A widower's entertainment

When "Our Millionaire" had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, it swept through the festival with thunderous force, and it's fair to say that both the festival's audience and critics went crazy for the film.

This directorial debut by Lam Siu-mei instantly became the focus of coverage in the festival's various publications, with discussions almost drowning out other topics at the festival.

There's no other reason than that this movie, "Our Millionaire," is worth it!

The front page of Screen magazine reads: "Our Millionaire premiered in the main competition at Cannes yesterday, receiving a long and enthusiastic applause that lasted for more than ten minutes. This 21-year-old newcomer director has single-handedly created the biggest surprise of this year's film festival, and has been hailed as the most amazing discovery of the year at Cannes!"

"It's hard to imagine that 'Our Millionaire' is the debut film of a 21-year-old director. The tight narrative pace, metaphorical camera language, and the use of warm and cool colors perfectly blend realism and romanticism."

"The story revolves around a quiz show, connecting the struggles and perseverance of ordinary people through memories related to the answers to the questions. It reveals the tearing apart of human nature under the class divide. The talented female director, Lin Zhaomei, skillfully weaves together the dark reality and pure love. The dialogue is full of foreshadowing, and the ending is both reasonable and unexpected. Every detail can withstand repeated scrutiny."

In addition to the British magazine "Screen," other magazines, including the official Cannes Film Festival publication, also published commentaries.

The American magazine *The Hollywood Reporter* gave it a high score of 3.8 out of 4, writing: "This is a symphony of fate and hope. The film is ingeniously structured. It opens with the protagonist being tortured and interrogated by the police on suspicion of cheating on a quiz show. As he answers the police, three storylines unfold: his answers on the show, his upbringing, and the scenes of his interrogation and torture. The first two storylines are flashbacks to the third. In other words, the third storyline connects the first two through memories. This structure not only makes the plot very concise and the structure very tight, but also fills the story with suspense and tension."

"Director Lin Zhaomei is undoubtedly a genius. The visual effects and colors of this film change according to different memories. Through rapid editing and vivid camera language, he successfully captured every moment of Xu Qingshan's life. Every scene in the film, from the dark mine to the luxurious television studio, is full of the texture of life and the beauty of art."

"One of the characteristics of this film is its perfect blend of realism and romanticism. The realist approach is reflected in its portrayal of the darkness of society and the nakedness of human nature. But at the same time, it doesn't lack romantic elements, possessing the beauty of a fairy tale. The romanticism is most evident in the ending. Xu Qingshan's goal is love, but in searching for love, he also gains wealth. No matter how much this film reflects the cruelty of reality, or how much it seems to be a realistic appeal, it ultimately uses embellishments to conform to mainstream aspirations, much like that TV show, providing the public with a utopian spiritual vehicle of conformity to fate. We hope to see a happy ending, even if reality may not be so. In fact, we all know that actually winning the final million-dollar prize is impossible."

"At the beginning of the film, the audience is asked that he is only one question away from winning a million dollars. How did he do it? The answer to this question is given at the end of the film: everything is predestined. The director gives us a dreamy and romantic ending, with the lovers embracing tightly. No matter how cruel their lives have been, fortunately, the ending is beautiful."

"This is not only a film about growing up and love, but also a work that profoundly explores fate and hope. This exploration of fate and hope not only makes the film entertaining, but also gives it far-reaching social significance, filling it with power and inspiration..."

……

As these film publications have noted, and in addition, other film magazines have also praised the film.

Especially due to the continued buzz surrounding the film, the overwhelming demand for tickets led many film festival enthusiasts to queue overnight, with some even watching it two or three times in an effort to capture more overlooked details.

All of this undoubtedly proves that "Our Millionaire" truly received rave reviews at the Cannes Film Festival!
The film festival chairman was right; this was indeed the most astonishing discovery. With its solid narrative and impactful audiovisual language, the film sparked a millionaire craze in the film industry.

It is precisely because of the film's excellence that, even before the awards ceremony at the film festival's closing ceremony has begun, numerous global distribution companies have already approached the filmmaker, waving contracts and vying for overseas distribution rights. This is because filmmakers who have seen the film are well aware that the film's market potential and artistic value do not need the endorsement of awards.

Just like the discussions that could be heard everywhere on the streets of the Cannes Film Festival, this film has long transcended the category of "work" and become a cultural phenomenon that has swept the film festival.

All the waiting and madness stemmed from one consensus: "Our Millionaire" is worth it.

For directors, competing in international film festivals serves two purposes: first, to get their work seen by more people, and second, to win honors and gain the highest recognition in the industry.

Now that "Our Millionaire" is the biggest favorite for the Palme d'Or, Lin Zhaomei is also very excited. Of course, she also knows from her father, Lin Youcheng, that film festival awards are always full of variables. There is often a discrepancy between media predictions and the jury's decision. Cases of big favorites losing and underdogs making a comeback are common. The final result can only be waited for at the awards ceremony.

However, the movie is now receiving overwhelmingly positive reviews.

Lin Zhaomei has also received numerous interview requests from film magazines.

Because of Lin Zhaomei, her father Lin Youcheng will naturally be mentioned as well. Lin Youcheng will not try to steal the limelight from his daughter, because the movie was directed by Lin Zhaomei. Movies are never just about the script, but also about the director's audiovisual language and the actors' performances.

The performances of the two young actors, Zhou Xun and Duan Long, have also received a great deal of recognition.

They knew their chances of winning an acting award were slim, because the focus was now more on the film winning the top prize, while the acting awards would be given to other film characters, even though Xu Qingshan and Xiaoyu's roles were both excellent and received a lot of praise.

Of course, no one knows the answer until the very end.

According to the Cannes Film Festival's tradition, film crews that receive an invitation to attend the awards ceremony are guaranteed at least one honor and will not leave empty-handed.

While waiting for the invitation call, the two young actors, Zhou Xun and Duan Long, were even more nervous, staring at the phone all day. Although they knew that the film's reputation and the sale of its overseas distribution rights already meant that the film was a success, for the film festival, the awards were the most important thing.

Fortunately, "Our Millionaire" also received a notification from the organizing committee that they would be attending the closing ceremony's awards ceremony.

—A phone call means that "Our Millionaire" has secured at least one major award, and Lin Zhaomei's trip to Cannes will not end empty-handed.

"Dad, thank you!"

Although Lin Zhaomei has thanked her father, Lin Youcheng, more than once, she still couldn't help but thank him again now that she knows they will be attending the Cannes Film Festival awards ceremony.

"That's amazing!"

Lin Youcheng smiled and patted his daughter's shoulder. He was truly proud of Lin Zhaomei, especially since the words he had spoken in preschool had unknowingly led him to this point.

The Cannes Film Festival closing ceremony and awards presentation was fast-paced, with seventeen awards to be announced in an hour and a half. Film crews that were not invited had already left, leaving mostly the favorites to win awards.

Although "Our Millionaire" was considered the biggest favorite by the media, Lin Zhaomei's age and status as a newcomer still led many to question whether Cannes had the courage to award its highest honor to a 21-year-old new director.

The key point is that this new director is a woman! No one doubts Lin Zhaomei's talent. The artistic level and intellectual depth of the film "Our Millionaire" are obvious to all. Even if it wins the Palme d'Or, it will be well-deserved.

Everyone is waiting for an answer: Will the jury be willing to break down their prejudices and give this young director the highest recognition?

As a screenwriter, Lin Youcheng naturally received a lot of attention at the film festival. However, Lin Youcheng always let Lin Zhaomei take the lead role and stayed behind the scenes. Now, he is attending the awards ceremony with Lin Zhaomei, looking forward to witnessing his daughter go on stage to receive the award.

Because the award ceremonies are very simple and straightforward, watching one award after another be decided, these are the more important awards that come later on.

"Our Millionaire" missed out on the first few main competition awards, so the next award, Best Screenplay, became the focus of attention. The film's narrative skill has long been recognized in the industry: using the quiz show as the main real-life storyline, interspersed with fragments of past life, the two timelines intertwine to form a closed-loop narrative structure. The questions of fate at the beginning and end echo each other, and the film tells the fairytale-like story of a small person from the bottom of society with delicate strokes, and the portrayal of human nature and class is incisive.

Many film critics have stated that the script for "Our Millionaire" is the best of the year, and that winning the Best Screenplay award is well-deserved.

In particular, Lin Youcheng, an international screenwriter, had previously won this award for "Atonement".

He naturally didn't care about this award; he hoped for the biggest prize later on.

When the presenter announced that the Best Screenplay award winner was not "Our Millionaire," there was enthusiastic applause from the audience, because it meant that there might really be a big award waiting for them later.

The Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Director awards subsequently slipped through the fingers of "Our Millionaire," something Lin Zhaomei had anticipated, and she calmly applauded the winners.

For a 21-year-old new director like her, winning the Best Director award is very difficult, and she also wants that final award.

The awards ceremony is drawing to a close, with only the Jury Prize and the Palme d'Or yet to be announced.

The Grand Jury Prize is often seen as a consolation prize for the Palme d'Or. In the eyes of the media, even if "Our Millionaire" doesn't win the Palme d'Or, it should still have won this honor.

But when the winner of the jury's grand prize was announced, and it turned out that "Our Millionaire" was not the winner, the suspense and doubt reached their peak as the audience burst into applause.

Nobody knows whether the judging panel will completely ignore the popular picks or throw out the ultimate surprise at the last minute.
Lin Youcheng never attends award ceremonies abroad, but at this moment, as a father, his heart was pounding and he was silently praying that the Palme d'Or would go to his daughter, Lin Zhaomei.

When the presenter picked up the envelope, the entire audience fell silent, and all eyes were focused on the center of the stage.

The next second, the familiar film title echoed throughout the venue through the microphone, accompanied by jury president Martin Scorsese announcing: "The winner of this year's Cannes Film Festival's Best Film is—China's 'Our Millionaire'!"

Okay, in just a moment, the whole place erupted in cheers.

The Cannes Film Festival did not completely ignore the popular choices, and gave the best answer directly.

Lin Zhaomei suddenly stood up, screamed, and hugged her father Lin Youcheng beside her, tears instantly welling up in her eyes.

Congratulations, Zhaomei!

I'm so proud of you!

Lin Youcheng patted Lin Zhaomei on the shoulder, feeling very happy. He knew his daughter deserved it.

Zhou Xun and Duan Long were also very excited, their eyes reddening, completely shocked by the award result.

The movie they starred in won the Palme d'Or!

awesome!
It's really great!
Everything is so wonderful!

Then, amidst continuous applause, and under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the young female director Lin Zhaomei walked onto the stage, receiving increasingly enthusiastic applause.

When Lin Zhaomei accepted the heavy Palme d'Or trophy and raised it above her head, the entire audience erupted in applause.

Zhou Xun and Duan Long both cried. All their efforts and waiting had been rewarded in this moment.

Of course, the most amazing thing was that 21-year-old Lin Zhaomei won the Palme d'Or with her debut film, making history at the Cannes Film Festival and writing a glorious chapter in the history of Chinese-language cinema.

She won the Palme d'Or!
She said this when she was very young, and now she has lived up to it.

On stage, Lin Zhaomei said in clear Chinese: "Thank you to the Cannes Film Festival jury for giving us this award. I really didn't expect it. I'm very happy. Thank you to every member of the crew, thank you to every actor, and thank you to all the audience."

"I want to thank my family, thank my father! (Rest assured, I'm having a hiccup.)"

In the audience, Lin Youcheng's eyes also reddened, and his elderly father began to wipe away tears.

Well, he must say these were tears of joy and excitement from a father for his daughter. (End of Chapter)