In the spacious dining hall, waiters bustled about as guests conversed and dined to the soft music playing in the background, everything harmonizing beautifully except for a few glances that invariably ended up corner-ward. There, around a small round table, a man was enjoying lively banter with three won, each charming in her own way. It might have seed quite ordinary, but to those who knew them, it was anything but.
"That’s a kind of loneliness one seldom finds, being alone in cities or countries with completely different settings. Even with people constantly moving around you, you still feel the world is lonely, with nobody to talk to you, nobody knowing what you’re thinking, no one caring about you, nobody who cares," Sofia sighed.
"Yes, exactly," Sophie nodded emphatically, "I visited Taiwan in the year 2000, and though I had fun, it was nothing like France or the United States."
"You’re right, that’s the the of my movie. Scarlett did an amazing job, her chemistry with Bill was really on point, capturing that feeling perfectly," Sofia continued, complinting Scarlett as well, "Actually, everything in front of the cara was done to convey that feeling, so Sophie, if you want to make a good movie, you really have to capture that. Get distracted, and you could throw off the whole rhythm."
"It’s no use, I’ve told her many tis, but she never listens," Adrian cut in, "She’s incredibly stubborn in a very particular way, not at all like a Frenchman, so all I can do is hope she learns from this."
"Sophie’s doing quite well, don’t you have plenty of ideas? Why not share with—" Sofia turned her head and imdiately started defending Sophie.
"Of course I do, and you needn’t worry about it, I’ll handle it," Adrian raised his brows, switching to a playful expression, "So let’s change the subject, since we won’t be having any more company tonight."
Sophie and Sofia were both taken aback, then rolled their eyes and in unison let out an "Oh."
The reason Adrian said "we won’t be having any more company tonight" was that after Scarlett, they had both hinted to him in private that they absolutely wouldn’t accept anyone else.
Really, do I look like such a lascivious ghost? Adrian thought, quite frustrated. But this was just a thought; if he were to voice it, Scarlett, Sophie, and Sofia would all answer without hesitation: Yes!
"Are you always this petty, Ed?" Sofia asked, shaking her head with a sigh, seemingly very disappointed.
"Yes, sotis he’s even pettier than a woman," Sophie teased, shrugging her shoulders.
Adrian rolled his eyes, about to retort, but suddenly felt sothing between his legs under the table. Then, he caught Scarlett’s sowhat resentful gaze.
Although Adrian had been talking with Scarlett the whole ti in the suite since Sophie and Sofia were getting along so well, by dinner ti in the hotel restaurant, where conversation centered on "Lost in Translation" and Sophie’s short film "Life," Scarlett spoke the least. Feeling overlooked, she wanted to regain attention, especially Adrian’s. Her thod, though...
Glancing at Sophie and Sofia on either side, who had resud their chat, oblivious to the activity under the table, Adrian imdiately gave Scarlett a look, signaling her to cut it out.
After all, this was a public place, not just so little restaurant. Even though Adrian had specifically chosen this corner and coordinated with the hotel, who knew if so bold paparazzo might barge in? The long tablecloth did hide everything underneath, making it virtually impossible to see what was happening, but what if?
Alright, he admitted, he hadn’t considered these factors when arranging the seating. If Scarlett had sat next to him, and Sophie next to Sofia, rather than face to face as they were now, he could have chatted with her about sothing else. But doing so in the current situation would surely interrupt Sophie and Sofia’s conversation.
"Mmm, I feel the sa, sorry." Under Sophie and Sofia’s glaring eyes, an apologetic Adrian hastily composed himself and stood up.
Sofia was sowhat annoyed but mostly just embarrassed. Sophie, however, was outright furious. If this weren’t a public place, she’d definitely have a fit. So even if Adrian was free tonight, he could forget about spending it with Sophie. Scarlett, the crafty girl, was increasingly skilled at playing her cards. Tonight, he’d need to give her so proper attention!
"Oh, the charming Scarlett, so charming indeed. Let’s continue," Ed said, ready to resu after a brief rest.
"Wait... wait just a minute... Ed..." Scarlett, looking both satisfied and exhausted, suddenly changed expression and reached out to push his shoulder, to no avail with her weak arms and legs.
"What’s there to wait for? Weren’t you very ’excited?’" Adrian didn’t let up and bit down on one of her soft lobes.
"Spare , Ed, I won’t ss around anymore," Scarlett pleaded with a trembling voice.
"Oh, really? Weren’t you the tough one?" Adrian wasn’t about to let her off the hook, "Earlier in the restaurant, you could tease like that, and at first, you were all fierce, shouting ’co on, let show you how tough I am’?"
"I just... I just..." Scarlett struggled with a whimpering tone, "I just couldn’t stand it..."
All this ti, Scarlett had seed very mature to him, sensual, bold, and a bit fiery, determined to get what she wanted without a care for what others thought, and careless of how many won he had. So, Adrian had forgotten that deep down, she too had a vulnerable side – the girl who once clung to him in the dressing room, weeping because of her parents’ divorce, was always hidden in the depths of her heart.
Indeed, it was just that simple. Subtly and from the depths of their hearts, Scarlett and Britney didn’t have too much of a difference. The only thing was Britney, due to her simple-mindedness and indeed imnse success in her career, had always firmly believed she was the most favored one, whereas the much cleverer Scarlett was well aware of her own position but still hoped to be the one most doted on and strived for it.
She hadn’t had much interaction with the won who had been by Adrian’s side for a long ti, so when she saw Sophie and Adrian together, looking exceptionally intimate, it was inevitable that she felt an upheaval in her heart. Under slight impulsiveness, coupled with Adrian’s indifference to her "competition for affection," it wasn’t surprising that she did what she did in the restaurant with her bold nature.
Sotis Adrian thought too much, and, coupled with Scarlett’s boldness, misunderstandings were very normal. However, he had one good point: when he was wrong, he would admit it without any obscurity, and imdiately started comforting her.
"I have to make it up to you!" Scarlett was actually just a little unhappy because he hadn’t shown consideration, so after being coaxed for a while, she began to act coquettishly.
"Alright, what do you want as compensation?" Adrian asked with a good-natured smile.
"I want you to accompany for the entire duration of the film festival," Scarlett imdiately said, and quickly emphasized particularly, "Just alone."
"That... I may not be here until the end of the festival," Adrian said, scratching his head.
"You’re always busy," Scarlett pouted but didn’t mind, "Alright, then as long as you’re here for a day, you must spend the day with !"
"Umm..."
"Don’t tell you want to haggle over this bit of compensation!"
"No, what I want to say actually... you should understand, right?"
"Hey, can’t you just say it directly, Ed!"
"Okay okay, it’s actually..."
He leaned in and whispered a few words into her ear, and Scarlett imdiately looked at him with wide eyes, her cheeks blushing slightly. Adrian didn’t speak any further, sporting a mischievous grin, a look as if it were all to be expected.
"No problem!" Scarlett suddenly puffed up her chest, which jiggled enticingly and said, "There’s nothing I dare not do!"
"Very good, then it’s settled," Adrian’s impish smile deepened, making the young girl feel as though she had sohow fallen into a trap.
But before she could think more about it, Adrian suddenly picked her up from the ground and strode towards the bedroom, "Alright, there’s activity tomorrow, let’s rest for now."
Moving on to that, after Sofia’s short film "Life" was released, although many praised its cinematography and color usage, the majority of the reviews were critical. Especially certain dia outlets that liked to target Sofia made an issue of the pacing and even deliberately advised her in an expert tone to give up directing.
Conversely, the similarly female-directed film "Lost in Translation" was imnsely well received, with enthusiastic applause filling the theater on its premiere day.
"The aura of loneliness from being in a foreign land hits you head-on. Two lonely hearts find warmth in each other’s company in that instant, touching the souls of the audience," according to a review in Le Figaro.
"A hint of subtle romance, yet handled so appropriately that it doesn’t feel out of bounds. A delicate and outstanding work by a female filmmaker," lauded by the Los Angeles Tis.
No matter the nationality of the film critics, as long as they ca to Cannes and watched the screenings, they were unanimously impressed.
This was normal, for Sofia indeed handled it well. Although her use of the cara was a bit conservative, and the editing seed a tad lax, she firmly grasped the the of loneliness in a foreign land. She clearly expressed this emotion in the film and successfully conveyed it to the audience. Even the sowhat scattered editing contributed positively in its own way.
After all, these works, these various forms of art like novels, paintings, sculptures, and films, fundantally aim to convey an emotion or feeling. So scenes might be overused, but if the developnt, turn, and conclusion are beautifully and fittingly crafted, stirring up the audience’s emotions—as in:
A cynical guy who never thinks about others’ feelings. When a friend tries to persuade him, using a famous saying to inspire him, he agrees in word but not in spirit. But after going through myriad ordeals and coming to a newfound understanding of his life, faced with an inescapable danger, as he decides to ensure the safety of most people, he recites the once-ignored saying, charging into peril with unflinching courage, willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of others. Even if the audience can predict the outco, and guess that he probably won’t die, watching that scene, they still can’t help but feel a surge of excitent, right? (Note)
So, as long as a director can successfully transmit an emotion through a logically coherent narrative to the audience, the movie is a good one—hence, "Lost in Translation" is a good piece.
In the following days, the dia gave Sofia’s work comprehensive coverage, highly suggestive of it becoming this year’s front runner for the Pal d’Or. Sofia once again beca the dia’s focal point after "Suicide" and "Innocence," with the Arican dia once again lanting how, while acting wasn’t her forte, she was absolutely in her elent as a director.
As for Adrian, well, apart from recording a face at the premiere, he spent most of his ti in Cannes accompanying the leading lady of "Lost in Translation." Like wandering the alleys full of classical charm or renting a private beach, where they could play in the sea without the disturbance of reporters, and so on and so forth.
To be continued. If you like this work, you are welco to vote for recomndation tickets and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian). Your support is my greatest motivation.
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