The outcome of the second trial in the Thai cliff-fall case, where the local court reduced the life sentence to 10 years imprisonment due to "insufficient evidence," has sparked public outcry.

He suddenly found the ending of "The Vanished She" quite interesting.

Because Chen Mo's novel "The Vanished She" is actually very easy to associate with this case.

The reason I'm a little unsure is that this case happened overseas, so it's relatively less sensitive.

But Chen Mo's ending is very meaningful.

He even suspected that Chen Mo might have bigger ambitions.

Why do I say that? Because it's obvious that Chen Mo's film, "The Vanished Woman," is based on this type of case.

It's hard not to see it reflected in the film; in fact, it's inevitable that people will see it reflected in the film! So the question is, when this movie is released, will it trigger even greater public outcry?

The ending of Chen Mo's "The Vanished She" is particularly meaningful, or even more ambitious, because it easily evokes associations and serves as a unique example.

Of course, Chen Mo would never admit it, but Third Master couldn't help but overthink it! The audience couldn't help but overthink it too!

Once this becomes a model, it can be said that Chen Mo will once again establish his consistent habit: his films adapted from realistic themes will always be able to influence reality through film!
So, will "The Vanished" become a reality this time? If it does, that would be hilarious, because this example is incredibly disturbing, isn't it?

So he didn't know! He genuinely didn't know! After all, this was a transnational case, and the trial and verdict were handled by the Thai side. It's absurd for a domestic film to influence a foreign verdict. Of course, this is actually a relatively positive influence. What if it were worse? Is it possible? Given the victim's status and wealth, plus the environment in Thailand, who knows if they might follow the film's lead!

"You've got big ambitions, kid!" Third Master exclaimed in surprise.

"What ambition? Third Master, I don't have any. Don't talk nonsense. I'm just a moviemaker. What ambition could I possibly have?" Chen Mo quickly denied it three times in a row.

"Heh, you know perfectly well whether you do or not!" Third Master said irritably.

“From a personal standpoint, I support this ending, but to be honest, I really can’t judge this one. After all, the background is overseas, but it’s a Chinese-language film, and the target audience is domestic. How about this, you submit the filing first!” Third Master said in the end.

Upon hearing this, Chen Mo was overjoyed. Although he had also designed another ending, it would be best if the ending could remain unchanged.

As for what Third Master said about his ambition, well, Chen Mo admits that his ending does indeed have a little bit of the idea of ​​making the movie a reality. Well, even if it doesn't make the movie a reality, it would still be good if it could make criminals think twice!

He is quite confident in his film in this respect.

(End of this chapter)