A widower's entertainment

Chapter 445 [Father and Daughter, Father and Son] (Please Subscribe)
Since Lin Zhaomei wanted to make a film about college entrance exam cheating and how different fates can lead to different outcomes, Lin Youcheng, as her father, would naturally support her. He would then make changes to Lin Zhaomei's short film script "Fate," which is essentially the same as "The Birth of a Friend," depicting two completely different fates unfolding.

However, Lin Youcheng understood even better that Lin Zhaomei actually wanted to express the tragic sense of the story and fate.

Now, Lin Youcheng will naturally write scripts for Lin Zhaomei, because this is the story that Lin Zhaomei herself wants to express, after all, this story was Lin Zhaomei's own idea.

Of course, in Lin Youcheng's view, there are many stories related to the theme of fate, such as the previous book "Strange Tales of the Human World," which is also about Lin Qi's life and fate. There is also a story like "Atonement," where a little girl's lie directly leads a pair of lovers to the battlefield and onto a tragic path. And so on...

Lin Youcheng's mind was racing, but he still needed to write his daughter Lin Zhaomei's novel, "Destiny."

Xie Shuhua had naturally read Lin Zhaomei's short film script. It was a somewhat direct and rough script, but she was very moved because Lin Zhaomei actually thought of making this film. Holding her daughter Lin Zhaoyuan, she said, "Zhaomei, the theme of this story is very good and it is worth making."

"Yes!"

Lin Youcheng nodded.

"After Gensheng's story was reported, it must have changed the fate of many people."

In Lin Youcheng's view, the incident had a huge impact. Even if some people who were impersonated did not find out, some people must have found out after the news broke. Moreover, when something is made public, it will naturally be noticed no matter what. This is the real butterfly effect.

Xie Shuhua naturally knew about what Lin Youcheng was talking about regarding Gensheng. She also knew that Zhao Gensheng's name had been stolen during the college entrance examination. In fact, she herself dared not imagine what her life would have been like if her name had been stolen and she had not been admitted to university. It was something she really dared not think about.

It is terrible!

That would truly ruin a person's entire life!

Xie Shuhua also said with a serious expression, "Actually, Gensheng's story itself is worth making into a movie."

Lin Youcheng nodded, agreeing with Xie Shuhua's words. After all, there are many kinds of movie stories, and movies based on true stories are one of them. It just depends on the angle from which the story is filmed. Zhao Gensheng's story is just one example that has been discovered. He worked hard in the fields, facing the loess soil with his back to the sky, but in the end, he didn't know that he had passed the exam. He lived in the fields his whole life, and perhaps he never knew until his death that he had been replaced and had actually passed the exam.

Even worse, some people might not be able to handle the shock of failing the college entrance exam and go insane; these are all possibilities.

Lin Youcheng also discussed the creation of the script "Destiny" with Xie Shuhua, saying, "I think it might be better to write the story from a female perspective."

"girl?"

Xie Shuhua was somewhat surprised.

Lin Youcheng did think that writing about a girl being impersonated in the college entrance examination might make this very conflicted story more dramatic, and he could also have Zhou Xun star in the short film "Destiny". After all, Zhou Xun played two roles in the later film "Suzhou River". Lin Youcheng felt that Zhou Xun's current age was just right for this role, and there was no need to worry about her acting skills, since Zhou Xun herself is very talented in acting.

However, if Zhou Xun were to actually star in this short film, it could very well be her first leading role.

“A girl from a rural area actually passed the college entrance examination or the middle school entrance examination, but her place was taken by someone else, and her fate was bleak afterward.”

Listening to Lin Youcheng's words, Xie Shuhua thought they were quite good. After all, there were girls who had their college entrance exams stolen. She said, "If they didn't pass the exam, they might get married and have children early."

Lin Youcheng had also considered another possible fate: if the girl was impersonated, went out to work, and was then trafficked, her fate would be even more tragic. But such a fate would be too painful, and it might become a film called "Blind Mountain." Such a story is actually suitable for an independent feature film. As for the other fate of not being impersonated, it seems unnecessary.

Lin Youcheng naturally shared his thoughts with Xie Shuhua. Xie Shuhua was surprised that Lin Youcheng's thoughts were even more tragic than hers. It wasn't about the fate of marriage, but about being abducted and trapped in the mountains.

"Youcheng, you—"

Xie Shuhua felt a chill run down her spine. She opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say, because she really couldn't believe such a thing could happen.

Lin Youcheng shook his head, then thought that such stories would be rare in the 1980s, and that such things might become more common in the 1990s. He could write such a script later, but that was a matter for the future. After thinking about it for a while, he said, "The development of this fate might be too complicated and easily become top-heavy. There is no need to add anything to it."

Lin Youcheng knew very well that it was not suitable for his daughter, Lin Zhaomei, to film a story about human trafficking. There was no need for such a complicated and sad plot. After all, the story of being impersonated in the college entrance examination was already very dramatic. There was no need to add anything more. A simpler approach would be easier for Lin Zhaomei to handle.

Xie Shuhua understood Lin Youcheng's meaning and nodded in agreement, saying, "Youcheng, if it's two different fates, I think it could be that the person who took the place was the one who was replaced, meaning that she was the one whose name was taken, which means that they have two different destinies."

"Is such that."

While Lin Youcheng was discussing with Xie Shuhua, he also discussed with Lin Zhaomei. Since this was Xie Shuhua's first short film, Lin Youcheng felt there was no need to make the plot too complicated. He wrote a two-part fate structure, but he strongly agreed with Lin Zhaomei's use of a handheld camera. Furthermore, given the two different fates, there should naturally be different color elements. Of course, these were Lin Zhaomei's own ideas; Lin Youcheng, as her father, naturally had the most important task of writing the script.

……

Just as Lin Youcheng was revising the script for Lin Zhaomei, marking their first collaboration as father and daughter, another film related to Lin Youcheng, "Father and Son," was released in the United States. It could be said that "Father and Son" could have been released as early as when "City by the Sea" was released, but obviously Universal Pictures would not allow its two films to compete against each other at the same time.

But just as Lin Youcheng's novel "The Night the Comet Came" was still showing in theaters, Universal Pictures also released Lin Youcheng's film "Father and Son".

Clearly, "Father and Son" is a very impactful realistic film.

American audiences were also surprised to find that after Lin Youcheng's science fiction imagination, he followed up with such a shocking real-life story, which truly amazed the audience and media. Of course, before "The Night the Comet Came," Lin Youcheng's realistic art film "Seaside City" had just finished its run. It can be said that these consecutive films are all related to Lin Youcheng, which really left Hollywood audiences dumbfounded.

Indeed, the movie "After This Our Exile" has also left Hollywood audiences speechless.

It was truly astonishing. One moment the world of science fiction was in full swing, and the next, screenwriter Lin Youcheng from the East brought us "Father and Son," a film about realistic emotions. It was incredibly impactful. Of course, Hollywood insiders were well aware that this was simply because Universal Pictures chose to release "Father and Son" later, and Warner Bros. released "Coherence" in response to the news of the comet impacting Jupiter. Otherwise, normally, the film would have been released later. Nobody expected that the science fiction film would be so special.

The film "After This Our Exile" is also quite special. It is clear that American film critics prefer "After This Our Exile" because the emotional tension of the story is too strong. Just like "Seaside Town", they never expected that Lin Youcheng would let his son steal things. The two cooperated, but when the son was actually caught, the father ran away in fear!

This story is so impactful!

Although it's a different social environment, there's no doubt that something like this would happen in the United States as well. A child's father is a gambling addict and a scoundrel. Disappointed, the mother leaves. After the father's leg is broken, he starts making the child steal. One day, the child is caught by the victim, and the father runs away. This story is actually not complicated; on the contrary, it's very real.

But it is precisely because of this realism that it has such a strong impact. After all, at the end of the movie, the guilty father is at a loss and wants to apologize to his son, while the son shouts hysterically through tears, "Why did you make me steal!"

But that last scene was truly impactful!
Although the film doesn't reveal the ending—that the child will be taken away from his father in America—the scene ending with the confrontation between father and son is still quite impactful.

Clearly, film critics prefer this kind of movie; both the father and son actors performed exceptionally well.

Undoubtedly, due to the influence of screenwriter Lin Youcheng, coupled with the lingering buzz surrounding "The Night the Comet Came," the film "Father and Son" has naturally garnered significant attention. The film is currently receiving excellent reviews, with audiences and media alike praising it highly, which naturally implies strong box office performance, especially considering its relatively low production costs.

Now, Lin Youcheng's "Father and Son" has truly made Hollywood filmmakers feel the impact of its inner emotions. It is so powerful. If the previous "Seaside City" was a restrained and profound sadness, then "Father and Son" is a heart-wrenching tragedy.

That's right, it was the powerful questioning and emotional impact at the end that shocked many Hollywood filmmakers.

Many Hollywood figures believe that the film "After This Our Exile" is also a strong contender for next year's Oscars. Undoubtedly, even though the original "After This Our Exile" only won Best Picture at the Golden Horse Awards and the Hong Kong Film Awards in another timeline, the current production of this script is still quite remarkable in Hollywood.

As one film critic from The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "After This Our Exile is impeccable in terms of visual style, scenes, plot, and acting. The ending is extremely impactful, leaving the aftermath unresolved. This also reflects the uncertainty surrounding the future of the father-son relationship in the film."

The New York Times commented: "An extremely moving film. Unlike any blockbuster's shock and violence, its sincerity lies in its straightforward depiction of family life and its simple expression of the emotional conflict between father and son."

The Los Angeles Times wrote: "Following 'City by the Sea,' Eastern screenwriter Lin Youcheng presents another emotionally impactful realistic story in 'Father and Son.'"

……

As these media outlets and newspapers have praised, "After This Our Exile" is a very special film. The story is incredibly realistic and depressing because a father, in order to survive, actually makes his child steal things while he keeps watch. This is absolutely unacceptable, even despicable, especially when the father runs away after the child is caught. That father is truly awful.

The audience was completely shocked and moved by the story of "Father and Son," which truly allowed them to feel the deepest despair and fear in the child's heart.

This low-budget father-son relationship film has really sparked a lot of discussion among Hollywood industry insiders because there are so many things to discuss in the movie.

Such discussions continued unabated, with various voices appearing in American media and newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times. They were all discussing how Lin Youcheng, this incredible Eastern screenwriter, had once again brought us the shocking script, "Father and Son."

This is the brilliance, and also the most terrifying aspect, of the script "Father and Son" written by Lin Youcheng. It is also why so many film critics believe that this film might be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay next year, along with "Seaside Town".

If both of these films were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, that would be quite an amazing achievement.

Although Lin Youcheng already had two films nominated for Oscars for both Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Screenplay before this, it would still be quite amazing for him to be nominated for Best Original Screenplay as well. However, the possibility of such a thing happening is very small. But this discussion also proves that Lin Youcheng, this screenwriter from the East, has an amazing screenplay as always.

(End of this chapter)