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Chapter 176 I Don't Want a High Score!

Betty is a seasoned film enthusiast and a red carpet fanatic. Every year at the Berlin Film Festival, she makes sure to attend and ask her favorite directors and actors for autographs, thus accumulating a wealth of red carpet experience.

First and foremost, you must choose the right spot. While celebrities might wave, smile, and respond to your cheers and shouts on the red carpet, they rarely stop specifically to sign autographs. However, there's one spot where they're most likely to stop: the area near the media zone. Therefore, if you want an autograph or even a photo, make sure you stand near the cameras in the media zone.

Secondly, you need to arrive early to get a front-row seat near the cameras; otherwise, it's simply impossible.

Finally, make sure you get a good night's rest the night before to conserve your energy and protect your voice so that you can shout at the top of your lungs the next day to attract the other person's attention.

Just then, Betty screamed, "Wu! Director Wu! I love you!"

When Betty saw Wu Yuchen looking at her, she shouted even louder, "Director Wu, I love your 'Run Lola Run,' my favorite movie!"

As she shouted, she also tried to reach out and wave the prepared poster and pen.

Persistence pays off. When Wu Yuchen walked towards her with a smile and signed her poster, she immediately adjusted her head to face the camera shooting in her direction and made a V-sign. This way, she appeared in the media's view and completed a photo with Wu Yuchen. If any newspapers or magazines publish it, she can cut it out and keep it as a keepsake.

Wu Yuchen could tell that the girl in front of him was a seasoned fan of the red carpet, and her ability to find the camera was even better than his. However, he didn't mind. After signing autographs for several fans, he waved and left.

Their lineup for the red carpet this time was quite impressive, with him and Gong Li leading the way, followed by six other actors. The attention and cheers they received were no less than those for the opening film of this year's Berlin Film Festival, "Shakespeare in Love".

In the cast of "Mr. Donkey," Gong Li truly reigns supreme on the red carpet. The moment she steps onto the red carpet, her aura is overwhelming, drawing constant flashes from the cameras. Even Wu Yuchen has to admit defeat.

"Shakespeare in Love" is a film that Harvey Weinstein has been pushing hard for this year. Although his public relations efforts are mainly focused on the Oscars, it shouldn't be difficult for him to secure a film for the opening ceremony of Berlin.

But as for its reputation...

A seven-member jury, specially invited by Screen Daily magazine, walked out of the theater cursing after watching Shakespeare in Love.

"A melodramatic and cheesy romance movie—no, it can't even be called a romance, it's just an affair between a bored rich girl and a writer who writes with his body! I'd give it 1 point!"

"Oh, don't say that. At least the costumes in this movie are pretty good, and with Shakespeare's great lines as the basis, I think it can still be given 1.5 points."

"Gwyneth Paltrow plays two roles, and her acting is commendable. I give her 2.5 out of 10."

"You shit, you must have been bribed by Harvey Weinstein!"

Ultimately, the seven-member jury gave scores and included their own viewing experiences and evaluations.

Screen Daily magazine also has another prestigious name at the Berlin Film Festival – the festival's program.

Since the festival's jury consists of many professional film critics, and the ratings clearly and intuitively show the audience whether a film is good or bad, they are also regarded as a viewing guide during the film festival, serving as a trend indicator for the audience.

The next day, Zhou Xun ran over with a newly published copy of "Screen Daily" magazine and shouted to everyone, "Shakespeare in Love only got a 1.5 out of 10 in the program!"

Sun Honglei hurriedly asked, "What's the total score? Is 1.5 high or low?"

Gong Li, a seasoned film festival veteran, replied:
"With a total score of 4 points, 1.5 is not a very good score."

That's being quite polite of her; a score of 1.5 is very likely the lowest possible score...

Wu Yuchen smiled after hearing their conversation. Shakespeare in Love truly deserves its reputation as the weakest Oscar contender; it was completely unpopular in Berlin.

"The opening film only got a 1.5, I wonder what score we'll get?" Zhou Xun looked at the magazine in his hand, feeling a little worried.

Wu Yuchen said with a smile:
"Take the festival publication ratings with a grain of salt. They only reflect the media's taste and have little to do with the final awards. There have been instances where the three lowest-rated films have won awards, while the highest-rated film has gone home empty-handed. And you'd better pray we don't get the highest score, because the film with the highest score in the festival publication is unlikely to win Best Picture."

"Ah? So that's how it is!" Zhou Xun exclaimed.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Guoli asked, "Is this what they call 'the hottest weather is always deadly'? Do foreigners believe in this too?"

Wu Yuchen smiled and shook his head: "I don't know either, but the tastes of the media and the actual judges are different, so it's hard to be completely unified. The program booklet can only have some influence on the audience's viewing experience, but how the audience reacted, didn't you already feel it at the scene yesterday?"

He Bing immediately laughed when he heard this: "Director Wu, I think the audience during the film festival is just like when we perform in a play. After the show, there's immediate feedback from the audience, and they're incredibly enthusiastic. Yesterday, a woman grabbed my hand and chattered away for ages!"

Zhou Xun turned to He Bing and said, "Teacher He, the translator said that person was cursing you yesterday, saying you're really despicable! A complete scoundrel!"

He Bing's expression immediately turned awkward, but he quickly recovered and said with his chin held high, "Criticizing me means I acted well!"

Everyone burst out laughing at the sight.

Several films are featured prominently at this year's Berlin Film Festival, such as the opening film "Shakespeare in Love," Terrence Malick's "The Thin Red Line," which brings together a star-studded cast including Sean Penn, and Wu Yuchen's "Mr. Donkey," which stars Gong Li.

The Daily Screen jury doesn't watch these major films on the same day; they watch one film per day.

On the third day, the jury members of the program walked towards the theater showing "Mr. Donkey" while chatting.

"Yesterday's 'The Thin Red Line' was very good; its narrative subverted the Hollywood war film model."

"Yes, but this movie is a bit too stream-of-consciousness. It's more of a war impression film than a war film."

"Perhaps some of the judges will fall for this, and its theme and attributes are very much in line with the Berlin Film Festival's preferences."

After the group sat down in the theater, one of them said, "I wonder if Wu Yuchen, this big director who is doing so well in Hollywood, will give us any surprises."

"I hope he doesn't come here to make a commercial film; that would be really disappointing!"

"Don't worry, Gong Li is in this movie, so the quality is definitely guaranteed!"

"Oh, you're right!"

When the lights in the theater went out, everyone stopped talking.

Four teachers with vastly different personalities, driven by a noble ideal, dedicate themselves to a remote mountain area. They falsely report a donkey as belonging to a teacher named "Lü Deshui" to gain extra subsidies, a decision that attracts the attention of a special envoy from higher authorities. They are forced to find an uneducated coppersmith to impersonate Lü Deshui. Thus begins a relentless cycle of lies, a constant struggle to maintain the facade, with new lies covering up old ones. In this constant exchange of lies, the real and fake donkeys are swapped, ultimately causing the situation to spiral out of control… The film opens with clean, pure, and beautiful visuals, a light and cheerful atmosphere, and the characters radiating humanity, working together to dedicate themselves to education.

Upon witnessing the constant humor from the film's opening, the jury members realized it was a comedy and were quite surprised, never expecting Wu Yuchen and Gong Li to bring a comedy to the festival. Comedy films are generally not favored by major awards!
However, this thought was fleeting, and they quickly became engrossed in the story.

But after the special envoy arrived, everything changed imperceptibly. As immense profits accompanied the crisis, everyone gradually turned to the dark side. The film's style shifted towards gloom and absurdity, as good people gradually shed their disguises, revealing the darkness of their true nature.

The strong bowed their heads before the gun. Those who were once selfless and righteous, faced with power and profit, gradually tore away their pretense and became selfish. At this point, their humanity had faded, and the light of bestiality shone within them.

Meanwhile, the judges saw more. The four teachers represented intellectuals, and the flaws of intellectuals were vividly displayed in them. Principal Sun represented the idealistic yet hypocritical nature of intellectuals; Pei Kuishan represented the intelligent yet ruthless nature of intellectuals; Zhou Tienan represented the passionate yet cowardly nature of intellectuals; and Zhang Yiman represented the romantic yet incompetent nature of intellectuals.

Dignity, dreams, interests, and power—the four means of destroying intellectuals—have all come true here.

When He Bing, who originally appeared honest and kind, tore off his disguise and betrayed everyone by cursing Gong Li; when Sun Honglei, who was originally full of passion, knelt down and became the most humble lackey after a gunshot; when Gong Li became the object of everyone's humiliation, and her hair, which symbolized her romance and ideals, was cut off piece by piece with scissors, her spirit and soul were shattered bit by bit...

The shock among the audience grew steadily, with each performance pushing their emotions to a climax. Especially when they saw Gong Li transform from a stunningly beautiful and alluring woman into a soulless, lifeless corpse, the entire theater fell silent, a profound sorrow spreading through their hearts…

When the film ended and the theater lights came on, the audience remained unresponsive, still reeling from the experience, a lingering sadness settling in their hearts. It wasn't until Wu Yuchen and Gong Li led the group onto the stage to express their gratitude that applause began to rise, growing louder and longer.

At this point, the judges of the program also reacted strongly:
"My god! A stunning, classic dark absurd comedy!"

Another member of the judging panel muttered:
"When a donkey is just a donkey, its life or death has no impact or meaning whatsoever. But when it becomes a 'human,' it not only gains respect but also attains a supreme status. Such absurdity, yet it truly happens. The distinction between humans and livestock rests solely in the hands of certain powerful individuals. This is the fucking society, this fucking world!"

"Despite some flaws, it doesn't diminish the fact that this is a great film! It's the most impactful film of this year's festival!" a man roared excitedly, clenching his fist.

"I give it a 3.5 out of 10, and it deserves that score!"

"High score! It has to be high score, I give it 3.4!"

"Fuck, you only gave me 3.4, I'll give you 3.7!"

……

After seeing off the first audience member of the day, Wu Yuchen said to the people around him:
"Alright, the first match is over. You're all free to do whatever you want. Those of you who haven't been to Berlin before, go and explore. I'll take care of things here."

Wu Yuchen has already been to Berlin twice and has done all the things he wanted to do, so now it's natural for the others to have some fun.

"Hehe, thank you, Director Wu!" Zhou Xun laughed happily, then pulled the others to go shopping together.

Seeing that Gong Li was still there, Wu Yuchen couldn't help but ask, "Sister Li, aren't you going with them?"

Gong Li laughed and said, "I've been to Berlin just as many times as you have. European cities are all pretty much the same; once you've seen them all, they lose their novelty. Besides, I see that the audience's reaction is quite enthusiastic, and I also have to deal with reporters' interviews. You might not be able to handle it all by yourself."

"Sister Li, you're so thoughtful~" Wu Yuchen praised.

"Of course. Of all the movies I've acted in these past two years, Zhang Yiman is the most exciting role I've played. Director Wu, if you have any suitable roles in the future, please feel free to contact me!"

Gong Li naturally wanted to befriend Wu Yuchen, a director capable of handling both art-house films and big-budget commercial productions, who had also made a name for himself in Hollywood. Many directors decide who to cast based on a single decision, and that's how many opportunities arise.

Wu Yuchen smiled and said, "Sister Li, you flatter me. With your acting skills, if there's a suitable role, I'll definitely contact you first, as long as you're available."

Then, Wu Yuchen asked, "By the way, Sister Li, how's the situation with 'The Emperor's Shadow'? I heard that Director Chen is doing major revisions to the film?"

Gong Li nodded upon hearing this: "Director Chen is also very conflicted this time. After the film was released in Japan, it received a lot of positive reviews and the box office results were also good. However, it received a large number of negative reviews in China. I think he has been hesitant about whether to make changes or not."

The film "The Emperor's Shadow" premiered in China at the Great Hall of the People during the National Day holiday last year. Wu Yuchen missed the premiere because he was in the United States, which caused a great deal of controversy.

One of the main reasons is that the Qin Shi Huang depicted by Kai Zi is too different from the public's impression.

The Qin Shi Huang of popular perception, whether praised as a great emperor of all time or condemned as a tyrant, shares one common trait: a majestic and domineering presence, exuding imperial aura. A prime example is Jiang Wen's portrayal of Qin Shi Huang in the TV series "The Emperor's Shadow," who perfectly captured the emperor's imposing presence and the commanding presence of the head of an unprecedentedly unified empire.

However, the version of the First Emperor that Kai had Li Xuejian play, if I had to describe it in one word, would be "weird." A character who appears to be neurotic on the surface, whose behavior seems erratic, whose high-pitched voice is exaggerated and ridiculous, completely lacking the demeanor of an emperor.

However, Kai Zi argued that the Qin Shi Huang depicted in the *Records of the Grand Historian* was a strange, neurotic, and tyrannical figure with a chicken-chested, hoarse voice. He firmly believed this was the most consistent and accurate choice he made with the *Records of the Grand Historian*. He also understood the skepticism, noting that only a minority of people had read the *Records of the Grand Historian*.

This immediately angered everyone, regardless of whether they had originally supported him. "What the hell do you mean? Are you questioning our lack of education? Haven't you read the *Records of the Grand Historian*?!"

Therefore, a large number of people criticized him for defaming Qin Shi Huang, and even Kai Zi was somewhat overwhelmed by the pressure and had to step forward to say that he would re-edit the video.

Wu Yuchen finds this whole thing quite amusing. When Kai Zi made a film about Qin Shi Huang, these same people criticized him for portraying the emperor negatively. A few years later, when Zhang Yimou made a film about Qin Shi Huang, the same group of people criticized him for glorifying a tyrant and pandering to the ruling class.

There's no reasoning with this. Wu Yuchen doesn't know if Kai Zi's version, which he took to Cannes three months later, has been revised, but he's probably quite upset right now.

The next morning, Zhou Xun came running up at top speed again, his little legs sprinting. Sun Honglei smiled and asked, "What's wrong with you now? You're always in such a rush."

Zhou Xun ignored him, ran up to Wu Yuchen, and pulled out a copy of "Daily Screen": "Director Wu, something terrible has happened! Look!"

Wu Yuchen had just woken up and was still a little groggy when he saw the magazine Zhou Xun handed him. It read:

"Mr. Donkey, program score: 3.6".

Instantly, Wu Yuchen jolted awake, his mind clearing up instantly.

He cursed inwardly, "Damn it, I don't want a high score! I want Best Picture, I want the Golden Bear!"
When Zhou Xun saw the magazine's ratings this morning, her first reaction was delight, but then she remembered Wu Yuchen's words from yesterday, "Trending topics always lead to failure," and she wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not. Looking at Wu Yuchen's expression, however, she felt it was probably not a good thing.

At this moment, Gong Li took the magazine from Zhou Xun and looked at the comments inside:
"The awakening and rise of feminism and women's rights ahead of its time, the unspoken rules hidden in the invisible background of society, the hysteria of a middle-aged man who has accomplished nothing and is hit hard by love, and the original simple and kind farmers who abandon their humanity under the temptation of money..."

Wu Yuchen has very high ambitions for "Mr. Donkey," and the brilliant performances of the cast, led by Gong Li, bring the film's dark humor and absurd satire to life...

The biggest favorite at this year's Berlin Film Festival: *Mr. Donkey*, 3.6 points!

(End of this chapter)