A widower's entertainment

Chapter 457 [Part 1] (Please Subscribe)
Xinghua Hutong, Beijing.

When Xie Shuhua returned from the Normal University, she saw Lin Youcheng supporting his daughter Lin Zhaoyuan in the courtyard as she tried to walk with her short legs. Lin Youcheng was carefully supporting her, afraid that Lin Zhaoyuan might suddenly fall.

When Lin Zhaoyuan saw Xie Shuhua, her smile deepened. She opened her little arms and babbled, as if she wanted her mother to hold her.

Xie Shuhua picked up Lin Zhaoyuan, looked at Lin Youcheng, and asked, "Aren't you going to accompany Zhaomei to the exam today? Today is the most crucial day."

Xie Shuhua also knew that Lin Zhaomei was taking the directing exam at the Beijing Film Academy today, which was the last and most crucial exam.

"She didn't want me to come with her, saying it wasn't necessary."

Lin Youcheng had wanted to accompany Lin Zhaomei to the directing department's entrance exam, but Lin Zhaomei refused. She hadn't asked him to come with her for the first round of auditions either, so he easily rode his bicycle to the Beijing Film Academy. Everything had gone smoothly up to that point, and now it all depended on how this final round went.

"I believe she'll be fine."

Lin Youcheng had a lot of confidence in Lin Zhaomei. She had already passed the previous tests smoothly, so there shouldn't be any problems with the final third test.

Xie Shuhua also felt that Lin Zhaomei was fine, but the exam was not over yet and the results were not out, so no one knew what would happen. She also knew that the film academy's directing department only admitted a dozen or so students a year, so it was really difficult for so many candidates from all over the country to apply.

Of course, Lin Zhaomei has already passed all the previous tests, which is quite impressive, considering that she is only a junior in high school this year.

"If Zhao Mei can pass this exam, that would be truly amazing!"

Lin Youcheng smiled when he heard Xie Shuhua's words. If Zhao Mei really passed the professional exam, that would indeed be remarkable.

Now it all depends on whether the examiners of the Directing Department of Beijing Film Academy will accept Lin Zhaomei, and who knows what questions Lin Zhaomei will ultimately face.

……

Beijing, Yenching Film Academy.

The examiners in the directing exam room are now seriously thinking about the story Lin Zhaomei just told. It was a short three-minute narration, but the story was anything but simple.

Especially since these examiners are also directors, it's easy for them to imagine what would happen if Lin Zhaomei's story about fate were made into a movie. You know, although we have Kieślowski's "Blindfolded," we don't have "The Birth of a Gangster," let alone the classic "Run Lola Run." The two completely opposite life stories that Lin Zhaomei is telling are undoubtedly quite novel and special.

What's even more striking is that the beginning and end of the story both feature the clanging of school bells, creating a sense of cyclical tragedy.

The examiners at the scene thought this story was quite special. If it were enriched or polished further, it could be made into a short film, or even a feature film if it were refined further.

The key point, in Zheng Dongtian and Xie Xiaojing's view, is that when Lin Zhaomei told this story, she intentionally mentioned the clanging of the school bell. This means that Lin Zhaomei herself had a very clear idea of ​​the story. After all, she had considered such details, even symbolic details, which is really remarkable.

Zheng Dongtian looked at Lin Zhaomei with a smile on his face. In fact, after the previous film analysis, he had already planned to put Lin Zhaomei on the admission list for the directing department. After all, Lin Zhaomei's previous answers were very good, especially her film analysis, which was quite insightful and even professional.

This is completely different from other candidates. Of course, Zheng Dongtian also knows that this is all because Lin Zhaomei has a father like Lin Youcheng, who must be involved in film. Not to mention, she also has the guidance of director Tian Zhuangzhuang. Being able to give professional analysis of a film at this age is not particularly special, but it is enough to get Lin Zhaomei on the admission list.

Now, in this themed creative project, Lin Zhaomei's story of "Destiny" is particularly captivating to Zheng Dongtian.

Zheng Dongtian asked with a smile, "How did you come up with this story?"

Lin Zhaomei hesitated for a moment, but still told the truth: "Perhaps it really is a coincidence of fate. I had thought about this story of taking someone else's place in the college entrance examination before, and I even planned to make it into a short film called 'Fate'."

These words immediately caught the attention of Zheng Dongtian and the others.

Xie Xiaojing pressed further, asking, "Are you planning to make this story into a short film?"

Lin Zhaomei nodded and said, "Yes."

Clearly, the examiners were quite shocked. It was truly remarkable that someone would want to make a short film before even enrolling in school. However, considering that Lin Zhaomei was the daughter of Lin Youcheng, an internationally renowned screenwriter, it seemed not so bad that she wanted to make a short film.

After all, Xie Xiaojing knows very well that some things really can't be compared.

Like his old classmate Tian Zhuangzhuang, while they were still looking for internships at various film studios during their directing studies, Tian Zhuangzhuang had already made short films. When he was making his graduation project "Small Courtyard", Zhang Yimou and Yu Le from the cinematography department were his cinematographers. Later, when he was filming his first independently directed film "September" in Nanjing, his classmate Li Shaohong came to help out with the large-scale theater scenes. You should know that at that time, Li Shaohong didn't even have the opportunity to be a director's assistant.

Before graduating, Tian Zhuangzhuang had already filmed four movies, a record that remains unbroken in the history of Yenching Film Academy.

However, for some reason, looking at Lin Zhaomei, who was still a student, Xie Xiaojing felt that his old classmate's record might be broken. After all, Lin Zhaomei hadn't even been admitted to the film academy yet, but she was already thinking about making short films, which was really rare.

Zheng Dongtian clearly knew about Tian Zhuangzhuang's past in the directing department of the film academy, and said to Xie Xiaojing with a smile, "It seems that this is probably another Tian Zhuangzhuang."

Hearing this, Xie Xiaojing glanced at Lin Zhaomei again and said, "Perhaps it's not the second Tian Zhuangzhuang, but the first Lin Zhaomei."

Zheng Dongtian nodded, then looked at Lin Zhaomei and said, "Then I look forward to your short film. However, I want to ask you, why did you think of the college entrance exam cheating issue before?"

In fact, this is a further test for the candidates. The questions at this time will not be as simple as those in the preliminary test, because the scope will be broader. After all, no one knows what kind of questions the examiners will ask at this time.

"Because my cousin was impersonated in the college entrance examination, he later got married and had children, and lived in the countryside. It was only later that he found out that someone else had impersonated him in the college entrance examination. So I think that sometimes fate really can affect a person's whole life."

Clearly, Lin Zhaomei's words were unexpected by Zheng Dongtian and the others.

I thought it was a fabricated story, but it turns out it was an adapted story.

Which director's films do you like?

Clearly, the question now is both whether Lin Zhaomei truly has ideas about film and her understanding of film.

Lin Zhaomei thought for a moment and said, "It should be Akira Kurosawa." Lin Zhaomei had also seen the works of this film director. She had to thank her father, Lin Youcheng, for creating the conditions for her. In the capital city of Beijing, the resources she could access were naturally incomparable to those in Dezhou. There were cinemas and libraries, which were places she could go to most of the time. Not to mention that she had directors like Tian Zhuangzhuang to guide her. She also made a point of watching some classic foreign films.

Lin Zhaomei's words undoubtedly reveal some issues, since Lin Zhaomei was not referring to Zhang Yimou or Chen Aige, nor to domestic directors like Xie Jin and Wu Tianming, but rather to foreign film directors.

Zheng Dongtian raised an eyebrow, not expecting Lin Zhaomei to say it was Akira Kurosawa. Of course, these candidates must have all seen the works of those film masters. He asked, "Which film? What are your thoughts?"

"The movie 'Rashomon' revolves around the complexity and contradictions of human nature. Through the conflicting accounts of the parties involved in the case, it reflects the reality that people lie because they think they are honest and have weaknesses."

Zheng Dongtian is getting happier and happier because his student Lin Zhaomei is absolutely right. However, he is also wondering if Lin Zhaomei is too mature for her age. After all, Akira Kurosawa's 1950 film "Rashomon" was based on Ryunosuke Akutagawa's famous novel "In a Grove," which later won a major award at the Venice International Film Festival and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

The story of *Rashomon* revolves around a murder case. The film tells the tale through the eyes of a woodcutter: In the end, a bandit kills a samurai, but the woman escapes. The woodcutter discovers the body, reports it to the authorities, and the bandit is apprehended. However, during the trial, the testimonies of the parties involved are inconsistent. The film uses these inconsistencies to reflect the harsh reality that people often lie simply because they believe themselves to be honest, and that their weaknesses lead them to lie. At the end of the film, the rain stops, and although the sky remains thick with clouds, golden sunlight finally filters through. In the dim sunlight, the woodcutter slowly walks away carrying a newborn abandoned baby, and the wandering monk finally witnesses the genuine side of humanity that still exists. After profoundly revealing human weakness and deception, Kurosawa still offers everyone a beautiful, golden hope at the end.

Zheng Dongtian suddenly realized that the reason Lin Zhaomei thought of filming the story of the college entrance examination fraud might also be because that incident also carried the malice of human nature. After all, a person's fate was ruined, especially in the story told by Lin Zhaomei, it was possible that more than one generation's fate was ruined.

"Of course, the most special thing about this film is its narrative structure. It chooses a complex narrative, telling this simple event four times, and each time it is different. One story with its four versions shows the ambiguity and ambiguity of the event."

This is Lin Zhaomei's true feeling. When she first watched the movie "Rashomon", she was also completely stunned.

The feeling was truly indescribable. It was like how Director Jia became interested in film because of the movie "Yellow Earth" and was later deeply influenced by director Hou Xiaoxian's films. Lin Zhaomei, on the other hand, truly experienced the art of film after seeing "Rashomon." Even though she had seen movies before, after watching "Rashomon," it was as if Lin Zhaomei had opened the door to a new world.

The examiners could clearly tell that Lin Zhaomei genuinely admired Akira Kurosawa's films.

Lin Zhaomei is truly an extraordinary student.

Such a promising director is certainly not someone we can afford to miss!

This was not because Lin Zhaomei was Lin Youcheng's daughter, but because Lin Zhaomei, as a student, truly surprised and delighted the examiners of the directing department.

There's no way around it, Lin Zhaomei is just too outstanding.

Zheng Dongtian looked at Lin Zhaomei and asked, "You're only a sophomore in high school this year, what are your academic grades—?"

Clearly, this is also something Zheng Dongtian is concerned about, and he is obviously worried that Lin Zhaomei's professional score is high, but her cultural score is low.

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhaomei knew that she had passed the professional exam for the directing department, and quickly said, "My academic score will not be a problem."

The examiners couldn't help but laugh when they heard Lin Zhaomei's confident words.

Xie Xiaojing nodded and said to Lin Zhaomei, "Okay, that's enough for now. You must study hard when you get back!"

Xie Xiaojing was also worried that if Lin Zhaomei didn't pass the cultural exam, it would be a real pity.

Lin Zhaomei naturally nodded, as she was well aware of this as well.

The entrance exams for all majors at Yenching Film Academy and Yenching Drama Academy are extremely competitive in Beijing. Countless students from all over the country with dreams of film art come to take the exams. After all, there are students who want to get into both the directing and acting departments. People like Duan Long and Director Jia are also aiming to get into their dream film art schools, but in the end, most of them fail.

However, it is clear that Lin Zhaomei did not fail the exam this time!

Moreover, when the film academy released the professional scores, Lin Zhaomei's score was quite astonishing, ranking first in her major!

It's truly astonishing.

Lin Zhaomei seemed quite calm about the result. She didn't think it was important to be first in her major, since the director ultimately judges the film.

In addition, Lin Zhaomei is now well aware that her college entrance examination scores will be crucial in the future.

To be honest, being able to take the college entrance exam early is not a big deal in Beijing. After all, there are people in Beijing who are directly admitted to universities based on their professional skills. The University of Science and Technology of China has a special program for gifted children. So, for someone like Lin Zhaomei to take the college entrance exam in her second year of high school is nothing special. Moreover, for art schools like the Beijing Film Academy, the required academic scores are naturally much lower.

However, to others, this top ranking in their major is quite remarkable!
The brothers and sisters in the courtyard also congratulated Lin Zhaomei, and they were all full of admiration, because they all knew that Lin Zhaomei was going to take the college entrance examination early, which could be considered as skipping a grade!

"Third sister, you are really amazing!"

Lin Zhaole looked at Lin Zhaomei with admiration and said, "You actually got first place, that's amazing."

"Yes, that's really amazing! You're going to college soon?"

Lin Zhaohuan looked at Lin Zhaomei with admiration; she truly thought Lin Zhaomei was incredibly amazing.

Lin Zhaomei smiled and patted Lin Zhaohuan's head, saying, "Not yet, you have to wait for the college entrance examination. Only after passing the college entrance examination can you go to university."

Lin Youcheng looked at his daughter, who was still quite calm, and was pleasantly surprised. He couldn't help but think that his daughter really would become a director in the future.

Thinking back to a long time ago, Lin Zhaomei naively said that she wanted to be a director and win the Palme d'Or.

Lin Youcheng couldn't help but wonder if this top professional title would lead to her becoming the top female director in China, or even the top director overall.

Lin Youcheng shook his head, feeling that he was thinking too far ahead.

However, as a father, he was naturally filled with pride and honor at that moment.

(End of this chapter)