China Entertainment started from Nortel 2002

Chapter 1032 Voting
"Boss, you seem..."

"You got sprayed, didn't you?"

Li Mu received a call from David in Cannes. As soon as he heard the tone of his voice, Li Mu knew what was going on.

Anyway, when it comes to this question, no matter how you answer it, it's all the same, unless you promise in front of them that the Palme d'Or will be awarded to so-and-so, or maybe shout that you are a female warrior.

"But it doesn't matter. After all, even if the president came, he would be criticized by these people!"

David then said with a smile.

There are trolls everywhere, but trolls with a gender bent are even scarier.

"Let them!"

Li Mu shrugged his shoulders. It wasn't a big deal, and Cannes wasn't a domestic American film festival, so how much impact could it have?

The judging process in Cannes went by quite fast these days, and if you were not participating in the Cannes premiere of the main competition unit, you would be watching movies intensively in the theater.

At noon, I would choose to dine at an open-air cafe on Croisette Boulevard.

This type of lunch is more casual and usually consists of a light meal, such as a baguette with fresh ham, a cheese salad, or a Mediterranean-style pasta dish.

Although I'm not used to it, it's okay as a simple lunch.

Occasionally, I would order a cup of espresso or lemon sparkling water and enjoy a moment of leisure while browsing work emails on my phone or replying to messages from family members.

"It will be tomorrow."

Li Mu quietly put away his phone, muttering to himself.

Liu Yifei will bring the little bun over tomorrow. Li Mu couldn't help but feel happy. Sitting on the wooden chair, he couldn't help but look at the clear blue sky.

The afternoon review came as scheduled.

The first film to be screened was "Leila's Brother", a realistic drama directed by Seyed Rustai, who is from Iran like Asghar Farhadi.

The film tells the story of the struggle and division of an ordinary family during the social transformation. The film focuses on a traditional family in Tehran, depicting the profound contradictions in contemporary Iranian society and the complexity of human nature from the perspective of ordinary people.

The story revolves around Leila, the eldest daughter in the family.

A smart and resilient woman who has been working hard to find a way out for her family.

The brothers in the family have their own flaws and problems: some are ambitious, some spend money extravagantly, and some are obsessed with unrealistic dreams. The father is old and sick, and the mother supports the family's daily life in silence.

Leila tried to improve her family's lives through her own efforts. She encouraged her brothers to start a company together to get out of their financial difficulties.

But during the implementation of the plan, deep rifts within the family were exposed.

Traditional concepts, gender bias, power struggles and personal desires are magnified in one conflict after another. The conflicts between brothers gradually escalate, and eventually the family is on the verge of disintegration.
At this moment in the jury meeting room, Asghar Farhadi was analyzing the deeper meaning of "Laila's Brother" with a focused expression, obviously trying his best to win higher scores and awards for the film of his compatriot and friend.

“Laila’s Brother is a work that deeply depicts family conflicts and social changes. It is real and powerful, and can be said to be a microcosm of modern Iranian society.”

Li Mu acted very calm. He would definitely not be moved by Asghar Farhadi's words. After all, they were all professional filmmakers and they knew what was good or not.

Everyone knows something about it.

"Everyone just talk casually and then vote at the end." Li Mu said with a faint smile.

Seeing that Li Mu was not moved at all, several people also expressed their opinions on the film. "To be honest, I think we still need to choose works that resonate more widely, rather than just films that are limited to a specific country or cultural context."

The first person to speak was French director Raj Ly, who became famous with "Les Miserables".

In fact, Raj Li, who started out as a documentary filmmaker, obviously has great passion for social issues, but he is obviously not too passionate about some family conflicts and social changes that are too limited to Iran itself.

Li Mu's expression did not change at all when he heard this. These days, he has learned that Raj Li actually prefers new works like the Dardenne brothers and Serhai about Africans and refugees, as well as Rustai's resistance to the system and corruption, and Saleh's religious political thrillers. These movies are exactly what he wants.

"The movie is very emotional, it's okay!"

"Can consider it!"

There were also two judges who were trying to smooth things over or who said they liked the movie a little and expressed their attitudes.

But apparently there seem to be more people who don't like it.

“I thought the subject matter was too limited and, like Raj, I thought the film wasn’t universal enough for an international audience.”

“There are a lot of dramatic emotional conflicts in the film, such as the fierce quarrel between the brothers and Leila’s desperate outburst. Although this kind of strong emotional expression can grab the audience’s attention, it can also appear too forced and lack the necessary restraint and delicacy, which weakens the appeal of some plots.”

"."

Female judges including Rebecca Hall also gave their comments.

This made Asghar Farhadi look unhappy, because it was obvious that if there was a vote later, the disadvantage would be quite obvious.

Now only American director Jeff Nichols and Li Mu have not expressed their views.

Jeff Nichols Li Mu no longer had much hope, mainly because this guy was too shy and introverted, not someone who would argue with reason.

Anyway, the reviews are pretty average.

But apparently the American director finally hesitated and gave a biased evaluation.

Finally, everyone looked at Li Mu.

The chairman of the jury has relatively large decision-making power. If he is strong enough, he may even favor a certain movie. Of course, this will be criticized wildly.

“The story is full of emotion, showing both Leila’s tenacity and helplessness, as well as the brothers’ struggles and loss.

The director uses delicate performances and realistic scene creation to show the multiple conflicts among family ethics, economic pressure and social changes, trying to trigger the audience's thinking on the balance between responsibility, family affection and self-pursuit.

Li Mu made a summary at the end, and the first thing he gave was a relatively affirmative response.

Asghar Farhadi's expression softened a lot.

Apparently this person didn't quite understand Chinese culture, because Li Mu changed the subject immediately:
“However, everyone is aware of the limitations of the theme. The second issue is the problem of narrative rhythm. The narrative of Laila’s Brothers is sluggish, especially some repeated plots or unnecessary transition sections, which lengthen the rhythm of the film. I personally think that the overall completion is not high.

Although the character of Leila is very distinct, the portrayal of the other brothers is relatively one-dimensional. They are more the embodiment of certain defects rather than full-bodied characters, and secondly, the technical details such as photography, editing and soundtrack are a bit bland.

Although the film's realistic style emphasizes simplicity, technical mediocrity may become a disadvantage of the film on the Cannes stage, which pursues artistic heights.

Li Mu pointed out the problems one by one and then looked at everyone.

“Vote.”

(End of this chapter)