The literary era since 1979

It was getting dark when we returned to the villa from the golf course.

Fangyan carried the golf bag and walked into the house with Matsuzaka Keiko, and let out a sigh of relief.

"I didn't expect you to be so good at golf." Keiko Matsuzaka was surprised.

"If you fight with others more often, you will naturally become proficient."

Fangyan said in a joking tone: "In fact, I not only play the ball well, but also swing the club skillfully and vigorously."

Seeing him do Michael Jackson's classic hip-thrusting move, Keiko Matsuzaka was not shy and reserved like a delicate little girl. Instead, she was a mature and bright lady, staring at him straight, with the corners of her mouth slightly raised, revealing a playful smile.

Under the scorching gaze, Fangyan was the first to give in and pretended to cough a few times.

"Come to think of it, why did you agree so readily to the president and Kadokawa's request just now on the court?"

Keiko Matsuzaka went to the kitchen and poured two glasses of orange juice for them.

"Isn't it better to just do it?"

Fang Yan's hands stretched from behind her to the front, then wrapped around her slender waist.

"That doesn't seem like your style."

Keiko Matsuzaka thought for a moment, "I thought you would procrastinate and say you would think about it for a while."

"After all, their sincerity is enough."

Fang Yan said, "Besides, Songzhu is your old employer after all, you should at least give it some respect."

"Will this have any impact on you?"

Keiko Matsuzaka knew that the ambition of Okuyama Yu and Kadokawa Haruki was not to promote Japanese film culture to the world, but more to win awards and become famous internationally before Toho, Toei, or even Sony and Panasonic, which are about to acquire Columbia and Universal.

The three major film festivals of Berlin, Cannes and Venice cannot satisfy their appetite, and they are bound to want to get their hands on the Oscars.

"Then let them have a taste of sweetness first. What do you think of the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film?"

Fangyan's face was full of confidence.

"Are you so sure?"

Although Keiko Matsuzaka never doubted his abilities, she was shocked by his self-confidence.

"Not only am I confident, I'm even confident that I can push you to be the heroine of the movie." Fang Yan winked, "Well, you've won the Japan Academy Film Awards for two consecutive years. Are you interested in going to an international film festival or going to the Oscars?"

When Keiko Matsuzaka thought of that scene, her heart suddenly surged and her eyes became blurred.

"Is it really possible?"

"If I say yes, it means yes, don't you believe me?"

Fangyan buried his face in her hair, and a faint fragrance came to his nose.

Keiko Matsuzaka turned around, hugged him with her backhand, and began to prove with her actions how much she trusted him.

"I won't give such a good deal to anyone else. You have to be the first one to take it."

Fangyan only felt that the anger in his body was gradually dissipating.

"Then what kind of role do you plan to let me play?" Keiko Matsuzaka raised her head and looked up from her half-squatting position.

"Well, this is a secret. You have to exchange it for a reward."

Fangyan narrowed his eyes.

"Am I not rewarding you now?"

There was a hint of resentment in Keiko Matsuzaka's eyes.

"not enough."

Fang Yan stroked her face and gave her a knowing look.

………………

While Keiko Matsuzaka was preparing the reward, Fangyan was carefully studying the script in the study.

Japanese films can be considered a wonder among Asian films. They are completely self-entertaining behind closed doors. The last time they went abroad was with Kurosawa Akira's "Rashomon". The next person to lead Japanese films to the world will be Takeshi Kitano, who is known as Kurosawa Akira's successor.

This is also because Japan's unique film environment and cultural atmosphere limit the influence of Japanese films in the international market.

So much so that even Korean films will be able to surpass the latter in the future.

Of course, there is no comparison with Chinese-language films. In the past, there was the golden age of Hong Kong films, which was called "Asian Hollywood", and then there was the rise of mainland films in the early 21st century. Although the market is flooded with many bad films, there are also countless high-quality films, such as "Hero" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon".

After much deliberation, the work I decided to submit to Shochiku and Kadokawa Pictures was "Departures".

The story is not complicated. The hero was originally a cellist in an orchestra. Later, because the orchestra disbanded, Daogu had to give up his beloved music. Forced by livelihood, he accidentally became an undertaker. His job was to clean, change clothes, and make up the bodies of the deceased. From then on, the movie observes various kinds of death and experiences the meaning of life from the perspective of a novice undertaker.

At the beginning, the male protagonist hated the profession of undertaker and was ashamed to say it out loud, but as he worked in the industry for longer and longer, he gradually felt the sacredness of this profession and the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction it brought him, and he fell in love with this profession more and more.

However, when people around him found out about his profession, the male protagonist began to face more and more misunderstandings. His wife simply said, "Don't touch me, it's dirty," and threatened him to resign by saying she would go back to her parents' home. His friends criticized and distanced themselves from him, and the relatives of the deceased scolded him for "living off the dead"...

One of the strongest dramatic conflicts in "Departures" is that people attach great importance to and avoid death, but are full of discrimination, alienation and rejection towards the undertakers who are responsible for death. The final ending is also that the wife understands the mission and significance of the male protagonist as a undertaker shouldered by her husband.

“Death is not only the end of life, but also the beginning of the next reincarnation.”

Fangyan wrote this sentence on the paper and then paused, suddenly thinking of the fact that there is also a version of "Departures" in Hong Kong.

But the name is not "Departures", but "Breaking Hell".

The plot is somewhat similar to "Departures". Because of the epidemic, wedding planner Daosheng was forced to change his career to become a funeral agent. At first, due to differences in ideas, he had many conflicts with the Nanmu master Wen Ge. Later, when faced with a special deceased, Wen Ge helped him and witnessed every bit of Wen Ge's relationship with his daughter Wen Yue, "Daosheng" also slowly changed his attitude towards the funeral industry and life.

The most classic line is that breaking hell not only breaks the hell of ancestors, but also breaks the hell of the living. The living need to break hell more, because there are also a lot of hells waiting for the living. Obviously, compared with "Departures", the intention is more sublimated.

The only drawback is that the story takes place in Hong Kong during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is inconsistent with the prosperous Hong Kong today.

Fangyan smacked his lips and reluctantly gave up the idea of ​​writing two versions.

Just as I was racking my brains to think about how to blend "Breaking Hell" and "Departures", there was a knock on the door.

Keiko Matsuzaka wore the same dark purple yoga outfit as the eldest sister in "Cat's Eye", with a yellow belt around her waist.

"We are the three Cat's Eye sisters. Our goal tonight is..." (End of this chapter)