It's reasonable for me to be a three-time Golden Horse Award-winning director and an all-around

Chapter 25 A group of veteran actors? Effortlessly handled ()
"Lu Rui, winner of the Silver Bear for Best Director at the Berlin Film Festival, has officially started filming his latest film, 'Mystic River'!"

"It is understood that the work is a suspense/crime story that tells a cruel and heartbreaking truth."

"With an investment cost of up to 3000 million yuan, will the latest work by up-and-coming director Lü Rui be able to replicate the success of his previous work, 'Gone Girl'? Let's wait and see."

"..."

With the successful start of filming for "Mystic River," related reports immediately flooded the headlines of major portal websites and entertainment print media.

The promotional poster, in particular, sparked countless discussions!
First, the three large characters "Mysterious River" at the bottom of the poster immediately sparked endless imagination in many people's minds.

The names of Jiang Wen, Zhang Guorong, and Zhang Fengyi at the top of the poster have aroused strong curiosity among many fans and industry peers about this project!

What kind of project is it exactly?
They actually managed to get these three to join!
Zhang Yimou, who is currently immersed in the post-production of "Hero", Feng Xiaogang, who is busy preparing for "Cellphone", and Chen Kaige, who is creating "Together" with his wife Chen Hong for the first time as a "director + producer" team, and a group of other filmmakers have all focused their attention on Lü Rui and his work "Mystic River"...

"How come his project keeps getting bigger and bigger?"

On the other hand, Lu Chuan, the director of "Looking for a Gun," hadn't even recovered from the good news that his debut film was scheduled for release on May 9th when he saw the news that "Mystic River" had started filming.

Directed by Lü Rui himself, with an investment of 3000 million yuan, and featuring a cast of big names from the mainland and Hong Kong entertainment industries, including Jiang Wen, Leslie Cheung, Zhang Fengyi, Ning Jing, and Mao Shunyun…

This lineup!
These specifications!
Both being suspenseful crime films, Mystic River completely humiliates and crushes The Missing Gun!

Lu Chuan's upturned lips instantly collapsed, and her face turned as black as ink.

It's obvious that the outside world will definitely bring them up again for comparison.

Lü Rui was none other than that "other people's child".

As for him... he'll probably be used as a foil again.

"Jingle Bell!"

The phone rang suddenly, interrupting Lu Chuan's thoughts.

He took out his phone, glanced at the caller ID, and pressed the answer button.

"Hey? What did you say! 'Looking for a Gun' has been shortlisted for the College Student Film Festival? I have a chance to win an award? Hahaha! Great! I'll definitely be there on time."

After receiving the call, Lu Chuan's worry instantly turned into joy, and her face lit up with a smile.

I actually have a chance to win an award!
This is really great!
However, what he didn't know was that Lu Rui, who was busy on the set of "Mystic River," also received a call from the organizing committee of the 9th College Student Film Festival.

As expected, "Gone Girl" was successfully nominated.

"The awards ceremony is on May 26th? Okay, I understand. I will go. Thank you for letting me know."

After hanging up the phone, Lü Rui remained completely calm and threw himself back into filming "Mystic River".

The system has issued a new task, requiring him to complete five processes: filming completion, post-production editing, submission of the finished film for review, submission to film festivals, and theatrical distribution, and to successfully schedule a release date.

The difficulty level has skyrocketed again!

However, the rewards are also very generous!
[S-level talent: Screenwriting and adaptation skills for comedy/romance/youth/family/heartwarming genres.]

Putting everything else aside, just for this reward, Lü Rui will give it his all!
Unlike Gone Girl, Mystic River involves more intense psychological character portrayals and human struggles than the former!
The character played by Leslie Cheung is a survivor of childhood trauma. As an adult, he is torn between "justice" and "revenge". Every choice is accompanied by the pain of having his newly scabbed wounds torn open!
Those unhealed scars, seeping out a bright red struggle within the struggle of humanity.

His seemingly gentle wife had long harbored suspicions about him, yet she wavered between "protecting the family" and "persuading him to turn back."

Even the progression of the case itself carries a strong sense of "torn apart"!
The clues don't unfold linearly, but rather appear in fragmented pieces like puzzle pieces.

A tampered surveillance video, a witness statement that seemed to say something but was left unsaid, a bloody fingerprint hidden in an old diary...

Every piece of information overturns the "truth" of the previous moment, forcing all the characters to rise and fall in a vortex of "trust and doubt".

The impact of the idea that "human nature is not simply black and white, but rather a superposition of countless gray moments" made every psychological confrontation between Jiang Wen, Zhang Guorong, and Zhang Fengyi feel like dancing on the edge of a cliff, so intense that it was almost impossible to breathe!

This "intense" effect is not achieved through explosions or gore, but by repeatedly roasting humanity on the gallows of "morality, emotion, and interests."

Everyone watched as the tears, blood, and resentment that were roasted bloomed into thorny flowers in the darkness! Compared to the "calculating game" in "Gone Girl," the "struggle" in "Mystic River" is actually closer to the suffocating feeling of ordinary people when fate has them by the throat—wanting to shout but unable to, wanting to escape but unable to escape!
"How did this kid's directing skills improve so quickly?"

Behind the monitor, as Jiang Wen watched Lü Rui skillfully employ various suspenseful camera techniques to portray characters' psychology and human struggles, his right hand twitched slightly uncontrollably.

He couldn't help but doubt Lü Rui's age again.

Is this really the level of performance that a 20-year-old sophomore directing student could deliver?

This strong sense of skepticism even gave Jiang Wen the illusion that he was getting old.
Such a talented horse, even he, the talent scout, couldn't resist!
However, at these times, another person's name would pop into his mind.

—Lu Chuan!
Thinking of that fool, he instantly felt better.

However, while he managed to maintain a delicate balance, Zhang Guorong, Zhang Fengyi, Ning Jing, and the others couldn't help but twitch their lips.

Imagine a greenhorn giving acting advice in front of these seasoned actors—what a scene that would be!
Ning Jing, with her fiery temper, wanted to retort on the spot.

Before he could even finish speaking, Lu Rui's highly professional guidance completely shut him down.

“Sister Ningjing, your current state is not right. The female lead completely trusts the male lead and is even willing to go through fire and water for her lover, so you absolutely cannot use ‘scrutiny’ to focus your gaze.”

You can try focusing your pupils half a degree higher than the lens, like staring at your ten-year-old sofa. You know it's uncomfortable in certain places, but you still want to sit on it. It's that kind of insensitivity—'even knowing it hides a secret, you instinctively want to convince yourself'—do you understand?

Ning Jing remained silent and began to ponder.

Lu Rui's words made so much sense that she had no idea how to refute them!

"And Mr. Zhang Fengyi, when you play a policeman reminiscing about his childhood, don't always stare directly at the camera. Try slightly shifting your eyes to the upper left. In psychology, this angle is often associated with the retrieval of 'real memories,' and it has more depth than 'a blank stare,' understand?"

"Uh-huh."

Zhang Fengyi nodded silently, subconsciously swallowing.

For some reason, every time he listened to Lü Rui talk about acting, he felt like he was being lectured by a teacher at the Beijing Film Academy.

The feeling was so strange, yet he couldn't help but want to listen and do as instructed.

When the conversation turned to Leslie Cheung, Lü Rui didn't say a word, but just stared at him without blinking, making him feel very uneasy.

"Director Lü..."

"Some people you can't force to stay. There's still a long road ahead. Don't be afraid of losing anything. After all, who doesn't lose things and keep moving forward in life? There are so many people around you who care about you. Even just for their sake, you have to make the most of your life, understand?"

Leslie Cheung fell silent instantly.

Surprising!

So weird!

Lu Rui's words seem to be analyzing the psychological journey of the character he plays in the early stages, but they also seem to be describing the life dilemma he is currently facing.

"Could it be... that he knows I'm breaking up with Tang Hede recently? How is that possible? I didn't tell anyone! How did he figure it out?"

Leslie Cheung unconsciously twisted the corner of the script with his fingertips, his brows furrowing into a small knot as he began to ponder the meaning of Lü Rui's words.

As the old saying goes: A good director not only has to sharpen actors like knives, but also knows which direction each knife should be used to cut!
Lü Rui was well-versed in this!

Moreover, with the system reward of the [Grade B Talent: Clint Eastwood's Actor Performance Coaching Techniques], controlling them is simply a piece of cake.

However, Zhou Yiwei, Lin Jiachuan, Liu Yifei, and the others in the same production crew were complaining incessantly!
Lu Rui's filming pace is as fast as a clockwork mechanism. It's only April and "Mystic River" is already more than halfway done.

With such a high-intensity schedule, the actors all have to put in their best effort and keep up with the pace.

But compared to the veteran actors in the crew, how could they withstand such "devilish filming"?
"Mom, Lü Rui scolded me again today! Humph~ He's so annoying!"

Inside the hotel room, Liu Yifei rested her chin on her right hand, looking sullen, her lips pouting so much they could practically hang an oil bottle on them…

(End of this chapter)