Chapter 253: A Cross-Era Premiere, A New Generation of Master

Liu Liu Yifei poaches Liu Liu Shishi, Yanda Huayi poaches Zhou Xun, Fan Fan Bingbing backstabs her godmother, Cheng Tian poaches Wang Wang Jinhua, and Huang Huang Xiaoming jumps ship to Yanda Huayi.

The undercurrents surging across every aspect and every line all pointed back to a single mastermind pulling the strings behind the scenes.

However, at this moment, the mastermind had switched to his director persona, busy striving for the next of the three major European film awards for his directing career.

On February 16, 2005, at the Berlin Film Festival shown on the three screens in the Yanda Huayi office, the premiere of *The Curious Case of Benjamin Button* was underway.

This year's Berlin Film Festival, or rather the Berlin Film Festival of the past two years, hasn't been very star-studded.

The main reason is that the Oscars ceremony has been held a month earlier these past two years, so many blockbusters originally planned for a Berlin premiere were moved up.

It is only because Boss Lu chose *Foreign Land* for the Oscars that he could manage both.

For blockbusters, an Oscar nomination guarantees at least 30 million in box office growth in the North American market, and winning doubles it.

But the tone of the three major European festivals is relatively independent and artistic; for the general audience, they are too highbrow, and aside from the "prestige" factor, the benefits in box office growth are inferior to the Oscars.

This has led to Berlin losing the star-studded Hollywood actors these past two years, causing its influence to decline.

At this moment, the screening hall for the premiere was already packed.

The global explosion of *Foreign Land* made Boss Lu's reputation as a director spread far across Western Europe, accumulating a large number of fans worldwide.

Actually, there are many in the country too, but they are all "black fans" whose identities overlap with Little Liu's fans!

There weren't many stars present to show support today, because this year's Berlin Film Festival was indeed slightly bleak in terms of turnout.

Aside from Tsai Ming-liang from Taiwan and the *Kong Que* crew from the mainland, there were only Boss Lu's close friends like Harvey and Quentin in attendance.

Harvey is here to buy films, no need to mention more.

Quentin is an old regular at major film festivals; even if it weren't for his "wolf-pack" friend Boss Lu, he would basically have perfect attendance.

Because he likes watching films.

Influenced by his stepfather in his youth, he began to come into contact with all kinds of films, and later, through his job at a video store, he watched a vast number of them; it is said his viewing count exceeds 20,000.

Italian Westerns, Shaw Brothers kung fu films, French New Wave films—he watches everything.

In addition, there were the jury president of this year's festival, Roland, and the festival director, Kosslick, which basically maxed out the prestige.

Without Hollywood superstars, they were still willing to show goodwill toward Boss Lu, who had just won a Golden Globe, which was also a high recognition of this film, *The Curious Case of Benjamin Button*.

After the red carpet, brief introductions, and interviews, the film finally began.

The entire hall was deathly silent; from the projector hanging high on the ceiling, a beam of light illuminated the screen, and the background music for the film's opening sounded in the packed hall.

An old woman lies on a hospital bed, and as a hurricane approaches, she tells her daughter (Li Lin) a story recorded in a diary.

Following the old woman's narration, the visuals begin to cut into the story, opening Li Ming's peculiar, legendary, and deeply moving journey of reverse-aging life.

This opening design cleverly introduces the main storyline and creates an atmosphere of time settling and a story being told slowly, allowing the audience to quickly immerse themselves in the film's unique narrative context.

The shrill whistle of a train caught the audience's attention; the opening, like in *Forrest Gump*, embeds real black-and-white historical footage into the film.

Early 1919, World War I had just ended two months prior.

Footage of Wellington Koo at the Paris Peace Conference and progressive students shouting May Fourth Movement slogans as they took to the streets brought the audience back to that era.

By this time, Shanghai was already the premier metropolis of the Far East.

The two policemen at the start of the scene were chatting, with one lamenting the prosperity here, saying it had left the cities of the British Isles behind by a hundred years.

The opening was a heavy historical narrative perspective, establishing the entire film's reflection on life and the torrent of time.

The overhead shot zooms in, freezing on a clock running backward; this is an important motif for the entire film:

The clock runs backward, and the journey of life flows in reverse as well.

Five minutes into the film, the standard lens language and narrative rhythm looked as plain as boiled water.

Quentin felt a bit strange.

This is not Lu's level.

With his ability, showing off his skills crazily in the first five minutes would be a piece of cake; why choose such a dull narrative?

Soon he found the answer.

Li Ming, played by Lu Kuan, was born, but his overly aged appearance was somewhat shocking, and the whole hall let out an exclamation for the first time.

Hollywood's Digital Domain "facial action coding" system perfectly projected the old man's appearance onto the face of a special-needs actor, making it indistinguishable from the real thing.

Ordinary audience members were amazed by the baby's ugliness, but Quentin, Gu Gu Zhangwei, and others had already discovered something was wrong.

Especially the "photographer-turned-director" Gu Gu Zhangwei.

This image...

It's overexposed, isn't it?!

Is he crazy? Or is Zhao Fei, who is filming for Lu Kuan, crazy?

Everyone watched with patience, but their mood was like having entered a haunted house, cautiously probing and capturing every bit of lens language.

These directors were eager to find an answer.

An answer to explain why a Golden Lion and Golden Globe-winning director would make such a low-level mistake.

Ceng Ceng Wenxiu, a local Shanghai nanny played by Hui Hui Yinghong, found the baby Li Ming at the entrance of the nursing home in the concession.

He had been abandoned there by his father, Li Li Xuejian.

Li Li Xuejian was a local business tycoon, or what could be called a capitalist comprador, who made his fortune relying on foreign trade orders from Westerners in the concession.

Hui Hui Yinghong and her husband had been childless for many years after marriage; they had been serving the dignitaries of the British and French concessions at the nursing home, which was founded by an American military attaché to the Asia-Pacific.

After a moment of shock, Li Ming became their adopted son.

After a doctor's examination, the baby's cataracts had almost caused blindness, and his joints were suffering from severe arthritis.

These are all common geriatric diseases; why would they appear on a baby?

The montage cut to daytime, and the audience began to whisper.

"Is the picture a bit too bright? It seems different from a normal movie."

"It is a bit strange, like..."

A mainland reporter answered in English: "Like the way a newborn baby sees the world, slightly blurry."

"Right!"

This film reporter was Ju Ju Wenpei, an old friend of Boss Lu, who had led the *World Film Journey* team to Berlin this time.

She had previously attended the China Film Group's screening.

But even as a second-time viewer, Ju Ju Wenpei found that she still discovered many details she hadn't noticed before.

Like the clock running backward at the beginning of the film.

The clock runs backward, and Li Ming is also reverse-aging.

He was born with the face and physical condition of an old man, and as he ages, he will gradually become younger.

By the time he passes away, he will have turned back into a baby.

Hui Hui Yinghong brought the child among a group of old people, and an old woman with white hair and wrinkled skin exclaimed, "He really looks like my ex-husband!"

Laughter erupted in the screening hall.

The linear narrative was very smooth, and the light and shadow of the 1920s leaked through the fingers like quicksand.

Quentin's feeling was very peculiar.

He himself is world-renowned for his genius circular narrative film structure and won the Palme d'Or at Cannes for the groundbreaking narrative structure of *Pulp Fiction*.

But from such a plain opening ten minutes, walking safely through the first few years of Li Ming's life amidst the "flaw" of overexposure, he didn't feel it was mediocre at all.

Instead...

There was a master's plainness and restraint; he began to think intently about the intention behind Lu Kuan's use of overexposure.

Li Ming grew up in the nursing home; he was full of curiosity about everything, and he met an American reporter, Harrison Forman.

Harrison Forman was a famous World War II reporter who had worked and lived in Shanghai for a long time; he was a writer, explorer, lecturer, photographer, and pilot.

In 1937, Harrison Forman became famous for filming and reporting on the Second Battle of Shanghai, and he also went deep behind enemy lines to interview and report on our Party's anti-Japanese activities; he was an international friend.

Li Ming and Harrison Forman sat on the steps of the nursing home talking, and Li Ming listened with longing to his fluent Chinese mixed with English.

"Li Ming, do you know how beautiful your country is?"

"My country?"

Harrison Forman pointed to the clouds left by a fighter jet roaring overhead: "You should sit in a plane one day and go see your Yellow River, Yangtze River, and Great Wall."

The soul of the young Li Ming passed through the nursing home that confined him, passed through the small and wealthy British and French concessions, and began to open his eyes to observe the world.

Including his motherland, the suffering motherland.

This was the first lesson he learned.

The ten-year-old Li Ming, played by Lu Kuan, looked up at the sky in a daze; this was Lu Kuan's expression projected onto the face of a short special-needs actor through special effects.

At this time, his understanding of the land beneath his feet was still limited to the nursing home with only a few dozen people.

The dawn sunlight left a faint sense of longing and sorrow on his face, as well as a hope about to break through the soil.

A golden halo appeared on the side of Lu Kuan's face, forming a sharp contrast with his ignorant and innocent eyes!

The audience's mood was calm, but Gu Gu Zhangwei was already unable to sit still!

So that was his intention for using overexposure!

"Old Gu, Old Gu?"

"Don't bother me!"

Jiang Jiang Wenli whispered with dissatisfaction: "Tell me, what's going on with the graininess in these shots? It doesn't look very comfortable, does it?"

Gu Gu Zhangwei let out a long sigh.

"Overexposure is extremely amateurish in photography, but Lu Kuan did it intentionally; this is to imply the scorching sensation of the character and the era through the overexposure and the graininess of the image."

The veteran photographer seemed to have opened the floodgates.

"Li Ming was born in 1919; we were a victorious nation, yet we were made difficult by the great powers at the Paris Peace Conference. That opening segment is the footage of Wellington Koo at the Paris Peace Conference."

"The historical background of Li Ming's birth contains both the prosperity of a nation and its youth awakening from the May Fourth Movement, as well as the hidden concerns of the Xinhai Revolution facing restoration twice in 1915 and 1917."

"In other words, this infant represents our nation, which is burdened with deep suffering."

Jiang Jiang Wenli was stunned.

The cultural level of her generation of actors was not low, and she was no stranger to the historical common knowledge that Gu Gu Zhangwei was describing.

It was just that using cinematography to highlight the tactile sense of an era, perfectly integrating the fate of a character into the torrent of the times—this kind of technique was simply unheard of.

The young infant represents our newborn nation, born through the Xinhai Revolution.

And the infant's aging and severe illness highlight the sorrow of feudal restoration and being bullied by the great powers.

An old yet new nation, and an old yet new infant; these are two cinematic images that merge with each other.

Jiang Jiang Wenli was somewhat speechless, her mouth agape; even as a layperson, she felt an endless shock surging from within her heart.

"But can foreigners understand this? They aren't familiar with this period of history, are they?"

Gu Gu Zhangwei didn't even blink: "Keep watching. I believe Lu Kuan will have arrangements."

Li Ming grew up day by day in the orphanage, and through his interactions with Harrison Forman, he began to yearn for the outside world.

And for that "motherland" which existed only in his mind.

In his twelfth year, Li Ming met the love of his life, Zhang Zhang Manyu.

Zhang Zhang Manyu was the daughter of an American wealthy merchant and a beautiful woman from the Magic City, so her grandmother also lived in the nursing home.

The first time the two met, this time not only Gu Gu Zhangwei and Jiang Jiang Wenli, but even foreign filmmakers like Quentin and Roland, who were not very familiar with this historical metaphor, understood the intention behind the overexposure.

The two were the same age, but Li Ming looked aged and his limbs were frail, while Zhang Zhang Manyu was lively and vivid, smiling beautifully.

Such overexposure clearly implies that these childhood sweethearts, whose lives would be intertwined forever, were about to face twists and turns.

Li Ming stood on the steps of the nursing home, watching her run around with such spirit, feeling somewhat inferior and not daring to step forward.

The overexposed shot at this moment vividly described the burning sensation in his heart!

Gu Gu Zhangwei shook his head with a wry smile; it turned out that he was using the nation's fate as a hidden thread, and the romantic fate of the male and female leads as the main thread.

In this way, domestic audiences could delve deep into the metaphors of the hidden thread, while foreign audiences could treat the film entirely as a magical romance drama.

No matter from which angle it was understood, the overexposure and the grainy footage in the first thirty minutes were designed so exquisitely that the audience was thoroughly led into this era and the inner world of this character.

Just as Lu Xun said when discussing *Dream of the Red Chamber*, the classicist sees the *I Ching*, the moralist sees lewdness, the talented scholar sees lingering affection, the revolutionary sees anti-Manchu sentiment, and the gossip sees palace secrets.

The more multi-layered the interpretation, the more it represents the rich connotations of the work.

The kind-hearted Zhang Zhang Manyu did not feel disgust toward the strange "old man" Li Ming; the two hid under a table in the nursing home, lit a candle, and told each other secrets.

She curiously touched Li Ming's wrinkle-covered cheek with her hand, but was discovered by her grandmother.

In her eyes, this warm and friendly scene looked so bizarre and perverted.

After getting to know little Zhang Zhang Manyu, Li Ming began to have things on his mind.

As he grew older day by day, his miraculous constitution of "rejuvenation" became prominent; looking in the mirror, he discovered that he was gradually developing healthy muscles.

Finally, in 1936, at seventeen years old, Li Ming secretly left the nursing home alone for the first time and entered the flower-filled foreign concessions.

After the Russian October Revolution, more and more White Russians fled to the interior; these White Russian women, who had no way to make a living but were still graceful and charming, began to engage in prostitution in the concessions.

The naive Li Ming entered a brothel, and his aged appearance drew the mockery of the White Russian ladies.

"Old man, does your thing still work? Hahaha!"

Under the humiliation and teasing of the women, Li Ming made a fool of himself; these people, having lost their country, did not hesitate to vent their malice and the frustration of being in exile on this "Chinese old man."

"Shut up! You bunch of White Russian bitches!"

The supporting character played by Zhang Zhang Songwen appeared, and he slapped one of the buxom women away.

"Uncle, this isn't a place you should come to. Go back!"

A burst of laughter erupted in the cinema; the Li Ming played by Boss Lu gave off an innocent and naive look at just the right moment.

It was just that this expression appearing on a face with white hair and withered skin was so bizarre and full of comedic effect.

Seeing this, Quentin suddenly had a moment of realization in his heart:

It seemed that Lu had already integrated countless technical displays and lens designs into a seemingly plain plot; this kind of restraint was even more difficult than tension.

He was very much looking forward to the pacing of the middle of the film; perhaps there would be even more astonishing cinematic language than the overexposure.

Zhang Zhang Songwen was a young master from the Magic City whose father was the "King of MSG" Zhang Zhang Yiyun, a scholar by origin; he was unrestrained and unconventional but possessed a sense of justice.

Zhang Zhang Yiyun founded the Tianchu MSG Factory in 1923, breaking the monopoly of the Japanese on the MSG market, and later donated funds, supplies, and aircraft during the War of Resistance.

Li Ming explained his physical condition to him, and Zhang Zhang Songwen laughed out loud and immediately called for the madam.

"Arrange one for my brother, I'll pay!"

The White Russian prostitutes raised their hands, scrambling to be chosen.

In their view, the cost-effectiveness of such an elderly guest was too high; for the same payment, perhaps this old man would only need 10 seconds?

A White Russian woman excitedly led him upstairs, only to leave Zhang Zhang Songwen waiting downstairs for an hour.

When he came back downstairs, the White Russian woman who had been congratulating herself earlier was already trembling at the knees.

"Little brother, I think I'd better call you Uncle; you really are my uncle!"

The audience erupted into another burst of laughter.

Jiang Jiang Wenli laughed: "Hey, Old Gu, you say, how does that Lu Kuan manage to make a film that is so easy for you professional directors to see the depth, yet allows ordinary audiences to see the story?"

Gu Gu Zhangwei glanced speechlessly at his "wife of humble beginnings."

Do you know how many top directors find what you call "so easy" to be completely out of reach?

The film had been playing for over forty minutes, and Boss Lu, who was silently observing the dynamics in the hall, also felt slightly relieved.

The audience's response was quite good; whether at plot twists or deliberately planted jokes, they gave the expected feedback, and there was no situation where they couldn't get into the mood.

Moreover, this was Berlin.

If they were like this, the domestic audience would only be more adaptable.

In all fairness, this was a "self-indulgent" work by Lu Kuan.

Besides the still-fluent storytelling, he had made earth-shaking changes in cinematic language and lens language, such as overexposure and deep black.

This could almost be called an attempt that defied film common sense and basic photographic principles.

At the beginning of the screening, what he worried about most was that the style of the different periods—sometimes with grain, sometimes with backlighting—would not be accepted by the audience; that would undoubtedly be a failure.

He was the leader of the banner of domestic commercial films, and such a film that still combined artistry and storytelling was no small test for him.

The film continued; Li Ming and Zhang Zhang Songwen agreed on the time for their next meeting, and in a great mood, he walked back to the nursing home alone.

Having stepped out of the nursing home this time, his next goal was to step out of the concession and see the world that Harrison Forman spoke of.

On the street, a Cadillac V16 suddenly stopped; this was a luxury model released in New York in 1930.

Li Li Xuejian looked through the car window at the son he had abandoned over a decade ago; every year on this day, he would sneak into the nursing home to take a look at him.

This day was Li Ming's birthday, and also the anniversary of his biological mother's death in childbirth.

"Hey, can I give you a ride?"

Li Ming walked to the car and curiously examined the luxury vehicle: "Do you recognize me?"

Li Li Xuejian's voice was hoarse: "I often go to the nursing home in the concession and have seen you."

"Alright, thank you for your kindness."

Li Ming got into the car, and Li Li Xuejian instructed the driver to start, chatting with the son who had already grown up strong.

As a father, he invited him to a tavern as a friend, the first time father and son drank together.

Before parting, Li Li Xuejian asked Li Ming: "Can I come to see you often?"

"Of course."

The camera pushed in horizontally, giving Li Li Xuejian a close-up shot facing the audience directly.

The tear-filled eye sockets and the slightly twitching corners of his mouth perfectly portrayed the relief and excitement of this veteran actor at that moment.

Quentin exclaimed: "Lu is too good at picking actors; this is an actor not inferior to Morgan Freeman!"

Gu Gu Zhangwei also started whispering to his wife: "Teacher Li Xuejian is too excellent; this is the place I envy Lu Kuan the most."

Jiang Jiang Wenli was puzzled: "What?"

"He has money, he has too much money; he doesn't need to worry about box office appeal at all, he only needs to pick actors based on their suitability for the role. This is something we directors who rely on investors cannot do."

Time advanced to 1937; this year, eighteen-year-old Li Ming finally could no longer suppress the yearning in his heart and bid farewell to his foster mother, Ceng Ceng Wenxiu.

Immediately after, Li Ming and Lucy, who had come to the nursing home to see her off, looked at each other affectionately; this was the first time the two, whose hearts were just beginning to stir, clearly sprouted feelings for each other.

"You go, but remember to send me postcards."

"Mm."

The film fans erupted in gasps; was this eighteen-year-old girl really Zhang Zhang Manyu?

My God! What kind of god-tier special effects technology is this?

"Wow!"

"Is this China's Maggie Cheung? How can she be so young!"

Gu Gu Zhangwei sighed once again; it seemed he had already sighed three or four times in less than an hour of the film.

Jiang Jiang Wenli was impatient: "What is it now? Because the special effects are good, you filmed Zhang Zhang Manyu to look like she's really eighteen?"

"Partly, but more importantly, the director's use of special effects."

"The ingredients for cooking are the same, but they have different flavors in the hands of different chefs."

"I really don't know how a young man who has grown up in the country for twenty years learned and mastered Hollywood's special effects technology so quickly."

Top special effects talent from Digital Domain used a facial expression capture system to successfully capture 120 of Lu Kuan's expressions.

Following that, based on special effects makeup and sculpture, they used spatial volume methods to obtain three elderly Li Ming CG characters and a facial database, allowing the face modeling to switch between different age groups.

Butian Film: The technology is not bad, but now it is mine.

As the film progresses to this point, the slightly prickly overexposure begins to fade, and it is about to enter the second stage of Li Ming's life.

Opening his eyes to see the world.

This is Li Ming opening his eyes to see the world, and it is also the ancient Eastern dragon opening its eyes to see the world.

Li Ming follows the adventurer Harrison to Southeast Asia; in about four years, the Pacific War will break out, and this place will become a war zone.

In Singapore, Li Ming, whose body is gradually becoming strong and vigorous, meets the wife of a Japanese professor of high standing.

This Japanese professor is actually a spy for the Japanese military, doing forward intelligence gathering for the foreseeable Pacific War.

As a cover, the professor's wife, played by Fan Fan Bingbing, spends her days mingling in high-end hotels, putting on a show of being a devoted couple, while in reality, the Japanese spy goes out at night to scout for intelligence.

During a chance encounter in an elevator, Li Ming and Fan Fan Bingbing meet; to say it was a fated meeting of golden wind and jade dew would be an exaggeration.

But the dry tinder and raging fire between the adult man and woman is an indisputable fact; Fan Fan Bingbing's lonely heart is filled, she falls quickly, and the two spend a period of time in uninhibited intimacy.

Until one day, on the Japanese spy's desk, Li Ming sees war intelligence from the Japanese in the interior.

He looks at the date on the intelligence and his eyes split with rage!

It turns out that three days ago, on August 13, 1937, the Japanese created the "Hongqiao Incident" in Shanghai, and the historical Battle of Songhu officially broke out!

At this time, there is no concept of "motherland" in Li Ming's heart.

But looking at the tragic and inhumane bombing scenes in the photos, and looking at that "Chinese Doll" photo that shocked the world and still brings tears to the eyes of countless countrymen to this day.

He falls silent, and he is also angry.

The concept of a country in Li Ming's mind is concretized for the first time.

He thinks of his foster mother Ceng Ceng Wenxiu, thinks of Lucy in the concession, and thinks of so many compatriots who have loved and helped him since he was a child.

Is the "your beautiful country" in Harrison's mouth the same place as this fragmented scene?

Li Ming turns his back to the spy's wife and flips through the photos: "Your husband is Japanese?"

Fan Fan Bingbing thinks he is just a sailor traveling the world, which is why he speaks such fluent English, which Li Ming learned from Harrison since he was a child.

After their intimacy, the spy's wife does not suspect anything: "Yes, this is our masterpiece, isn't it shocking?"

Having gone to sea with Harrison for several months and having seen enough of infighting and disputes on the ship, Li Ming's evil intent rises, and he grabs the small silver pistol from the spy's wife's handbag and turns to shoot!

"Bang, bang, bang, bang!"

The audience gasps; there is an over-the-shoulder close-up of the killer from behind Fan Fan Bingbing, and Li Ming's face is filled with mania and the lingering fear after a crime of passion.

He begins to vomit heavily, and then flees the scene...

The visual style changes abruptly, from prickly to a direct backlight effect.

Those in the know, like Gu Gu Zhangwei and Quentin, all know that this is another change in the character's personality, and the character growth of the second act has begun.

In the heart of Li Ming, who grew up in the prosperous and safe British and American concessions, the concept of a "motherland" is awakening.

He flees like a madman to the hotel where he is staying and finds a way to call the nursing home.

Historically, the British and American concessions were spared the flames of the Battle of Songhu, but they were declared occupied after the Japanese sneak attack on Zhenzhugang.

Knowing he is no match for a professional spy, Li Ming quietly spreads the Japanese professor's true identity, then boards a passenger ship to the United States.

The Battle of Songhu breaks out, and the military attaché in the U. S. who runs the nursing home, feeling the frequency of the war, brings all the diplomats' families in the nursing home back to the mainland.

Among them are Li Ming's foster mother and Zhang Zhang Manyu's family.

Gu Gu Zhangwei knows that since the ill-fated Li Ming is the representative of our newborn country, the identities of the characters around him are also Lu Kuan's deliberate arrangement.

His biological father Li Li Xuejian is of the comprador class;

His childhood sweetheart Zhang Zhang Manyu represents the foreign capitalist class;

And the young master Zhang Zhang Songwen, whom he met by chance on the street, is a descendant of the national bourgeoisie.

This symbolizes the class dilemma faced by the country and the nation under the complex background of the era.

And Li Ming's awakening of nationalism in his heart through his travels in Southeast Asian countries in the second act corresponds exactly to the fate of the country and the nation.

Gu Gu Zhangwei frowns, watching Li Ming on the screen standing on the deck of a passenger ship heading to North America, looking up at the sun, with hummingbirds skimming past the side.

This is a backlit shot of him standing by the ship's rail; his figure is outlined by the backlight, and his facial expression is unclear.

The light hits his profile, and compared to the prickly feeling of the first act, it gives rise to a sense of destiny and weight.

Jiang Jiang Wenli asks for the reason on the side, but he no longer knows what to say.

He thinks of the classic "The Legend of 1900"; when deciding whether to get off the ship to the land to start a new life, the protagonist Danny Boodman also has a similar backlit shot.

He thinks of the beginning of "The Godfather," where Godfather Corleone listens to others' requests in a dim room, with a window behind him, and the light shining in from outside, forming a backlit effect.

He thinks of Wang Wang Jiawei's "In the Mood for Love," where the dim light in the hallway spills down from behind Liang Liang Chaowei and Zhang Zhang Manyu, and under the backlight, the figures of the two and the outline of the cheongsam are beautifully displayed.

But how does it compare to Lu Kuan?

How does it compare to the integration of photographic techniques like overexposure and backlighting in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" into the entire character and the metaphor of the nation's destiny?

This has moved beyond simple technique and can be said to have entered the level of Dao.

Just like Zhao Fei's subconscious reaction when he heard Lu Kuan's genius idea on the set at the time, Gu Gu Zhangwei also cannot suppress the excitement and emotion in his heart.

Chinese cinema may really be about to produce a master.

If at the beginning of the film, he was still worried about whether "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" would compete for the Golden Bear with his painstaking debut "Kong Que."

Then at this moment, Gu Gu Zhangwei has completely let go of these unrealistic thoughts, and from the perspective of a top cinematographer, he is truly convinced by this masterpiece.

More importantly, not only can professionals like him see the unique lens language and visual style in the film.

Even Jiang Jiang Wenli beside him can accept and recognize the story of this film from the perspective of an ordinary audience.

Gu Gu Zhangwei does not know how to define this "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" between art films and commercial films.

Li Ming, who travels all the way, begins to shape his outlook on life and the world in the process of opening his eyes to see the world, and writes all his experiences into a notebook.

That is the notebook that Zhang Zhang Manyu reads to her daughter on the hospital bed at the beginning of the film.

Li Ming arrives in the United States and reunites with his foster mother; at this time, Li Ming has gradually shed his old age, and the effect of reverse aging is prominent, almost making Hui Hui Yinghong unable to recognize him.

He and Zhang Zhang Manyu meet again.

Here, the dark line of the nation's destiny is temporarily hidden, and the emotional fate of the male and female protagonists is highlighted as the main line.

Quentin and others' ignorance of the dark line does not affect their interpretation of the magical love as Westerners; the backlight of the second act is "prepared" for them here.

"I heard you've started ballet?"

Zhang Zhang Manyu smiles gently: "Yes, I will become a dancer, are you looking forward to it?"

"Of course."

For some reason, with his childhood sweetheart whom he has been thinking about day and night standing in front of him, Li Ming feels that there is already a barrier.

The outlook on life shaped by his travels over the past few years and the awakening of nationalism in his heart are already somewhat incompatible with Zhang Zhang Manyu's family background as a bourgeois young lady.

Just like this, Li Ming lives in the United States for two years.

Like his childhood idol, the reporter and pilot Harrison, he travels and observes on the North American continent, measuring the foreign land with his own footsteps and broadening his horizons.

At this time, Zhang Zhang Manyu also officially begins her ballet career, and because of her graceful figure and beautiful face, she quickly stands out.

The scene switches from the small love of the protagonist to the magnificent historical backdrop.

In 1941, Japan launched a sneak attack on Zhenzhugang.

In the same year, the United States entered the war, and President Roosevelt signed the "Lend-Lease Act," allowing China or other countries to lease weapons and equipment.

Retired U. S. Army Air Corps Captain Chennault was invited by the Nationalist Government to come to China to serve as an advisor to the Chinese Air Force, recruiting air and ground personnel in China to form an air force.

This was the later famous Flying Tigers.

Refugees fleeing the country kept coming to Chinatown; a few years ago, on the desk of the Japanese spy in Singapore, the photo of "Chinese Doll" during the Battle of Songhu surfaced in his mind.

Li Ming made a decision that would affect his life: to return to his country.

He contacted his childhood spiritual mentor Harrison, who was filming a documentary and conducting interviews in Kunming, with the goal being the aforementioned Flying Tigers.

After several twists and turns, twenty-three-year-old Li Ming arrived in Kunming, which was the base camp for the Nationalist Army to train pilots at that time.

Li Ming used Harrison's connections to enter the cadet training class, listening to inspiring speeches every day, and also had a sense of mission to save the nation from extinction in his heart.

Although his physical state was always in reverse aging, his twenty-four-year-old body condition at this time was equivalent to that of a normal person in their forties or fifties, which did not meet the selection criteria for the pilots he longed for so much.

As early as in the nursing home in the concession when he was a child, Li Ming listened to Harrison talk about the "motherland's mountains and rivers" from a high-altitude perspective.

The film uses a flashback here; the young, old-looking Li Ming and the current, much younger Li Ming have a soul dialogue that transcends time and space, which amazes the audience.

"Hey, how come you're here too?"

Li Ming suddenly turns his head and is surprised to see his old friend Zhang Zhang Songwen, whom he met when he first left the nursing home.

He is also the third young master of the Shanghai national entrepreneur Zhang Zhang Yiyun.

"I'm here to save the nation!"

Li Ming's persistence and naivety make Zhang Zhang Songwen want to laugh, but his face covered in engine oil and dust is full of bitterness.

The war is tight, and these novice pilots who have been trained for less than a year are also going to the battlefield.

"Brother Zhang Songwen, I have confidence in you all; the performance of the Hawk-3 is not much worse than the Japanese Zhongkui Type 2, you will definitely win!"

Zhang Zhang Songwen smiles and touches Li Ming, who is not yet as tall as him, and turns to leave.

Li Ming, who is immersed in mechanical chores with full patriotic enthusiasm, does not realize that this turn is a farewell forever.

In early 1942, the Japanese invaders targeted the Yunnan-Burma Road as an important strategic bombing target, because this road was an important channel for China to obtain international aid at that time.

And the absolute main force of the Flying Tigers at this time was dispatched to carry out the famous "Hump Route" air transport mission.

This is a route with extremely harsh conditions, starting from Assam, India in the west, crossing the Himalayas and other mountain ranges to the east, and reaching Kunming and Chongqing.

An air battle is about to begin.

Although the first generation of Nationalist Army pilots still in training is relatively immature.

But for the sake of the War of Resistance, one must not fear life or death, and not ask about the west or east.

The first generation of pilots in our country were almost all children of the rich and officials; they received excellent education from an early age, and those who could actively devote themselves to the cause of resisting Japan and saving the country were all loyal and righteous people.

The war was unprecedentedly tragic, and for the past few days, both sides had still been trading blows.

"Brother Zhang Songwen, I was right, wasn't I? As long as we hold out against a few more enemy harassment raids, the Flying Tigers will be able to return, and then we'll make sure these Japanese invaders never make it back!"

Zhang Zhang Songwen still smiled without a word, his expression full of exhaustion.

"Huang Xiaoming, if I die, please take this shoulder strap to my father."

Li Ming, who had been gesticulating wildly, froze: "Die? How could you? Our situation is excellent right now!"

Zhang Zhang Songwen waved his hand and walked away, leaving behind a stunned Li Ming; the backlight on the screen was nearly blinding, and the audience felt a pang of pain in their hearts.

Even foreigners who did not understand this period of history subconsciously felt that this cynical character played by Zhang Zhang Songwen was about to fall.

"Director, you succeeded."

Zhang Zhang Manyu watched the feedback from the countless fully immersed audience members in the theater and softly congratulated the genius beside her, with whom she was collaborating for the first time.

She found it hard to say who was better between Lu Kuan and Wang Wang Jiawei, but for her, apart from these two directors of that level, she probably wouldn't act in any other films.

Boss Lu's mood at this moment was unusually calm: "Thank you, this is our success."

Strangely, he did not feel the joy of a wish fulfilled, but instead, the confusion of that first night he arrived in Berlin surfaced in his mind once again.

Perhaps it was because of the art of film, or perhaps because of his own life in this lifetime?

The air battle the next day was unprecedentedly fierce; the fighter plane piloted by Zhang Zhang Songwen and his wingman discovered an enemy raid and immediately took off to intercept, and our army's Hawk-III and the enemy's Type 2 Ki-44 Shoki unleashed several streams of light in the sky.

"Look out!"

Li Ming, in front of the ground observation scope, watched with heart-pounding intensity; seeing a shell whistling toward them, Zhang Zhang Songwen pulled the stick hard, and the shell grazed the belly of the Hawk-III.

But the wingman behind him could not dodge in time, trailing long black smoke as he fell!

"Screw your mother, you little Japanese devils, I'll fight you to the death!"

Zhang Zhang Songwen, inside the cockpit, watched with eyes splitting in anger; he quickly adjusted his flight attitude, the reticle of his sight locked onto the enemy plane, and he decisively pressed the button as a tongue of fire rapidly closed in!

"Wow!"

"Oh!"

The roll rate and acceleration performance of the Type 2 Ki-44 Shoki were superior to the Hawk-III; the Japanese fighter nimbly dodged away, once again drawing soft sighs of regret from the audience.

Li Ming watched before the observation tube, his heart trembling, his palms clenched until they sweated.

Suddenly! An accident occurred!

Zhang Zhang Songwen's fighter plane shook violently in the air without warning, and visible damage and thick smoke appeared on the trailing edge of the left wing, yet there was absolutely no sign of an enemy plane in Li Ming's field of vision at this moment?!

Having grown up influenced by Harrison and having worked as a mechanic for a year, an extremely difficult-to-accept answer surfaced in the bottom of Li Ming's heart.

This batch of aircraft parts was defective!

Because he was the one responsible for repairing the wing of Zhang Zhang Songwen's fighter!

The air battle changed in an instant; unable to maintain balance, Zhang Zhang Songwen had no choice but to pilot his fighter toward the Japanese invaders, perishing together with a Type 2 Ki-44 Shoki.

Thick smoke billowed in the sky; Li Ming, played by Lu Kuan, broke the fourth wall in the film, lifting his head from the observation tube to face the camera with a ferocious expression.

Anger? Disappointment? Disbelief?

The audience, who had just been discussing and clamoring, all fell silent, and there was no lack of people wiping away tears.

The fingers Quentin gripped on the armrest turned white; this look from Lu Kuan was truly too sorrowful and too complex, piercing deeply into his heart.

Even for a foreigner who could not empathize with our national suffering, such a turn of events could be called cruel.

Li Ming ran back to the maintenance base like a madman, opening wooden crate after wooden crate of aircraft parts; after observing them carefully, he picked up a sledgehammer and swung!

"Harmful! Harmful!"

The substandard quality and insufficient strength of the parts materials buried the life of ace pilot Zhang Zhang Songwen.

This batch of loyal and righteous first-generation pilots were almost all children of the powerful and wealthy, born with silver spoons in their mouths.

They abandoned their comfortable lives and, with their short and brilliant lives, left behind the radiance of patriotism in this history-clouded sky.

And all of this pointed vaguely to the corrupt Nationalist logistics mentioned in the previous plot.

Li Ming rushed to the headquarters with a livid face, but the foul language from his mouth could not move the indifferent Nationalist officers.

With Harrison's help, he was spared from being sent to a military court for assaulting a superior and destroying military supplies, and he left the base in a daze.

"You should go back to America first; the war is too cruel."

Li Ming was left speechless, wanting to say something but feeling a deep sense of powerlessness.

Before parting, he called out to Harrison: "Is there still hope for my country?"

"I don't know either, but I will go to Northern Shaanxi to take a look. Good luck, kid."

Afterward, Harrison went deep into the enemy-rear base areas, wrote "Red Star Over China" (later translated as "Notes on a Journey to the North"), and edited and published the photo album "Shadows of the Westward Journey."

These works recorded the historical events of the time, allowing the Western world to have a deeper understanding of the anti-Japanese struggle led by our Party.

His photographic works and written reports provided an important window for the world to understand the War of Resistance Against Japan and left behind precious materials for historical research.

"Is there still hope for my country?"

This was the confusion from the depths of Li Ming's soul, and also the confusion of the country and nation he represented.

This was certainly not a film about national salvation and resistance; Lu Kuan did not dig deeper into the plot here, otherwise, it would have involved sensitive content.

At the same time, the film focused on two storylines, light and dark, and the second act had reached its end.

In 1944, 26-year-old Li Ming returned to America to reunite with his foster mother and his lover.

It was just that by this time, Zhang Zhang Manyu was already a moderately famous dancer.

It was on the steps of the nursing home again that the two encountered each other once more.

At age 12, the little old man and the little girl met for the first time;

At age 18, Li Ming said goodbye to Zhang Zhang Manyu and went to travel in Southeast Asia with Harrison;

At age 23, Li Ming said goodbye to his girlfriend in the heat of love once again, wanting to save the motherland in his heart;

At age 26, the returning Li Ming was almost the same age as Zhang Zhang Manyu in appearance; both had the appearance of young people.

At this moment, Boss Lu had returned to his original character image, standing on the steps of the nursing home, the texture of the shot gentle and warm.

"You? Are you Li Ming?"

"Yes, I'm back."

Zhang Zhang Manyu rushed into his arms in ecstasy, and the two embraced tightly.

It was just that the physical distance could not bridge the gap in their thinking and souls.

Having lived in America for many years, Zhang Zhang Manyu's thinking and habits had become completely Americanized; the two poured out their hearts to each other from morning till night, narrating their respective life experiences.

In the evening, the open-minded Zhang Zhang Manyu invited him to her apartment, her beautiful eyes darting about; such a hint was already very obvious.

Li Ming refused.

Although he didn't know how he could have refused either.

Perhaps it was because the gap in their worldviews and outlooks on life was too great, or perhaps it was because his strange appearance from before had left a sense of inferiority in his heart.

This made it so that even when facing his beloved once again, he could not make up his mind to accept this relationship.

Zhang Zhang Manyu left in sorrow; she returned to New York to continue her dance career.

Li Ming discussed with his foster mother Ceng Ceng Wenxiu, preparing to find a job with the button merchant Li Li Xuejian, whom he had met in the concessions before.

Li Li Xuejian was very happy to see this young man he hadn't seen in a long time, who was also his own flesh and blood.

In fact, during the years Li Ming was traveling, he had found Ceng Ceng Wenxiu to tell her the truth, and often heard about Li Ming's recent situation from her.

Li Li Xuejian was in a hurry to collude with Ceng Ceng Wenxiu to get Li Ming into his factory because he was suffering from a terminal illness and had only a few years of life left.

In these few years, he wanted to hand over his life's work to Li Ming.

Li Ming began to learn how to do business and manage the factory from him; having traveled far and wide and being well-informed, he quickly got the hang of it and became Li Li Xuejian's right-hand man.

A few years later, on the eve of Li Li Xuejian's death, he told Li Ming the truth on his sickbed.

"You are my child."

"What?"

"You are my child, Li Ming."

Li Li Xuejian's voice on the sickbed was hoarse, his expression weary; he longed to hear the young man before him call him 'Dad,' yet he felt he didn't have the qualification.

In this climax, Lu Kuan designed a contrast of light and shadow interwoven:

Li Li Xuejian on the sickbed was in the shadows, symbolizing the passing of his life;

And on the face of the disbelieving Li Ming before the bed, a beam of spotlight from outside the door shone down.

This was a highly creative lighting design and a meaningful profile; the edge of light and dark was the edge of life and death.

Gu Gu Zhangwei, Luo Lan, Quentin, and others were almost ready to applaud!

Compared to the ubiquitous, showy lens language in the previous "Foreign Land," the lens language of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" appeared more profound and restrained.

It was like the baring of fangs and brandishing of claws of a young man, entering the calm and tranquility of middle age with the passage of time.

Quentin seemed to feel that this was not an improvement in film technique, but that Lu Kuan's own mental state had changed; otherwise, there wouldn't be such a projection in an artistic work.

He guessed correctly; it was precisely after editing that Boss Lu went to Jiuzhaigou with inexplicable thoughts to adjust his mental state, and his manic-depressive state of mind still hadn't been calmed at this time.

Love is a common language for all mankind, and countless audience members at the scene were sobbing in tears.

Apart from the still-genius director Lu Kuan, they had recognized another Chinese performing artist today who was in no way inferior to Morgan Freeman!

Li Ming finally forgave his father, took him to the seaside, and sat on a bench.

The early morning sky turned pale, and a glimmer of dawn began to appear on the sea level.

As time passed, the sun slowly rose, and the golden sunlight sparkled on the surface of the sea.

Li Li Xuejian's weak face was illuminated by the sunlight, his expression complex.

There was remorse for the past, guilt toward Li Ming, and also the relief that life was about to end.

The audience's mood was calm, watching this warm and sad scene of a father and son's final farewell with emotion.

But Gu Gu Zhangwei, Quentin, and others suddenly discovered that the backlight effect of the film lens had disappeared!

It turned into a soft, front-lit light.

So-called front lighting means the direction of the light source and the direction of the shot are basically the same, which allows the subject's surface to be evenly illuminated.

When using soft front lighting, the light is processed to be softened, so it does not produce strong contrast between light and dark or harsh shadows.

This makes elements in the film frame, such as the characters and scenes, evenly and softly illuminated, presenting a clear, bright, and warm visual effect.

It is as if they are enveloped by gentle sunlight, making it extremely easy to create a warm atmosphere.

Directors who know their craft can all tell that this is the end of the second act and the beginning of the third.

"Dad, Dad?"

Li Ming sat behind Li Li Xuejian and called out tentatively twice.

He walked in front of Li Li Xuejian; this incompetent father had already passed away, and he did not know if he had heard Li Ming's two calls.

Li Ming suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart; he had grown up in a nursing home and had seen many life-and-death partings, but when it truly fell upon him, he could not help but feel a sense of sorrow.

He took over the family business and became a well-known button merchant.

Perhaps feeling an inner emptiness, Li Ming went to New York alone; he wanted to find Zhang Zhang Manyu, just to see her.

In front of the glass of the dance troupe's rehearsal hall, he saw Zhang Zhang Manyu dancing intimately with a young dancer; when the song ended, the two kissed and embraced.

Li Ming felt bitter inside, but he could not blame anyone; it was his own cowardice that had lost this girl.

"Li Ming?"

Zhang Zhang Manyu ran out happily and grabbed him: "Why did you leave without saying a word? Did you come to see me?"

Zhang Zhang Manyu's young lover walked over and embraced her from behind: "Darling, is this your friend?"

"Yes! This is my childhood companion, the one who is getting younger and younger."

"Oh! Hello!"

Li Ming exchanged a few helpless pleasantries and turned to leave.

In the meticulously designed long take, Zhang Zhang Manyu watched his receding back, inexplicably feeling that this figure, which was growing taller by the day, was somewhat pitiful.

The film scene cut to the opening sequence, where Zhang Zhang Manyu was talking to her daughter on the hospital bed.

"I didn't know that when he came to see me that time, it was because his father had passed away."

"Otherwise, I would have chased after him and given him a warm embrace."

Li Ming left, looking dejected.

The soft-focus lens was like a smooth third-person perspective, carrying a sentimental touch as it continued to narrate Li Ming's life.

The male and female protagonists missed each other, each beginning their own life.

In 1950, the elderly Harrison returned to the United States to have a long talk with his "little friend" of a lifetime, Li Ming.

"Li Ming! You are so surprising; you really are getting younger and younger!"

"Harrison, is your health alright?"

"Very good, there is no more war in the world, and I am preparing to travel around the world!"

Li Ming suddenly seemed to remember something: "Is everything alright back home?"

"You should go back and see; this ancient country, like you, has gone from old age to youth—it is simply unbelievable."

"They have a new government, a great government!"

In 1950, the Central Government broadcasted to overseas Chinese that there would be great developments in domestic industry and trade in the future, and that overseas Chinese were welcome to return to invest and set up factories.

The main thread of the romance between the male and female leads and the sub-thread of the nation's destiny intertwined, and Li Ming returned home with a sense of anticipation.

Li Ming saw with his own eyes the earth-shaking changes in the land of Shenzhou, and he returned to the nursing home in the foreign concession where he was born.

He watched as Avenue Joffre became Middle Huaihai Road, Pétain Road became Hengshan Road, Yade Road became Lushun Road, and saw the joy overflowing on the faces of the people.

Li Ming's status as a returned overseas Chinese was welcomed, and he decided to open a factory in the mainland to support the construction of the motherland.

After ten years of deep cultivation in the mainland, one day his foster mother called from North America, saying she was frail and old and wanted to see him one last time.

Li Ming burst into tears on the phone and immediately set off to return to the United States.

By the hospital bed, the foster mother touched Li Ming's middle-aged face, whispering "my child" over and over, and then passed away.

Zhang Zhang Manyu, who appeared in the lens again, no longer needed any makeup or special effects technology.

This year was 1960, and Li Ming and Zhang Zhang Manyu were both 40 years old.

Zhang Zhang Manyu gently comforted Li Ming's empty soul, and the two former lovers, who had known each other since they were 12, naturally came together.

There were childhood sentiments and long-standing attachments, as well as the maturity and compatibility that come after experiencing the vicissitudes of life.

Of course, this also included the high degree of matching in their physical appearance, as both were 40 years old.

Zhang Zhang Manyu went from 1 to 40 years old, and Li Ming went from 80 to 40 years old.

The male and female protagonists walked toward each other on the journey of life, and two lonely souls met, understood, and fell in love at the "midpoint" of life.

There was no fiery passion of youth, but it was superior for the lingering love of mature souls.

The two began living together; they did not marry, did not buy furniture, and did not follow conventions, living a romantic life without attachments.

Until their daughter was born.

The camera cut, returning to the third-person perspective from the beginning of the film, where Zhang Zhang Manyu's daughter, Li Lin, stared blankly at her critically ill mother.

"So, Li Ming is my father?"

"Yes, he is your father."

Li Lin burst into tears, her fingers constantly stroking the notebook left behind by her biological father, wanting to transcend time and space to touch that dear soul.

"Then why did he leave me?"

Zhang Zhang Manyu on the hospital bed gave a bitter smile: "As you grew older, he grew younger, and he became even more afraid."

"We were both nearly 50 years old at that time; his face was becoming increasingly youthful, but his body was gradually aging."

"Your father worried that in a few years, I would have to take care of both of you at the same time, so he left us a large sum of money and left alone."

The film scene cut to a hysterical argument between the young-looking Li Ming and Zhang Zhang Manyu.

The argument ended with a silent embrace as a footnote, and Li Ming left.

He told Zhang Zhang Manyu to find a man of the same age and frequency to form a family and raise their daughter well.

The film's plot here followed the original work.

The soft-focus effect of the film lens was even more pronounced, like a long river of history silently sweeping through the hearts of the audience.

Profound and heavy—this was everyone's impression of the third act.

In 1978, Li Ming, over 60 years old, returned to the country once again; his previous assets in the mainland had been confiscated during the events.

Li Ming remembered Zhang Zhang Songwen, whom he had met when he was young, and thought of the countless righteous people who had shed their blood for this land, so he took advantage of the Reform and Opening-up policy to continue devoting himself to the construction of the motherland, opening factories from abroad in the mainland.

In 1988, Li Ming could no longer hide the secret of his reverse aging; because of his biological father's previous status as a foreign comprador and his incorrect stance, he donated all his domestic assets to the state and returned to the United States alone.

One day, the new person in charge of the nursing home found the 70-year-old Zhang Zhang Manyu.

"Madam, there is a child at the nursing home with no one to claim him; on a note in his pocket, your name and address are written."

The already elderly Zhang Zhang Manyu suddenly remembered something and followed her back to the nursing home.

A child under 10 years old sat in front of a piano, clumsily playing "Für Elise."

Zhang Zhang Manyu walked to the piano with a staggering gait, looked at the "rejuvenated" Li Ming, and touched his tender cheeks with tears in her eyes.

Li Ming had Alzheimer's disease and had forgotten everything, but he had not forgotten this piece of music that his lover had taught him when they first met at age 12.

At the end of the film, a highly impactful image was presented to the audience:

Under the soft-focus lens, the elderly Zhang Zhang Manyu held the infant-state Li Ming in her arms, forming a strong contrast!

Zhang Zhang Manyu had been baptized by the years, her face full of wrinkles;

While Li Ming had returned to the very beginning of life, his skin delicate;

The soft light cast a faint halo over the two, shaping a sense of sacred and poignant imagery.

Li Ming's life reached its end, but in the lens, his love with Zhang Zhang Manyu solidified into eternity.

The film ended, and the subtitles finished rolling.

Unlike the instant, thunderous applause at the end of "Foreign Land," the cinema was silent at this moment.

Except for faint sobbing, not a single bit of noise could be heard.

The second 10,000-word update for 300 monthly tickets; didn't have time to finish coding, so adding 5,000 words first, will make up the rest later!

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(End of this chapter)