After being dumped by the diva, I was picked up by her arch-enemy.

May.

Southern France.

The coastline of Cannes was bathed in sunlight, turning it white.

Outside the Palais des Festivals, journalists from various countries crowded both sides of the red carpet.

The premiere of "Farewell My Concubine" was scheduled for 7 p.m.

This is the prime spot in the main competition.

When the news reached China, it caused a huge uproar.

Foreign media outlets, however, have differing opinions.

The French magazine Screen Watch was the first to publish the article.

Whether films based on traditional Chinese opera, which are promoted by state resources, possess true artistic independence remains to be seen.

One British media outlet was even more direct.

"Farewell My Concubine may just be another cultural promotion campaign planned by China after Nocturne."

The author of the article is Morrel.

A regular at the three major European film festivals.

He is known for his sharp tongue.

Last year, he used the phrase "exquisite but empty" to cause the rating of a popular movie to drop by 0.4 points.

The black sedan stopped.

Chen Ge got off the bus first.

Next up are Tan Yunxiao and Zhao Qingyue, who plays Juxian.

Jiang Yichen was the last to get off the bus.

He was wearing a black tuxedo.

There is no bow tie at the collar.

She wore only a small opera mask brooch on her chest.

There was a brief pause in the press area.

next second.

The sound of camera shutters clicking was continuous.

"Jiang!"

"Look here!"

"Jiang Yichen!"

After "Nocturne", Jiang Yichen was no longer an unknown.

His overseas fans crowded around the red carpet.

Someone was holding up a record of "Nocturne".

Some people also held up photos of him from the film "Farewell My Concubine".

That still was released by the film festival's official organizers yesterday.

In the picture.

Cheng Dieyi, dressed in the costume of Yu Ji, stood in front of the mirror.

Half of the face is human.

Half of my face is reflected in the mirror.

Based on just this one still, "Farewell My Concubine" became a trending topic in multiple countries.

The film crew walked to the interview area.

Morel pushed his way out from the group of reporters.

"Mr. Chen Ge."

"This film received national-level funding."

"How can you prove that it's not a carefully crafted promotional video?"

The translator finished speaking.

The scene quieted down.

Chen Ge glanced at Morel.

Have you seen the movie?

Morel shook his head.

"not yet."

"Then what are you proving?"

Morel frowned.

Chen Ge continued, "Money can buy cameras, film, and lighting."

"But money can't buy a good story."

"It can't buy the audience's tears either."

He handed the microphone back to the host.

"Ask after you've finished reading."

After saying that, Chen Ge turned and walked into the cinema.

They didn't save him any face at all.

Chen Hao followed behind, keeping his voice down.

"The old man is in a bad mood today."

Jiang Yichen glanced at Chen Ge's misfastened cufflinks.

"He's been waiting for this person since he woke up this morning."

"what?"

"He buttoned his cufflinks wrong, but he knew the script by heart."

Chen Hao suddenly realized.

The old man said he would answer casually.

I actually held it in the whole way.

Inside the cinema.

All two thousand seats were filled.

The jury sat in the center of the fifth row.

Filmmakers, distributors, and film critics from various countries lined up on both sides.

Morel came in too.

He sat in the first row of the film critics' section.

The notebook lay open on my lap.

Before the movie started, he wrote a line on a piece of paper.

"Be wary of the deliberate exploitation of suffering in the East."

The lights went out.

The screen lights up.

Little Bean was sent to an opera troupe by his mother.

A severed finger.

Practicing martial arts.

Punishment.

A single lyric was corrected time and time again.

At first, there was the sound of papers turning in the screening room.

Twenty minutes later.

The sound has decreased.

Forty minutes later.

Morel put down his pen.

This is Cheng Dieyi's first official stage appearance.

Yu Ji turned her head.

The gaze on the screen passes through the theater and also through the cinema.

Fifth row.

One of the female judges sat up straight.

An hour later.

The Fish Intestine Sword appears.

Cheng Dieyi, holding his sword, softly called out "Xiaolou".

Morel looked down at his notebook.

He wanted to write something.

The pen tip touched the ground, but remained still.

The movie continues.

Japanese army.

A private gathering.

Trial.

marriage.

betray.

Times change, but the costumes on stage remain the same.

When the denunciation meeting began, there was no noise in the screening room.

Duan Xiaolou begins to expose Cheng Dieyi.

Someone covered their mouth.

Someone took off their glasses.

Morel gripped the pen tightly in his right hand, his knuckles turning white.

On the silver screen.

Cheng Dieyi smiled and looked at Duan Xiaolou.

Those eyes are dead.

Morel lowered his head.

A drop of water fell onto the notebook.

The phrase "deliberately sold" was dampened.

The final scene.

The King of Chu finished singing.

Yu Ji drew her sword.

Cheng Dieyi collapsed into Duan Xiaolou's arms.

The screen gradually darkened.

The movie has ended.

There is no end credits music.

There was only blackness.

The entire cinema palace fell into a deathly silence.

one second.

Five seconds.

ten seconds.

Twenty seconds.

Jiang Yichen sat in his seat.

He could hear Chen Hao's suppressed breathing beside him.

suddenly.

The chairman of the jury in the fifth row stood up.

He started clapping.

Immediately afterwards, the second person stood up.

The third person.

Applause spread from the fifth row.

More than two thousand audience members stood up one after another.

Chen Ge did not move.

He sat in his seat with his head down.

He slowly got up only after Zhao Qingyue reached out and helped him.

The spotlight fell on the film crew's seats.

The applause grew louder and louder.

One minute.

three minutes.

five minutes.

Morel stood in the critics' section.

His eyes were red.

The notebook in my hand was closed.

Seven minutes.

Chen Ge bowed to the audience.

Nine minutes.

Tan Yunxiao turned around and hugged Jiang Yichen tightly.

"Third brother."

"We've succeeded."

Eleven minutes.

The applause continued.

Twelve minutes and four seconds.

The applause at the cinema began to subside.

The official photographer of Cannes captured this moment.

Twenty minutes later.

The event program released the first round of scores.

Farewell My Concubine.

4:09.

Out of five points.

The highest opening score in Cannes in nearly a decade.

Morel's personal column has also been updated.

There are no lengthy film reviews.

Only one sentence.

"I retract all my pre-premiere judgments. This is not a propaganda film; this is a film for all of humanity."

Inside the press conference room.

Hundreds of journalists filled the seats.

The first question was posed to Jiang Yichen.

"Mr. Jiang, how do you understand Cheng Dieyi?"

Jiang Yichen gripped the microphone.

"He's not a madman."

"He simply values ​​his commitment more than the times."

The reporter then asked, "Do you consider yourself Cheng Dieyi?"

Jiang Yichen shook his head.

"That's how it was during filming."

"Not after filming wrapped."

He paused for a moment.

"Someone is waiting for me to come back."

A burst of good-natured laughter came from the audience.

In domestic live streaming rooms.

Seeing this, Xu Zhiyou grabbed Gu Ruanxing's arm.

"He's talking about us, isn't he?"

Gu Ruanxing stared at the screen.

Don't flatter yourself.

Xu Zhiyou looked down.

Gu Ruanxing's phone screen saver is a still from the drama featuring Jiang Yichen wearing a moon-white robe.

She blinked.

It wasn't exposed.

At the same time.

Top floor of the cinema palace.

Nine judges entered the closed conference room.

The table was set with a list of 21 films for the main competition.

The jury chairman picked up his pen.

The first name was written in the Best Actor category.

Jiang Yichen.