Entertainment from Divorce

The domestic media coverage was like a grand meteor shower, densely showering every inch of the light of "Interstellar".

The People's Daily published a commentary on its front page titled "From Earth to the Stars: A Historic Leap for Chinese Science Fiction," emphasizing in bold that "the global box office of US$2.381 billion is not only a victory in numbers, but also a sign of the maturity of China's film industry system."

"Southern Entertainment: Interstellar, as a hard science fiction film, filled a gap in Chinese film history and became the first truly hard science fiction work to gain widespread recognition in the global market."

The Guangming Daily offered an in-depth analysis from the perspective of cultural export, accompanied by a classic image of Deng Gaofei holding a purple clay teapot inside a spaceship: "While Western audiences shed tears for 'fatherly love in five-dimensional space,' they are also quietly absorbing the essence of Eastern culture."

"Film Consulting: The purple clay teapot still steaming in space, and the phrase 'The Great Way is Simple' written on the wall of Murphy's room, are all gentle interpretations of the universe by Chinese philosophy. This film proves that good cultural output is never rigid preaching, but rather, like the gravity of a black hole, it naturally attracts with its own quality."

Local media outlets were equally eager to follow suit.

On social media, the hashtag #ChineseScienceFictionHasStandedUp# has garnered over 50 billion views and more than 3000 million discussions.

A compilation of Chinese elements in Interstellar, spontaneously created by netizens, has been widely shared. From the Chinese labels on the spaceship's instrument panel to the Great Wall pattern printed on the postcard Cooper sent to his daughter, every detail has been repeatedly analyzed.

One netizen remarked, "I used to think that science fiction movies were someone else's universe, but this time I finally saw my own coordinates in the starry sky."

At four o'clock in the afternoon, when the lights came on in the IMAX theater of the Beijing Guomao Cinema, Wang Letian rubbed his slightly sore eyes.

This was the third time he had watched "Interstellar" in a week. As the audience left, they surged toward the exit like a tide, their voices a mix of discussion, laughter, and the occasional sob, creating a unique kind of clamor.

He slowly stood up, his legs were a little numb from sitting for so long, but he still couldn't bear to leave immediately.

On the screen, the names of each staff member in the scrolling end credits twinkled like stars in the darkness.

"Teacher Wang, aren't you leaving yet?" the ticket inspector greeted with a smile, holding the 3D glasses she had just collected. "This is your third time here this week, isn't it? You always sit in this seat."

Wang Letian smiled and nodded, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the notebook cover.

Over the course of three days, he chose to watch the film in a regular theater, an IMAX theater, and a laser theater, respectively, in order to experience the details presented under different projection equipment. The black hole effect in IMAX was more oppressive, the color reproduction in the laser theater was higher, and the regular theater allowed him to focus more on the texture of the dialogue.

I watched the film three times, and each time I made new discoveries, like digging a well that keeps gushing out clear spring water.

As I walked out of the cinema, the winter sun slanted through the glass curtain wall, cutting out interplay of light and shadow on the ground.

He wrapped his gray trench coat tightly around himself, and the scarf at the collar fluttered slightly in the wind.

A young couple nearby were discussing the plot with their child. The little boy held up a toy spaceship and shouted, "Dad, I want to go to the black hole to find you too!"

Mom smiled and corrected, "It's Dad who's going to find you, just like in the movies."

Wang Letian stopped and looked at this heartwarming scene, and suddenly felt his eyes welling up with tears.

Through watching the film three times, he gradually understood its most moving aspect: it uses the grandest cosmic setting to tell the story of the most subtle human emotions.

All those hardcore facts about black holes, wormholes, and time dilation ultimately serve the simple theme that "love can transcend time and space," just like how even the most complex formulas eventually return to the essence of life.

He sat in the car, his notebook in his pocket heavy with notes, filled with new insights after three readings, the edges of the pages frayed from repeated use.

At seven o'clock in the evening, warm lights shone in Wang Letian's study.

He took off his trench coat and hung it on the coat rack by the door, still carrying a faint sweet smell of movie theater popcorn.

On the desk, the glow of the desk lamp perfectly enveloped the open laptop and a steaming cup of green tea, the tea leaves slowly unfurling in the water like tiny green stars.

He opened his laptop, and the moment the screen lit up, it reflected his bloodshot yet still bright eyes.

The document already contains a draft of nearly 10,000 words, tentatively titled "Interstellar in Three Dimensions: The Resonance of Science, Emotion and Culture".

Now, what he needs to do is incorporate the new discoveries from his third viewing, making this film review, like the film itself, something that can withstand repeated viewing.

"The key takeaway from watching the film for the third time was that I captured the Eastern concept of time hidden beneath the hard science fiction shell."

Wang Letian's fingertips danced across the keyboard, the sound of his typing particularly clear in the quiet study.

"Cooper's obsession with 'specific moments' in the five-dimensional space is essentially in line with the Chinese traditional cultural concept of 'favorable timing, geographical advantages, and harmonious human relations' regarding time and space. Western science fiction often emphasizes 'conquering time,' while Interstellar demonstrates the wisdom of 'understanding time.' This difference makes the film unique in the global market."

He specifically dedicated a separate chapter to analyzing Deng Gaofei's performance details: "On the third viewing, I noticed that Deng Gaofei deliberately downplayed the expression of body language when portraying Cooper."

“The hand gripping the steering wheel tightly when saying goodbye to his daughter (knuckles white but not trembling), the look in his eyes when he learned about the flow of time at the edge of the black hole (shocked but quickly calmed down), the silence at the bedside of elderly Murphy (lips slightly moving but no words), these ‘restrained outbursts’ are full of Eastern aesthetic qualities and are more penetrating than screaming.”

"The 37-year-old actor proved with his nuanced performance that true acting is not about showing off skills, but about making the audience believe 'he is Cooper.'"

The night outside the window grew darker, and the city lights shone through the sheer curtains, casting dappled shadows on the floor.

Wang Letian got up and poured himself another cup of tea. His gaze fell on the book "A Brief History of Time" on the bookshelf. On the title page was a note he had written ten years ago: "The romance of the universe lies in the unknown."

And now, he wants to add: "The romance of humanity lies in believing that love can guide us, even when facing the unknown."

At 1 a.m., he finally finished the final draft, carefully checked it twice, and then clicked the Weibo posting button.

This lengthy film review includes nine carefully selected screenshots, interpreting the film's deeper meaning from different angles. The final sentence reads: "The greatness of Interstellar lies in the fact that it makes us understand that the courage to explore the stars always stems from the tenderness of protecting our home."

Within ten minutes of the Weibo post, the comment section was like a lake with pebbles thrown in, rippling outwards.

"Teacher Wang's review after watching the film three times was so refreshing! Finally, someone noticed Deng Gaofei's 'unspoken lines,' especially the moment when he saw his daughter at the end, the way his Adam's apple bobbed was more heart-wrenching than any other line!"

A netizen named "Guangyingjian," whose account is verified as a "film critic," was the first to leave a comment, accompanied by a crying emoji. "As a physics graduate student, I must give a thumbs up to the interpretation of the 'Eastern view of time'! The way the film presents the five-dimensional space does indeed resonate with Zhuangzi's concept of spacetime: 'Heaven and earth are born together with me, and all things are one with me.' This cross-cultural resonance is wonderful!"

The comment from a netizen named "Quantum Mechanics Enthusiast" quickly garnered hundreds of likes.

"I read a film review by a big influencer a few days ago, saying that 'the black hole special effects are not as good as Hollywood's.' Now, after comparing it with Professor Wang's analysis, I understand what it means to truly understand film. Good special effects are not about being as flashy as possible, but about using every light effect, like in Interstellar, to serve the emotional expression."

This comment sparked a heated discussion.

Some netizens posted comparison images to prove that the black hole light effects in "Interstellar" are more consistent with the calculation results of general relativity.

Two hours later, the hashtag #WangLetianWatchesInterstellarForTheThirdTime# trended on social media, quickly surpassing 2 million views. Many netizens expressed that they were "inspired" to watch it a fourth time to find those overlooked details.

A high school Chinese teacher commented: "I've already printed out this film review as material for next week's 'Cultural Heritage' themed class meeting. It turns out that science fiction films can also tell Chinese stories well."

Wang Letian's film reviews becoming popular is not an isolated case.

The continued popularity of "Interstellar" has sparked a "carnival" in the film critic community.

The professional film review platform "Iris" launched a "Interstellar Special Week," featuring a 10,000-word article every day that deconstructs the film from different dimensions, including narrative structure, cinematic language, and sound design.

The video "100 Details in Interstellar," created by Bilibili UP master "Movie Trivia," has garnered over 10 million views. In the video, he analyzes the connection between spacecraft design and real aerospace engineering frame by frame.

Even marketing accounts that usually focus on entertainment gossip are jumping on the bandwagon.

Using sensational headlines to attract attention: "Shocking! The black hole in 'Interstellar' was actually made with this software!" "Deng Gaofei secretly did these things while filming, no wonder he became famous!"

Amidst this mixed bag, there are in-depth analyses with genuine talent and knowledge, as well as works created to attract attention and generate traffic.

A blogger who calls himself a "science fiction film critic" wrote "black hole" instead of "wormhole" in an article, and the article was quickly deleted after being discovered by netizens.

"A true film review should be like a magnifying glass, helping the audience see the texture of the film, rather than like a funhouse mirror, distorting the true nature of the film to grab attention."

In an interview with Film Art magazine, Wang Letian said, “Interstellar deserves to be taken seriously because it represents the sincerity of Chinese filmmakers—a sincerity that should not be drowned out by the superficiality of prioritizing traffic.”

Beijing, State Administration of Culture.

Three documents were neatly arranged on Ye Wen's desk: the global box office daily report for "Interstellar", a compilation of reviews from major media outlets, and a sample analysis of audience feedback.

Sunlight streamed through the blinds, casting striped shadows on the documents, as if gilding the words with a golden edge.

She picked up the daily box office report and traced the number "2.381 billion US dollars" with her fingertip. Below this number, the gap with the second place was marked in red ink: a full billion US dollars.

What pleased her even more was that this achievement was not a flash in the pan. The box office curve over the past seven days showed a healthy "long tail effect," with the daily drop controlled within 10%, proving that the film's reputation was continuing to grow.

"Director Ye, this is a report from the international publisher that we just received."

The secretary pushed open the door and handed over an English document.

“IMAX theaters in North America have decided to continue increasing screenings, and art-house cinemas in Europe are also increasing screenings, saying that ‘this film has both the appeal of a commercial blockbuster and the depth of an art film.’”

Ye Wen opened the file, which contained several photos.

Audiences lined up outside a New York movie theater holding signs that read "Watch it again".

A graffiti artist in Paris painted a black hole alongside the Eiffel Tower.

In Tokyo bookstores, merchandise related to "A Brief History of Time" and "Interstellar" is displayed on adjacent shelves, both labeled "bestseller".

She recalled that six months ago, at an internal meeting of the Film Bureau, someone expressed concern about the market prospects of "Interstellar": "Science fiction films have large investments and high risks. If they fail, it will damage the confidence of the entire industry."

Despite opposition, she approved the application for additional publicity funds, reasoning that "we need to give courage to those who dare to look up at the stars."

In retrospect, that courage has been rewarded in the best way.

She turned on her computer, pulled up the recent film project filing forms, and found that the number of science fiction films submitted had increased by 300% compared to the same period last year. Many of these projects had a note in the remarks column stating "referencing the production standards of 'Interstellar'".

“Make copies of this report and distribute them to all the major film and television companies,” Ye Wen said, closing the file with barely concealed joy in her voice. “Tell them that Interstellar is not the end, but the beginning. We look forward to seeing more works like this, which not only win at the box office but also earn respect. Let the world know that Chinese films can not only tell the weight of history but also depict the brilliance of the future.”

After the secretary left, Ye Wen walked to the window and looked at the Huaguozun Building in the distance. The glass curtain wall reflected the blue sky and white clouds, like a staircase leading to the sky.

She recalled what Tan Yue had once told her: "The universe is vast, but our imagination is even greater."

At that moment, she believed in the weight of those words.

Interstellar created not only a box office miracle, but also a belief.

I believe that Chinese films can break through genre limitations, that Eastern culture can engage in dialogue with the world on a cosmic scale, and that those dreams about the starry sky will eventually become reality in the hands of generations of filmmakers.

The phone on the desk rang again. It was the head of China Film Group: "Director Ye, we'd like to organize a sharing session on the creative experience of 'Interstellar,' inviting Tan Yue's team and representatives from various film and television companies to participate. What do you think..."

"I'll attend." Ye Wen's voice was filled with laughter and anticipation. "We should have more meetings like this."

The sunlight outside the window was perfect; it seemed that spring had arrived for Chinese science fiction. (End of Chapter)