Chapter 224: Wrapping Up the Film

[Chapter 224: Wrapping Up the Film]

After the awards ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival, Link received an invitation to a party held at the Palais des Festivals. He arrived with the stunning Sophie Marceau by his side.

During the party, Link met several international filmmakers, including Italian director Giuseppe Tornatore, known for Cinema Paradiso, Taiwanese director Edward Yang, and the renowned French director Luc Besson, along with celebrated actors like Ge You, Catherine Deneuve, and Isabelle Adjani. 

Link discussed potential collaborations with these filmmakers, offering to connect them with Guess Pictures if their film projects needed funding. Guess Pictures was eager to partner with international talents. 

...

While chatting, Link learned that Besson's new film, Leon: The Professional, had also been showcased at Cannes but had not entered the competition for film awards. Intrigued, Link expressed his desire to see the film. After watching it in a screening room, he made a $4.5 million offer for North American distribution rights, including theatrical and home video releases. The film had a production budget of $16 million and had yet to be released, so box office performance was still uncertain. Link's offer was the highest among distributors, and Besson readily accepted.

After securing the deal, Link traveled to Paris to sign the distribution contract. He stayed in Sophie Marceau's apartment for two days and nights before returning to the United States.

...

Following the Cannes Film Festival's conclusion, news broke that Link's new film won the Palme d'Or, leading to wide coverage by American media and sparking lively discussion within Hollywood.

Many were baffled by how Link, known for making "B-movies," got such recognition from the Cannes jury. Some speculated that the festival's selection criteria had dropped, suggesting Link had stumbled upon the award. Others proposed that Link had engaged in hefty public relations efforts to secure the Palme d'Or, given his fortune exceeding a billion dollars.

Curiosity mounted around the nature of Link's new film and how it had earned such a prestigious award. Consequently, many reporters sought an interview with Clint Eastwood, the esteemed chairman of the Cannes jury. In the interview, Eastwood succinctly responded to questions, claiming that Link's new film was a classic. He praised its storyline, cinematography, color grading, editing, and visual effects, noting that awarding the Palme d'Or was a matter of respecting the art of filmmaking.

Eastwood, who had won the Academy Award for Best Director for Unforgiven in 1993, was a leading figure in Hollywood, revered for his contributions. His endorsement of Link's film only intensified public curiosity about its quality.

...

Even Quentin Tarantino reached out to Link, asking what the film was about and how it had won the Palme d'Or. Link replied, "It's a secret."

In tandem with this, Guess Pictures announced the release date for Se7en: July 15, inviting everyone to gauge the fairness of the Cannes selections.

...

Upon returning from France, Link resumed filming The Butterfly Effect in Vancouver.

"Scene 312, action!"

This scene depicted the protagonist's second time travel, leading him to reconnect with his first love, Kayleigh, now living a dismal life as a prostitute, marked by an unsightly scar.

To prepare for the role, Renee Zellweger sought the assistance of two street workers to understand their lives, learning their speech patterns, body language, and movements.

As she performed, Renee applied makeup and mimicked a staggered walk, transforming from a bright Texas girl into a downtrodden, battered hooker.

"Sure you don't want your wallet?" Kayleigh asked at the diner, picking up Evan's wallet.

"Don't think I'll need it where I'm going," Evan replied through tears.

"Really? Off to change everyone's life again, is that it?" Kayleigh shouted as she left the wallet on the table. "Maybe this time you'll pop up in some mansion while I wind up in Tijuana doing the donkey act."

"I'm over it. Whenever I try to help anyone it all turns to shit." Evan expressed his frustration.

"Well, don't give up now, Slick. You've already done so much for me. Hell, why don't you go back in time and save Mrs. Halpern and her baby," Kayleigh replied intensely. "Then maybe Lenny wouldn't freak out and ruin my family. Oh, here's one! Go back when I'm seven and fuck me in front of Daddy's handicam, you know, straighten me out a bit..."

Unsteady, Kayleigh stood up, hurled the wallet at Evan, and exited the diner. Evan's face reflected the depths of his despair.

...

"Cut!"

"Okay."

Even after the take was called, Leonardo sat in place, tears streaming down his face, engulfed in melancholy. He seemed trapped within his character.

This was partially due to Link's deliberate direction over the past month. Under his guidance, Leonardo and the other leads developed a deeper understanding of their roles, blending into them more profoundly, leading to more expressive performances. Their acting was flowing and natural, with many scenes shot in one take without issues.

However, there were drawbacks. The leads became so immersed in their characters that the set's atmosphere grew increasingly oppressive. Interacting with them felt akin to dealing with their film personas.

Leonardo's situation was the most pronounced. Early in filming, he had been the most lively member of the cast, joking and playing around with crew members. But as filming progressed, he became increasingly melancholic, with his condition worsening as filming neared its end.

Mark Walhberg, the second lead, noted that at times Leonardo would stay alone in his room, staring blankly at his script, eerily resembling Evan's demeanor in the film -- a chilling sight.

To counter this, Link had to bring in a psychologist to monitor the leads, ensuring they didn't over-internalize their roles. Over-immersion could dull their reactions, making transitions in scenes take longer to adjust to, which would hinder filming.

...

"Leo, how are you holding up?" Link asked as he sat across from him.

"I'm fine," Leonardo wiped his eyes.

"You do know we're just filming a movie, right?" Link pushed a cup of hot cocoa toward him.

"Yeah, I know." Leonardo nodded, lost in thought as he gazed at the steam rising from the cocoa. "I was just thinking about a good friend of mine when I was eight. He accidentally fell into a pool and never resurfaced. I wonder if his death had anything to do with me. If I'd been there, could I have talked him out of it or called for help in time? Maybe he would have gone to college, settled down, and found happiness instead."

"That kind of thinking isn't right. Life and death are unpredictable, and each person's timeline is preordained. Even if you saved him once, you couldn't save him again. His death serves as a warning to others to stay away from danger, to appreciate life. If it weren't for his death to alert us, you and your friends might have taken greater risks swimming deep. Wanting to save him could ultimately lead to harming others."

Leonardo was momentarily taken aback. He wanted to argue but found Link's points valid.

After that pool incident, their community had closed the public pool; they lost a place to swim, and he developed a fear of deep water, just like many of his friends.

If his friend had never drowned, would he still fear the water? Would he dare swim in the deep end?

"Let go of the need to save others and respect their destiny; that's the healthiest mindset," Link said as he patted Leonardo's shoulder.

Leonardo quietly nodded, watching Link walk away, feeling a burgeoning respect for him. Despite being just 22, Link exhibited a wisdom that belied his age -- a quality worth emulating.

...

Once Leonardo regained his composure, filming resumed. For a seasoned filmmaker like Link, The Butterfly Effect, with its fewer grand scenes and limited special effects, was simple to shoot.

Thanks to the resilience of the cast, Link wrapped all the film's shots in under two months. After finishing the movie, he brought the crew back to Los Angeles, where he could rest and catch up with his girlfriends.

*****

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