As the artistic director of the Jose-Jacques Film Festival, Wu Yang watches a volume of films every year that is hard for ordinary people to fact that he can sit in the position of art director actually shows how high his aesthetic vision is.
At top film festivals like the Jose Film Festival, not every film in the main competition unit is a good film, but for each film, you can know the reason why it was shortlisted, and you won’t wonder “Why was it shortlisted” after watching it.
Every year, there will be a discussion in advance about which film will win the grand prize and which film will become a classic in film history. These are all things that everyone will discuss. And in this year's main competition unit, the favorite batch of films of their internal selectors, in addition to the three films mentioned by Evan Gardi and Lu Yanhe, is Lu Yanhe's "Love Letter".
Because "Love Letter" is clean and simple enough, without any gimmicks. As a debut work by a new director, it does not show off, but presents a simplicity that returns to nature.
Wu Yang doesn't know how the audience will choose the award this year. He secretly hopes that "Love Letter" can win an award, so that Lu Yanhe's first film as a director can gain enough recognition at the Jose-La Roche Film Festival.
Wu Yang hopes that Lu Yanhe can become a direct descendant of the Joseph-Henri Film Festival. Even if he cannot attract all his projects to the Joseph-Henri Film Festival to participate in the competition and make their world premieres, at least the Joseph-Henri Film Festival will be his first choice.
After all, compared to the Sitour International Film Festival, which focuses on experimental and artistic films, the Hossein Film Festival focuses on awards for the audience. Lu Yanhe, a talented director and actor who has gained worldwide fame, is of course one of the creators Wu Yang most wants to attract.
As for the premiere of "Love Letter", Wu Yang was actually quite looking forward to the first wave of people's feelings after watching the movie.
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"It's not uncommon for actors to become directors, but it's really rare for such a young actor to become a director."
This time, at the invitation of Japan's "Etsu Junpo", Toshihide Konishi, a special commentator for the "Etsu Junpo", came to the Netherlands-Spain Film Festival as a special reporter for the media and was responsible for reporting on this film festival.
Japanese film critic Nagayama Kazuzo, who used to be active at international film festivals, came to the Jose-La-Jacques Film Festival as a special reporter without being invited by any Japanese film media.
As for why, everyone says that Nagayama Kawazo has brought shame to the Japanese film industry.
Konishi Toshihide also felt that Nagayama Kazo was a disgrace.
Lu Yanhe, who was constantly attacked by him, has now become one of the most watched young actors in the world through his films. With the support of the Asian market, he has conquered the European and American markets with "The Mist". He is one of the few young Asian actors who has won the attention of the world.
Konishi Toshihide himself actually likes Lu Yanhe very much, because he thinks this actor has aspirations and artistic realm. He is very tasteful in choosing movie scripts and roles. Except for the two TV series he played at the beginning, which were relatively vulgar, the other dramas he played were not the roles and performances commonly seen in current film and television dramas.
However, Konishi Toshihide is still not optimistic about "Love Letter" directed by Lu Yanhe.
After all, being a director is very different from being an actor.
Konishi Toshihide even feels that the requirements for a good director are much higher than those for a good actor - otherwise, why are there so many good actors but so few good directors?
Of course, this is Lu Yanhe's directorial debut. According to the convention of the film industry, a person's debut work is always viewed with the most tolerant attitude.
High demands should be put off until later, and always encourage the first time.
Unless it sucks.
But since it has been shortlisted for the main competition unit of the Jose-Malaysian Film Festival, it shouldn't be too bad.
Konishi Toshihide felt half expectant and half not daring to be too expectant, which was quite contradictory.
He sat down in the screening room and waited for the movie to start.
People around were talking about Lu Yanhe, Chen Bige and the movie.
From the attitudes of the people around me, I can tell that everyone actually has high expectations for this movie.
This is the charm of big stars.
Konishi Toshihide felt a little jealous for some reason——
Why hasn't there been an actor like Lu Yanhe in Japan?
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After the theater went dark, the rustling sounds gradually faded away.
Everyone adjusted their state and entered a calm state of watching the movie, waiting for the movie to begin.
This process didn't take long, and after a while, the movie started.
The first shot of the movie is a vast expanse of white snow.
Quiet and solemn.
The film begins with the funeral of Huai Jingshu.
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When she was in high school, she had a male classmate with the same name as her.
Because of this incident, the two of them were always teased by their classmates.
The more this happened, the more... I deliberately kept my distance.
When we rode our bikes home together at the school gate, we would quickly look at each other and then move away.
In a classroom, every time the eyes of the people in front and behind each other passed by the other person's area, they were as timid as a deer.
This is the most ordinary youth story. You don’t know what’s going on in the mind of the boy who always has a blank expression on his face. You always feel that his eyes are very deep and you can’t tell any emotion from him.
Since when did he suddenly have more interactions with you?
Was it that someone took his test paper by mistake, or was he angry at those who were making a fuss?
When he rushed down the slope on his bike and put a paper bag on your head as a prank, you were so angry that vivid emotions finally appeared on your face.
When he stood by the window of the library, the white curtains dancing in the wind brought changes in light and shadow on his body, what were you secretly looking at?
When your father passed away and you haven't been to school for a while, he suddenly appears at your door and asks you to return the book "Remembrance of Things Past" that he borrowed. You look at him and smile at that moment. What are you thinking of?
You said that most of the memories you have about him are bad.
Then why, after he suddenly transferred to another school and left, when a classmate played a prank on his desk and put a vase that would only be placed after a person died, did you walk over in anger and smash it to the ground? -
What about you? Zheng Ni.
When your boyfriend passed away unexpectedly and you walked through the white snowfield in a black coat to bury him, what did you think?
When you took the photo album of his youth from his mother and saw his young face, and suddenly wanted to write a letter to him at the same address as before, what did you want to say?
When you suddenly received a reply letter, were you shocked? Wait, same name, same surname? How could it be such a coincidence?
This girl with the same name and surname as your boyfriend also knows your boyfriend.
Are you interested in the past, before you appeared in his life?
Little by little, memories, along with letters, gradually reveal the two lives you two had for one boy.
When you are standing beside a busy street and see a face that looks exactly like yours, at that moment you instantly realize who she is. How do you feel?
——Are you a substitute?
This is a question that will never be answered.
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One is the past, the other is the present.
The one who can connect the present and the past is dead.
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Many people have emphasized that movies are not just stories, they are the art of pictures, the art of sound, and the art of combining various technologies to stir the emotions of the audience.
The pictures, music and rhythm style of the movie "Love Letter" are all clean and calm, flowing like still waters.
Even the sunny and lively scenes in the memories of youth present the amber-like texture of time like old photos.
While writing the script and filming the movie, Lu Yanhe himself was actually frequently thinking about a question: Why did a simple movie like "Love Letter", which can even be said to be similar to many youth movies, become such a special classic?
I couldn't figure it out no matter how much I thought about it. But as I thought about it, I kept sinking into it, feeling melancholy and regretful.
When the letter from afar awakened the memory of the female Ai Jingshu, she began to collect clues from the past, and little by little awakened her memories of the boy in high school. If she had not experienced a throbbing deep in her heart, how could she be so devoted to looking for objects and information about him many years later?
Lu Yanhe had not expected that the movie that he had almost vomited watching in the computer room would be shown in Hexi this time and he was so absorbed in it.
Chen Bige played two roles in the movie, and she played both the characters of Huai Jingshu and Zheng Ni very well.
One is a bit introverted and quiet, while the other is a bit more lively.
They are not very different, no matter their appearance or clothing style, there is no clear distinction. This is Lu Yanhe's request. It was like this in the original movie, and Lu Yanhe himself also agrees with this approach.
It was too cinematic to distinguish two identical people by their appearance. Moreover, Lu Yanhe didn't want them to look like two different people. He wanted to make it unclear why Huai Jingshu liked Zheng Ni.
The ultimate destination of this movie is not love itself, but the beauty and loss of the memories of love in the big container of life.
Lu Yanhe handled the two relationships according to this tone.
Whether it is the youthful secret love between the female Huai Jingshu and the male Huai Jingshu, or Zheng Ni's positioning of this relationship with the male Huai Jingshu after he becomes an adult.
Lu Yanhe gently held Chen Siqi's hand in the dark.
Chen Siqi also pinched her fingers in Lu Yanhe's palm.
--Are you OK?
--I am fine.
When several high school girls took the book "Remembrance of Things Past" to Nv Huai Jingshu and asked her to look at the back of the library card, she turned the card over and saw her portrait on the back. At that moment, surprise and memories came flooding in like a tide under the sun. After many years, he had passed away, and she finally realized that he really loved her back then.
When he came to her door with a copy of Remembrance of Things Past before transferring to another school, was he there to confess his love? Did he have something to say? Did he not say it in the end because he saw the black armband on her sleeve and knew that someone in her family had passed away?
I don't know anything anymore
She smiled brightly in the sunshine, laughing so hard that tears came out, and she wiped them away gently.
A bit regretful, but not sad.
It was just a letter from many years ago that she received today.
This is always how life turns out.
I can only ask: How are you?
I can only answer: I'm fine.
He has been sleeping deep in the mountains.
There is no definite answer to our questions. However, there is always a relationship in life that is used to cherish the memory.
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The movie ended with that brilliant smile with a hint of tears.
The melodious and quiet music sounded again.
The theater was so quiet that no one spoke.
Chen Siqi covered her face with her hands and gently wiped away the tears with her fingertips.
Lu Yanhe took a deep breath and adjusted his mood.
This movie still has such a strong staying power.
It was not until the lights in the screening room came on that Lu Yanhe heard several heavy sighs coming from all around him.
He looked at Chen Bige first and was shocked to see that Chen Bige's face was covered with tears.
There was applause.
Wan Xin hurriedly took out a tissue from her handbag and wiped away the tears from her red eyes.
So many people had tears in their eyes.
Wu Yang was the first to stand up, walked to Lu Yanhe's side and applauded him.
Lu Yanhe also stood up with other crew members, turned around and faced the others behind him.
He looked at it in disbelief and found that Li Zhibai's eyes were actually a little red.
He originally thought that the movie "Love Letter" was not Li Zhibai's cup of tea.
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"This is a masterpiece. I really didn't expect that Love Letter would be such a movie."
Julianna Lawrence, who came to attend the premiere, greeted Lu Yanhe and shook his hand. Her eyes, which were so big that Lu Yanhe felt a little scared when he looked at them up close, sparkled with sincerity. Of course, for an actor, you never know whether the sincerity in her eyes is real or fake.
She said sincerely: "You really shocked me, Lu, that you could make such a pure love movie."
Lu Yanhe: "..."
The word "Pure love" shocked Lu Yanhe.
He didn't expect that in Julianna Lawrence's eyes, this movie was a pure love story.
After that, people kept coming to Lu Yanhe to express their love for the movie.
Lu Yanhe communicated and expressed his gratitude one by one.
After that, I have to go to a special session to complete the photocall session, and then, it’s the press conference.
These are all regular parts of a film festival, and are also the times when a film crew receives the most concentrated and greatest exposure.
Many small crews that lack their own publicity capabilities can only rely on these official channels to obtain coverage from media around the world.
Lu Yanhe is not sure how popular this movie is now.
Because generally speaking, what you say to him in person are always good things.
Except for a very small number of people like Yongshan Hesan, generally no one would just run up to someone and say:
——I don’t like your movie, it’s rubbish.
As one of the most anticipated film crews at this year's film festival, the press conference was packed with media, with almost no room to sit.
When Lu Yanhe and his group entered the venue, there was enthusiastic applause and cheers, which made Lu Yanhe feel a little relieved.
This trend shows that the media is still satisfied with this movie.
In fact, the subsequent question-and-answer session also proved that Lu Yanhe's judgment was correct.
Everyone's interest in this movie exceeds their job. Many people are very interested in why Lu Yanhe made such a movie and whether he had a similar experience when he was a student.
Lu Yanhe couldn't laugh or cry.
This is also a characteristic of this type of movie, which makes it easy for people to wonder whether it is adapted from a real experience.
Because the emotions in the movie are so clean and pure, they even feel real.
This is not the way to shoot a youth idol romance movie - even the part where the man and the woman fall in love with Ichiki actually has such an atmosphere.
However, everything remained superficial and ended in vain, causing this subtle, just beginning secret love to fade away in an instant.
People's inner emotions were aroused in this way.
"This is your directorial debut. Do you have any plans for your next directorial work?"
"Not yet." Lu Yanhe shook his head. "This time, filming Love Letter made me realize many of my shortcomings. My ability and experience are not enough to be a director, so I need to accumulate more experience."
"What are your plans for future filming?"
"I will participate in the filming of a Malaysian film," said Lu Yanhe.
After a few questions, someone asked Li Songfan——
He actually has a pretty important role in this movie.
"We heard that you are a very famous and highly respected actor in China. Why did you choose to participate in a work by a new director and play such a role in it?" The person who asked the question was from Singapore, a Chinese, and spoke directly in Chinese.
Li Songfan said: "I have wanted to work with Director Xiao Lu for a long time, so when he called me, I had basically made up my mind that I would work with him this time no matter what. Before I acted in this movie, he told me that I would not be the protagonist, and I said it was okay. In fact, I have not acted in many movies, and I have mainly acted in TV series in recent years. I am very happy to be able to shoot this movie with everyone this time. In this crew, everyone has a very comfortable shooting atmosphere. Although Director Xiao Lu is a director for the first time, he has a very clear idea of what he wants the movie to look like, which makes it very easy for each of us, and we don’t have to test the effects over and over again on the scene. Today is the first time I have seen the complete film of "Love Letter", and it is very different from what I imagined when I was shooting. The feeling presented by this movie far exceeds my imagination of it when I saw the script."
"But, Yan He, you actually have very few scenes in "Love Letter". The story is mainly told from the perspective of the two girls played by Chen Bige. You are the director and screenwriter of this film. Why didn't you increase your own role?" This question was asked by a Korean reporter.
Lu Yanhe smiled and said, "Because the premise of this movie is the absence of the role I play. If I appear too much, it won't be a memory, and it won't be as idealized and beautiful as presented in the movie. The fewer scenes I have, and the more fragments I appear in, the more room there is for everyone's imagination. Only in imagination can people get close to an ideal perfection, and if I want to leave such a deep mark in the lives of both girls, I must give them enough space to accommodate the good in their memories."
Lu Yanhe's interpretation of the role of Nan Huaijing Shu made Chen Bige look at him with a bit of surprise.
Chen Bige didn't expect that Lu Yanhe had such a consideration in his handling of this role.
She shook her head and sighed, "To be honest, it wasn't until Yan He said that just now that I realized why he deliberately made his role so small."
"Bi Ge, is it a challenge for you to play two roles?"
"For this movie, playing two roles is not a challenge for me. Instead, the most difficult thing is how to converge my impressive performance style that I have left on everyone in the past and integrate it into the style of the movie itself." Chen Bige said, "The roles I played in the past are often those with very distinct personalities, but the two girls I played in the movie are actually very lifelike and everyday, which makes it difficult for me to find an anchor for my past performance style. Because I am not the kind of person who is a little restrained in the movie. Although the two girls have different personalities, they are actually people with a lot of ideas and have a lot of inner thoughts and thoughts. I prepared for these two roles myself. In almost every scene, I had to sort out a lot of inner drama that could not be reflected in the lines. Only in this way can I really distinguish the difference between the two girls from the details. It is this difference that finally made Zheng Ni choose to believe that Huai Jingshu liked her, chose to be with her, and wanted to marry her because she was Zheng Ni, not because she looked exactly like the girl he once liked."
"Are you saying that Huai Jingshu's love for Zheng Ni has nothing to do with the female Huai Jingshu?"
"I believe that there must be a relationship when they first met, but the decision for two people to stay together for a long time is definitely something deeper." Chen Bige said, "At least that's how Zheng Ni, played by me, understood it. Of course, none of us knows the final answer, because the male Huai Jingshu is already dead, so there is no final conclusion on this matter. But it doesn't matter, just like at the end of the movie, after the female Huai Jingshu herself experienced the threat of death, she found out that the male Huai Jingshu really liked her at the beginning, and she definitely didn't think of regrets. This movie is about far more than just such a simple thing."
When Lu Yanhe listened to Chen Bige's understanding of his role, he suddenly couldn't help but feel a lump in his throat.
He discovered that it was not just him who understood the movie. In fact, many people understood the movie in their own way and injected their own interpretations and emotions into it.
Chen Bige's treatment of these two girls, especially why there must be very clear differences in the details - Lu Yanhe likes this interpretation very much.
Why did Zheng Ni choose to believe in the end that Huai Jingshu actually loved her and wanted to be with her?
At some point, it doesn’t matter what the facts are about the future, what matters is what you choose to believe.
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After the press conference, Lu Yanhe and his friends drove to the hotel, where two other media outlets were waiting to interview them.
On the way back to the hotel, Wan Qingqing had already collected the first wave of media and audience reviews, saying, "'Love Letter' has received over 85% positive reviews from the media and 90% positive reviews from the audience. So far, it is one of the films with the highest positive reviews since the premiere. Only 'Paradise' has received more than 92% positive reviews from the audience."
Lu Yanhe secretly squeezed his hands and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Moreover, the performances of several teachers have received unanimous praise." Wan Qingqing finished speaking and laughed again, "Guan Suchen, an entertainment critic in our country, wrote an article saying: Lu Yanhe found a group of acting talents to perform in such a beautiful movie, and he ended up playing a male vase - but it can be said that this will be a vase that Lu Yanhe will never surpass in his acting career. He used the memories of the two girls to build a tombstone of youth for himself that he can never climb over."
Lu Yanhe opened his mouth in disbelief.
Chen Bige also screamed, "This person is so good at describing things! A tombstone of youth that can never be climbed over!"
Lu Yanhe couldn't help laughing.
It must be said that Guan Suchen is able to sit firmly in the top position among domestic entertainment critics, which shows that he has some skills.
"The film reviews from major media outlets will be released one after another later. We'll just have to wait and see how high the score will be when the program is released tomorrow." Wan Qingqing was a little excited.
Lu Yanhe sighed with relief, but the corners of his mouth curled up.
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Recommended old book "I Became the Scandal Heroine Overnight" (End of this chapter)
