Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 279 Released (Revised)
After some discussion, the meeting didn't exactly end badly, but the fact that neither side was willing to back down meant that the plans for the Batman trilogy were temporarily put on hold.

Warner Bros. was willing to offer Wu Yuchen a 20+20 salary, but not the global box office revenue share he was demanding; they wanted only the North American box office revenue share. This was already a top salary in Hollywood, and very few people could earn it. However, Wu Yuchen insisted on the global box office revenue share, leaving them with no choice but to temporarily suspend negotiations.

Warner Bros. isn't in a hurry. In recent years, Warner Bros. has been arguably the best-performing of the Big Seven Hollywood studios, consistently producing blockbuster projects. The Harry Potter series, the Matrix series, and even The Lord of the Rings could actually be considered Warner Bros. films, since New Line Cinema is essentially an independently operated label under Warner Bros.

Therefore, Warner Bros. is not in a hurry. They have profitable series projects to support them every year, especially Harry Potter, which is released every year. They have enough patience to negotiate with Wu Yuchen.

Wu Yuchen isn't in a hurry. He won't be able to film "Batman" anytime soon. His filming schedule for next year is already set: two "Pirate King" movies will be filmed back-to-back. Even if "Batman" is to be filmed, it won't be until the year after next. He can take his time negotiating with Warner Bros.!
He doesn't believe Warner Bros. can sit still until the sequels to "Pirate King" and "Spider-Man" continue to be huge hits.

Hollywood, Huaxia Grand Theater, a gathering of stars.

Watching Leonardo DiCaprio, Johnny Depp, Jackie Chan, and other stars walk the red carpet one after another, and seeing famous directors such as Spielberg, Soderbergh, and Katzenberg appear here one after another, and even some well-known producers and executives in the industry come to show their support, Jeffrey was impressed by the extensive network of Wu Yuchen in Hollywood.

However, Jeffrey wasn't here to see these celebrities; his focus was naturally on the premiere of Wu Yuchen's new film, "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas," for which he was invited as a film critic with Oscar voting rights.

In recent years, Wu Yuchen has not only achieved remarkable success in commercial films but has also won several Oscars. Jeffrey is also very much looking forward to Wu Yuchen's new Oscar-contending film. After all, the more excellent films the Oscars produce, the stronger the presence of film critics and judges becomes.

However, Jeffrey was chatting with his companion about other things at that moment:
"Did you see the president's speech yesterday?"

"I've seen it. These politicians are truly despicable. It wasn't enough that they launched the war in Afghanistan by manipulating public opinion; now they're trying to incite hostility towards Iraq again. What exactly are they trying to do?!"

"It's obvious that those people have long coveted Middle Eastern oil. And Bush had a history of conflict with Iraq when he was in office."

"Won't the ordinary people ultimately bear the ultimate cost?!"

"We must call on more people to stand up and make everyone understand the cruelty of war!"

The two of them talked back and forth.

Yesterday, President George W. Bush delivered a speech, reiterating that the United States faces a serious threat of terrorism, not only from terrorists but also from dangerous weapons in Iraq, and that the United States has a responsibility to maintain world peace.

Unlike last year, anti-war protests have begun to appear on the streets this year, and people in Hollywood have also started to speak out against the looming war in the United States.

In this context, Wu Yuchen's film "The Boy in Striped Pajamas," which claims to be anti-war, has actually attracted a lot of interest.

After the lights in the theater went out, Jeffrey and his companions stopped talking and focused their attention on the movie.

Before the movie even started, a sentence appeared on the black screen:

"Before the arrival of dark reason, children perceive the world through their natural senses."

Everyone present was quite focused, and after reading the sentence, they remembered it, knowing that the director's placement of this sentence at the beginning must have a meaning.

At the same time, Jeffrey already had a hunch in mind that, judging from both the movie's title and this statement, the movie was probably going to be a children's film.

Sure enough, at the beginning of the movie, to the accompaniment of melodious music, several boys were seen chasing each other down the street with their arms outstretched as if they were flying, making sounds like fighter jets. While the children were running through the streets, soldiers were also making arrests, but the children seemed unaffected, laughing and playing.

When Jeffrey considered the given year, 1940, he understood that this was during World War II. Seeing the children imitating fighter planes and mimicking the sounds of guns firing, it was clear they had already been affected by the war.

From just a few seconds of footage, Jeffrey had already gleaned a great deal of information, analyzing the music and the film's color palette—after all, this was his profession. He quickly began to follow the story alongside the protagonist, an 8-year-old boy named Fang Xi.

The father was a high-ranking military officer in the Japanese-occupied area of ​​China, so the little boy was able to live a carefree life even during World War II. Due to the father's job transfer, the family moved to a large villa in the suburbs, but the layers of barbed wire, the strict guards, and the barking of the fierce dogs all conveyed a sense of oppression and unease.

But the high walls and barbed wire couldn't stop the child's curious and inquisitive gaze. Lonely little Fang Xi soon discovered a small window in his room, and through that small windowpane, he could see a farm of moderate size. This farm seemed quite interesting, and more importantly, there were many children in the farm who looked to be about his age, even though they were all wearing strange-looking "striped pajamas."

Xiao Fangxi didn't know what these "farms" were, but everyone in the theater knew that it was clearly a concentration camp, and the "striped pajamas" were the prisoners in the camp.

Jeffrey had by then understood director Wu Yuchen's intentions. This was likely a film reflecting the crimes of fascism during World War II. However, in the past, the evil side was Germany, while this time it should depict the Japanese invasion of China.

At the same time, Jeffrey thought to himself how ingenious this was. Although there have been many films about Natalia in the past, and some have even been told from the perspective of fascist criminals, the protagonist of Wu Yuchen's film this time is a cute little boy, a pure-hearted child that no one could hate, even though his father is a fascist officer. And from such a child's perspective, one can see something unique that hasn't been seen before!
When Huang Xiaoming, the young and handsome Japanese officer, first appeared, he made a good first impression. He was handsome, strong, and looked very charming, which immediately captivated Shu Chang, a young woman who was just entering puberty.

However, his composure was only displayed to a select few. When he turned hostile towards the old servant in the striped shirt, and when he roared "Chinese pig," everyone present knew what kind of person he was. Especially Spielberg and other Jews, because the Nazis had also called them "Jewish pigs" during World War II.

Chen Baoguo also hired tutors for Xiao Fangxi and her sister, who not only taught them to speak Japanese, but also constantly brainwashed them into becoming subjects of the Japanese imperial government, promoting the idea that Japan is a divine country, the guardian of civilization in the East, and that the Emperor is a god.

Japan's purpose in waging war was to liberate all of Asia, with the ultimate goal of establishing a "paradise on earth" of coexistence and prosperity in the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. Simultaneously, they promoted racial theories, claiming that the Japanese were the pride of the yellow race, superior to all other races, while the Chinese were an inferior race, and most of them were criminals…

This caused the audience to frown, as they knew, of course, that this kind of "spiritual education class" was actually brainwashing.

However, through his interactions with the old servant, Xiao Fangxi experienced feelings different from what his teacher had described in class. Furthermore, during his adventure, he met a friend on the farm named Xiao Chun, nicknamed "Striped Shirt." Seeing the two children become friends across the barbed wire fence, Jeffrey couldn't help but smile. Childhood innocence is precious because children can extend kindness and sincerity to anyone, regardless of nationality, race, or age.

While Xiao Fangxi is making new friends and having a wonderful time, his mother is devastated after learning the truth and has a huge argument with his father. This leads to a dispute at a later dinner party, in which the old servant is dragged outside and beaten to death by Huang Xiaoming in a fit of rage.

All of this frightened Xiao Fangxi again. That night, he ran to his sister's bed. However, his sister, who used to follow her mother in believing in Buddhism and loved dolls and porcelain dolls, had become a concubine girl. She didn't care about the old servant's death and said that it was all the sinner's own fault.

At this point, Jeffrey was already somewhat moved. The older sister's character clearly formed a stark contrast to the boy; a kind-hearted girl with her own beliefs had become disregarded for her life due to this brainwashing. However, this wasn't entirely her fault; children are most easily corrupted. If a few years passed, would little Fang Xi become like her sister?

The film doesn't offer any judgment on right or wrong regarding all of this; instead, it raises questions from the perspective of the child, Fang Xi, presenting them to the audience.

Xiao Fangxi didn't want to believe that his friend was a bad person, but his sister's words and his teacher's words also influenced him, making him hesitate and not go to see this new friend for several days.

One day, during a big house cleaning, Xiao Fangxi found Xiao Chun wiping cups. He was still wearing that striped shirt and looked thin and frail. Xiao Fangxi was very happy and offered Xiao Chun some of the pastries on the table. However, just as Xiao Chun was enjoying his meal, Huang Xiaoming barged in.

Huang Xiaoming looked down at the two children with a fierce and oppressive expression, and angrily cursed Xiao Chun as a "Chinese pig" with low morals who steals food.

Both children were terrified. Xiao Chun stammered that he hadn't stolen the pastries, but that his friend Fang Xi had given them to him. However, when Fang Xi saw Huang Xiaoming's questioning and fierce gaze, his veins bulging, and heard the angry questioning voice in his ear, he backed down and immediately distanced himself from Xiao Chun.

A murmur of sorrow rose from the audience. Clearly, Fang Xi's actions had disappointed everyone. However, seeing that he was only eight years old, they found themselves forgiving him. After all, he was just a child, and he was facing a ruthless executioner. How many children could withstand such oppression?

Fang Xi regretted his cowardice. He wanted to go find Xiao Chun again, but he failed to see him several times.

One day, a number of Japanese military officers came to the house, including a superior whom even her father had to treat with respect. Little Fangxi secretly watched the propaganda film they were showing in the screening room through the window. The film showed that the Chinese people in the "farm" were very happy, working during the day and living a comfortable life after get off work. The children played with each other, and there were so many games that Little Fangxi was dazzled by them. It was much more interesting than being trapped alone in the big villa!

Xiao Fangxi believed the contents of the video and gave his father a hug, thinking that his father was doing something to make everyone happy.

The audience in the theater, however, were well aware that this was just a propaganda trick played by the fascists; the entire propaganda film was fake.

Fang Xi returned to the camp. This time, he saw Xiao Chun, whose eyes were swollen from being hit. He apologized to him and hoped he could forgive him. Xiao Chun nodded, and the two boys clasped hands through the barbed wire fence. Then, everyone in the theater smiled slightly, just like the two boys.

Huang Xiaoming, the Japanese officer, was transferred to the front line by Chen Baoguo and got into the car under Xiao Fangxi's watchful eye.

Watching Gong Li, pale-faced and disheveled, swaying on a swing on the screen, Jeffrey understood that his mother was on the verge of a breakdown. She was a Buddhist, yet her husband was using this method to harm innocent people…

Gong Li and Chen Baoguo had a heated argument, which resulted in Chen Baoguo telling Gong Li to move out with their two children. Xiao Fangxi, who had already developed a deep friendship with Xiao Chun, didn't want to leave, but her parents didn't give her any room for discussion.

Fangxi returned to the barbed wire fence in the corner of the concentration camp to say goodbye to her friend Xiaochun, who was worried about her missing father. Out of guilt, Fangxi wanted to help Xiaochun find her father before leaving…

After saying that, Jeffrey had a bad feeling; he was about to leave. But then the unexpected happened—a common trope in movies. The trope may be old, but it's undeniably effective, keeping everyone on the edge of their seats as the plot unfolds.

The next day, Xiao Fangxi took his little shovel and dug a hole. He then crawled under the barbed wire fence and put on the clothes that Xiao Chun had brought him.

Clearly, Xiao Fangxi had no idea that danger would occur, because he had just seen in a video how happy everyone was on this "farm"!

Before leaving, Gong Li couldn't find her son anywhere. Seeing food scattered on the floor, she realized the seriousness of the situation and rushed into Chen Baoguo's meeting. Chen Baoguo, with a group of soldiers and military dogs, discovered the traces of his son leaving through the back window and quickly gave chase…

Lightning flashed and thunder roared in the sky, and a suffocating and destructive atmosphere swept over them. All the audience members had a bad feeling. No matter how much they hated Chen Baoguo as their father, they all hoped that he could get to the concentration camp as soon as possible and find Xiao Fangxi.

Meanwhile, upon entering the concentration camp, Xiao Fangxi discovered it was completely different from what was depicted in the films. The environment was appalling, and most people were emaciated, which frightened him. He considered turning back, but for his friend's sake, he mustered his courage again…

They entered Xiao Chun's house, when suddenly a loud bang rang out, and everyone was driven out. Amidst the torrential rain and thunder, the two children were swept aside by a group of adults and led towards an unknown destination…

As they were led into a dark room and asked to take off their clothes, murmurs from the audience filled the theater: "No..."

Seeing their father already at the camp gate, everyone cheered him on, wanting him to hurry up.

But at this moment, Spielberg and others sighed, already foreseeing the final tragedy...

The noisy room was now filled with naked, emaciated people huddled together. Little Fangxi was terrified and kept panting. The two children's hands were tightly clasped together, representing the pure friendship between the two innocent children.

When the iron gate above them opened, the two looked up and saw a person in neon military uniforms and a gas mask spewing black powder, plunging the screen into darkness...

Watching Chen Baoguo standing frozen in the concentration camp, shouting his son's name, and Gong Li sobbing uncontrollably, the audience's hearts sank.

(End of this chapter)