Chapter 29: The Fallen Child Star (29) Part 2

When the screen lit up again, the movie began.

Even without 3D glasses, the visuals of “Sunken Dust” appeared more vivid and immersive than when viewed with 3D technology.

In the first ten minutes, before the apocalypse struck, torrential rain had already engulfed the entire world.

When Xu Weiheng appeared on screen in student attire, everyone’s eyes lit up.

The young man had a tall, slender build, wearing a shirt and trousers with the top button fastened. His slightly upturned eyebrows, sweeping into his sideburns, perfectly embodied the arrogant young genius from the book as he walked gracefully into view.

Then, the apocalypse arrived.

In an instant, the earth became desolate.

All life visibly crumbled to ash at an alarming speed.

Everyone was shocked by this scene.

Watching Xu Weiheng and his friends hover between life and death, making critical choices, and searching for a glimmer of green hope in the wasteland, the audience – who had been whispering and munching on snacks earlier – fell silent.

Director Chen was also silent.

He didn’t want to admit it.

He really didn’t want to admit it.

But “Sunken Dust” resonated with him more than his own films—both aesthetically and emotionally…

Was it because of the director?

No.

The director of “Sunken Dust” was his long-time rival, whose abilities he knew all too well.

What truly moved him was the screenplay.

The plot of “Sunken Dust” not only didn’t fall short but was exceptional to a degree that astonished him.

…

As the movie neared its end, Xu Weiheng’s character was the first to fall.

His body, emaciated almost beyond recognition, collapsed heavily onto the desert sand, sinking into the soft grains. Yet his eyes remained fixed, staring intently at something.

The young man’s eyes carried both the despair of the cruel apocalypse and an enduring pursuit of hope.

Those profound emotions didn’t require him to speak or become hysterical. Just by quietly lifting his head, the audience could read volumes from his eyes.

His gaze slowly swept across the wasteland, growing dull and empty. But when his eyes returned to his teammates, they once again filled with a glimmer of light and hope.

Director Chen had seen such vivid eyes twelve years ago.

Twelve years ago, “2050” had burst onto the scene, ushering in the era of Chinese apocalyptic disaster films, and the child called “Star” had become the brightest star of the entire movie.

Director Chen stood up in shock.

“What’s going on? Sit down, you’re blocking our view!”

“Yeah, have some consideration for others.”

The complaints from those around him brought Director Chen back to reality.

He hurriedly sat down, but his mind remained unsettled, repeatedly flashing back to Xu Weiheng’s gaze.

When filming “2050 II”, Xu Weiheng wasn’t able to deliver the effect Director Chen had in mind. But now, after a gap of two years, in this movie, the once-brilliant child actor who had amazed him had returned…

Was it that Xu Weiheng lacked talent, or was it the overall harsh environment of the crew towards Xu Weiheng that had led to his inability to deliver that effect?

Thinking back to the conflicts between the male lead Xu Yiyuan and Xu Weiheng in “2050 II”, when he had impatiently told Xu Weiheng to back down…

Recalling how in “2050 II”, when reporters trampled on Xu Weiheng’s biological mother while praising Xu Yiyuan’s biological mother, Xu Weiheng angrily confronted the reporters, accidentally knocking over a camera, and he had pointed at Xu Weiheng’s head and berated him…

Director Chen had to face a fact—

His indulgence had nearly stifled a talented actor who had not yet fully developed.

…

After Xu Weiheng’s character sacrificed himself, the others continued on, carrying the last hope for humanity.

When they finally saw the fragile cluster of flowers swaying in the biting wind on the snow-capped peak where humans had almost vanished, a burst of enthusiastic applause erupted in the theater.

The screen darkened, then brightened again.

This shot was from the beginning of the apocalypse, showing Xu Weiheng’s speech as he insisted on participating in the search for vegetation:

“Perhaps when we’ve endured countless hardships and overcome numerous obstacles to find green plants, the apocalypse will still be far from over. But as long as the apocalypse doesn’t immediately and completely exterminate humanity, our species can continue to survive and thrive.”

“The cruelty of the apocalypse also bears witness to the greatness of the human race.”

After finishing his speech, he bowed, and the star pendant around his neck fell out, swaying in front of him.

Watching this scene, for some reason, Director Chen’s eyes suddenly welled up with tears.

As the end credits music began to play, Director Chen left the theater in a daze, following the other audience members.

Two young women behind him were engaged in animated conversation.

Snippets of their voices drifted into Director Chen’s ears.

“The special effects in ‘Sunken Dust’ were incredible! My goodness, let’s all buy tickets to watch it again in our dorm.”

“Sure, sure! At first, I was just focused on the special effects, but then I got drawn into the plot and missed a lot of amazing visuals.”

“You know, this morning after watching ‘Endless Darkness’, I thought it was the best of the year. But now that ‘Sunken Dust’ is out, ‘Endless Darkness’ seems just passable in comparison.”

“Indeed, there weren’t any major flaws, but there weren’t any standout strengths either. It feels like Director Chen’s films have become more and more similar these past few years – similar backgrounds, similar character designs, similar emotional manipulation.”

Hearing his name, Director Chen abruptly halted.

The two young women, their path blocked by him, looked at him curiously.

In the dim light of the theater, one of the women recognized Director Chen’s profile and her mouth fell open in shock.

“What’s wrong?” Her companion, still unaware of what had happened, continued, “The most surprising part of the whole movie for me was Xu Weiheng’s character. His performance was just fantastic! That look in his eyes before he died was absolutely incredible! Both were supporting roles, but while his performance in ‘2050 II’ was just average, in ‘Sunken Dust’ it’s as if he took off like a rocket. His expressive power is astonishing. I wonder what happened.”

Hearing these words, Director Chen quickened his pace and hurriedly left.

Outside the cinema, snow swirled around him.

By now, reviews for “Sunken Dust” were flooding in.

Director Chen stood in the snow, slowly scrolling through these reviews.

A professor from a film academy wrote on his Weibo:

[My student once asked me a question: Where does the future of Chinese science fiction films lie? At that time, I was at a loss for an answer.

But today, I saw an answer in “Sunken Dust”.

“Sunken Dust” is the best response Chinese science fiction cinema can offer to its audience.

Apart from the special effects, what surprised me most about the entire film was Xu Weiheng’s portrayal of Chen Xing. When the star sinks, the sun will still rise as usual. He is the brightest color in this film.

I very much look forward to this actor’s future.]

There were also many film critics familiar to Director Chen who gave “Sunken Dust” very high ratings.

At this point, it was inevitable that “Endless Darkness” would be compared to “Sunken Dust”.

“Endless Darkness” was a very good film, and if it had been released at any other time, it had the potential to become a box office champion. Unfortunately, this year’s Spring Festival film season was dominated by “Sunken Dust”.

No matter what film it was, in the face of “Sunken Dust,”it could only be crushed.

Now, people’s expectations were not about whether “Sunken Dust” could claim the Spring Festival box office crown, but how high “Sunken Dust”‘s final box office would be!

After scrolling through these reviews, Director Chen gave a bitter smile, then saw the latest trending topic:

#Director Chen Apologizes#

「Director Chen Shuangqiu v:

Some viewers asked if I accept it. Now I tell everyone, I do. Not because of how good “Sunken Dust” is, but because of Xu Weiheng’s acting skills.

He is the most talented actor I have ever seen, and I held him back. I’m sorry.」

Being less skilled than others is not shameful.

Being less skilled than others yet arrogant and ignorant, using others as scapegoats, that is truly shameful.

…

T/N: That’s all for this week, see y’all next week…💞