บท 64: Chapter 64: No One Pays Attention
The lights in the theater ceiling flickered back on, and fewer than twenty audience members stood up, clapping sporadically. Applause was a customary response at film festivals, but Murphy couldn't discern its significance this time.
Perhaps only those applauding truly knew their honest opinion of the film.
Daisy clapped vigorously, thoroughly enjoying the modern twist of Little Red Riding Hood overpowering the Big Bad Wolf in the movie. The notion of Little Red Riding Hood massacring the Big Bad Wolf, the portrayal of lolitas, and the overall vibe felt incredibly cool and satisfying to her.
Her male companion, however, had only one thought: cherish life, stay away from lolitas!
Having watched numerous films featuring lolitas, he deemed "Hard Candy" to be the most ferocious. It combined the evil of Lolita, the calmness of Alice, and the ferocity of Matilda, coupled with exceptional intelligence and cunning. It was a dangerous combination, leaving no room for those overt or covert lolita enthusiasts. Faced with such a dangerous candy, they could only count their blessings.
Not far behind them, Jones-Butler didn't applaud. Instead, she seized the last moments to record more information while her memory was still fresh. This would serve as part of her later assessment.
Violence, bloodshed, sensitivity, controversy, simplicity, tension, thrilling... She jotted down these key terms first, then proceeded to evaluate the film.
"A vacant house, an iron table and chair, plain walls, lengthy dialogues, a simple yet tightly-knit plot that creates suspenseful thriller scenes."
"'Hard Candy' possesses many elements that make popular films successful: online dating, ****, crime, murder, revenge, suspense, deduction, tactics, intellect, thrills, pedophilia, psychological analysis, etc. The director of the film is a skilled storyteller, adept at handling sensitive themes while maintaining control. Moreover, they excel in creating tense atmospheres and employing various cinematic techniques."
After some thought, she added, "Summary of the plot: An underage girl has an online date with a **** photographer. She outsmarts him, uncovers evidence of his murders, seeks revenge, castrates him, he struggles to escape, but she ultimately executes him. Justice is served."
Finally, Jones-Butler added, "Smooth plot progression, with each twist seamlessly leading to the next. Recommendation Level: Priority!"
Beside her, Baker Larson from Castlestone Company didn't take notes but his mind was racing. As a professional viewer and buyer, he had his own judgment of the film.
If he had to rate the film out of ten, he would give it a passing grade of six, not as an assessment of the film itself, but of its market potential.
From his perspective, the female lead would face significant rejection from a considerable portion of male viewers. Many male viewers would likely not appreciate the girl, feeling uneasy after watching the film.
Women might find it satisfying and commend the justice served, but Baker Larson believed there would also be ladies who sympathized with the female lead's actions, aligning with the male viewers' perspective. He doubted there would be many male viewers switching to the female camp.
This limited the film's audience demographic, destined to be a niche film with a narrow market.
As a buyer, Baker Larson's primary concern was the market. The market potential determined his judgment of the film.
After "The Blair Witch," everyone wanted to emulate Artisan Entertainment, picking up a bargain from the Sundance Film Festival. However, Baker Larson remained rational, understanding that such miracles stemmed from extensive marketing and not the inherent qualities of the film itself. The market audience for "Hard Candy" was set, without the value of large-scale operations.
By this standard, the film's market potential was only average. Yet, he couldn't ignore some of its selling points.
Firstly, the idea of using violence to counter violence was perfect for audience imagination, at least allowing a significant portion of viewers to enjoy it. Secondly, Little Red Riding Hood was cute yet cool, intelligent, and skillful, able to act convincingly even with her eyes. Thirdly, the confined setting of the fight room, except for the final blow, allowed for the buildup of tension and served as a template for low-budget production, perfectly in line with the B-movie aesthetic of fast, cheap, and good.
Each person had a different perception of a film. Bill Ross had seen the rough-cut version before, which lacked the various sound effects now added. Despite being surprised by Murphy's use of camera shots and editing rhythm, he was most impressed by the sounds he hadn't heard in the previous version.
The off-screen dialogue between the main characters; the sudden stop of the disco music; the friction of ice cubes in the ice bag; the subtle sound of the surgical knife cutting through skin; the photographer's painful gasps; the sound of glass bottles shattering...
All these were ingeniously and accurately integrated into the sound effects by Murphy Stanton, stimulating his auditory senses, enhancing the portrayal of characters' psychology, and intensifying the film's impact.
The applause, already sparse, died down in less than ten seconds.
As Murphy watched the screen fade to black, his heartstrings tightened involuntarily. His first-ever screening had ended just like that, and it was crucial for the future path of his screenings. Yet, it didn't provide him with any insight into the chaos ahead.
Standing up, Murphy felt his hands trembling slightly in a place where no one else could notice. Despite enduring the brutality of prison life and the experiences on the other side of the Pacific, he was still a young man. Even in his best mental state, he couldn't help feeling nervous at this moment.
Especially when he saw the professional viewers, Murphy took a deep breath, ensuring that the trembling of his hands didn't spread to other parts of his body.
He had invested almost his entire fortune in this film, marking the beginning of a series of plans. If it failed, starting over wouldn't be as simple. How could he not be concerned?
"Our film is over?" Paul Wilson beside him seemed bewildered.
As the audience began to leave one by one, the professional viewers finally stood up. Murphy steadied his mind and reminded Paul, "If you feel disappointed, you can go outside and cry."
The scene was indeed different from what Paul Wilson had anticipated. There was no sustained applause, no swarm of fans coming to congratulate, and no audience infected by the film clamoring for autographs...
"Hard Candy" had finished screening, the audience had left, and they remained unnoticed by anyone.
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