10th September 1998 (Thursday)
??? (POV)
"Quite the turnout tonight," I note, my dear wife nods along in agreement.
"Expected really, I'm surprised you managed to get seats at all, much less 2 of them… color me impressed." She smiles indulgently, still skeptical of how we somehow managed to clear the waiting list and were awarded our seats out of nowhere… A mystery of the highest order.
"I think we got them due to our movie's premiere scheduled for 3 days later. The organizers probably pulled some strings-"
"-strings…? Dear, it's Stirling's long-awaited return, the most anticipated movie of the season, the waiting list was probably longer than the London marathon, and you're telling me that the organizers pulled a few strings?! If you are going to try and persuade yourself, at least come up with something clever… then again, I do so love a mystery myself…" She ended suggestively, leaning in a smirk, pecking my cheek ever so softly… before re-adjusting herself on her cushioned seat.
She wasn't wrong by any means… my dear Emma… she can be quite discerning at times when she wants to be, and attempting to refute her well-reasoned statements for pride's sake is futility at its finest.
I learnt that years before our wedding, and even now, I don't regret a second of it.
As for her statements… they certainly ring true in this case.
The Toronto Film Festival, one of the largest, most prestigious film festivals of modern times… and the honor of premiering at the 'Gala Opening Night' was highly sought after. And here we are… wife and I, putting our names on the waitlist on a whim, not expecting anything out of it. It was the equivalent of putting our name in a free raffle with thousands of contestants… except this time, we won.
We received 2 tickets to the Opening Night screening, a phenomenon that I have failed to rationalize, no matter how contrived the theories in my head have gotten.
Not that it matters really, for I simply looked upon it as a blessing… My delightful wife's reaction to it, her screech of excitement, followed by a passionate kiss, cemented my thoughts on the matter… It is a memory I shall remember fondly for a very long time.
Her excitement was the culmination of a whole host of reasons, ranging from curiosity for the Gala itself, to her… fascination with the man responsible for creating the film… I am not that fond of him, to be honest.
Oh, don't get me wrong, he is massively talented no doubt, a giant in the making, has a kind disposition, a well-liked persona… but his charm… and its effect on my wife, and to be perfectly candid, on so many other women who saw him on the big screen.
I am not overly fond of him by any means, but I refuse to dislike him on principle. So what if my wife and so many others find him to be the peak of masculine beauty… I love her, and I know for a fact that she loves me too.
And it's not like we men are all that innocent either, considering how often our eyes drift around when we walk down the street… tit for tat, I suppose.
And with that merry thought, the hall darkened, lights snuffed out everywhere as the screen began projecting.
A series of logos followed, let's see… MIDAS, STIRLING STAR, CLAYTON… huh. I guess the rumors were true then.
Domestic distribution by Stirling Star, all the while Clayton takes care of things internationally, ensuring it reaches more theaters… smart move.
And then the title appears.
'ATONEMENT'
Hmmm… Interesting title.
It either refers to the general theme of the upcoming plot or perhaps a character's journey to attain it. In short, a psychological drama, with high personal stakes, and judging by the background music, a masterful score to accompany it… bearing all the hallmarks of a Ricky Stirling special then.
His last 3 films, after all, were all character studies depicting the changing and ever-growing mindsets of young adult boys, all played by him, with a middle-aged man acting as a catalyst.
Don't get me wrong, they were all spectacular in their own way, and even though similarities can be found in the underlying premises of the films, their execution, tone, and themes were the distinctions that truly made them unique.
Nevertheless, the ongoing trend was noticed and pointed out by a variety of critics, most notably by one of the pioneers of the French New Wave cinema, and a revolutionary critic and filmmaker in cinematic history, Jean-Luc Godard.
Will this movie follow a similar trend? As revealed previously, his role is quite prominent in this one, but not the focus of the story… has he switched things up then? Shaken the can a little?
One can only hope.
Then again, what do my opinions matter? I am me, and he is him. I am nearing my 30s and still trying to catch my big break, having been unsuccessful so far in securing any funding, while he is 20, having already received industry honors that most men and women slave away after their entire lives, and yet their chances of succeeding are slim to none, considering the ferocity of the competition.
Not to mention his work as an author… Oh, good God.
His work… his books, his comics… they are… incandescent.
I have no other words to describe them as a set… I try and try to find one, but my mind comes up blank…
My brother and I unanimously agree that Dune is by far the most complete sci-fi novel we have ever read… and the less said about Watchmen, the better.
"Dear, you are lost in your thoughts again. How about focusing on what's in front of you for a change?" My wife helpfully reminds me.
And so I directed my attention back to the movie… expectations locked and loaded.
…
As the lights came on, and the screen faded to black, the score, hauntingly beautiful, ended on a final note… and then it happened.
The silence shattered as the hall rang out in thunderous applause, and before I knew it, I was clapping along, my hands slapping together vigorously, as I stood up… I was neither alone in doing so nor the first to get the idea.
Soon enough, not a soul remained seated as we turned back to the seats at the center, a bright spotlight dancing on the man on the hour himself… and rightfully so.
I turned to my wife, only to see her fingers curling under her eyes, as she desperately tried to wipe off the tear marks and once again… she was neither alone, nor the first one to be doing so.
I was not in tears, but the ending… the raw intensity of the reveal… I fully admit, it made me a bit misty-eyed.
A few minutes passed as Stirling basked in the spotlight, clearly overjoyed from the rave reception his new featurette had received, but nothing lasts forever, and soon enough, the ovation came to an end.
And the audience soon exited the hall in throngs, as Emma and I tried to shuffle our way out in the open, holding each other's hands to not lose the other in the thick, moving crowd.
After making our way out, we finally had a moment to ourselves.
"So," She began, "Your thoughts?"
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, "It was like nothing I had ever seen before. The craftsmanship of it, the narrative structure, weaving different timelines and subplots together effortlessly- not to mention the attention to detail." I paused.
"Go on." She urged me.
"The direction, each frame was meticulously crafted to maximize emotional depth… the use of light and color, the editor is highly talented. And then the war scene… Emma, I have seen multiple war films in my life… and yet a romantic period drama had the most immersive and raw depiction of war I have ever witnessed… the scene, darling. The Dunkirk evac scene will be talked about heavily by critics and pundits alike. The despair, the shell shock… we all felt it, and frankly, it was harrowing-"
"It was, wasn't it?! Felt like my heart was trying to leap away into the neverlands! And the extras, the uniforms, the set design- he had to have spent millions, and at the very minimum, a week to simply shoot that scene-"
"-It was visceral, my dear. Unlike anything we have ever seen before." I cut in, sensing she was about to go off on a tangent of her own… she does that from time to time. "The performances were deep, complex, and multi-layered. And the plot twist… I did not see it coming. Not by a long shot." I emphasized, shaking my head in incredulity at what I had witnessed.
The power of film-making in its rawest form… its ability to make us think, contemplate, introspect, all the while serving as a visual feast for our eyes… To invoke genuine emotions at the plight of the characters we had witnessed… I will give it to you, Stirling.
My expectations were set, and you subverted them in the most terrifying way possible.
Respect.
"You know what?" I ask Emma, "What say you and I get back to the hotel, make sure Jon knows what he missed out on?" I suggest deviously.
Seeing the glint in her eyes almost made me pity him.
…
…
13th September 1998 (Sunday)
??? (POV)
I rub my hands nervously, brows visibly sweating as I await the reaction of my audience… Paltry compared to the 'Opening Gala Night', but numbering above 100 at the very least.
Then again, I shouldn't have expected much more. I'm a debutante after all, and have no standing or fame to speak of; this is already an impressive enough turnout.
My film… a 69-minute neo-noir crime thriller, and my feature film directorial debut.
A difficult journey it had been, but one I nonetheless managed to traverse, largely in thanks to the support from my wife, brother, friends, and family, and my cooperative crew members.
A shoe-string budget of 3k pounds, most of it being spent on inexpensive 16mm black and white film stock, the production's greatest expense… I wrote the script, directed it, photographed it, and edited the final footage all by myself, paying for the entire production on my own dime… filming at my friends' houses, using available light on account of not being able to afford professional equipment… and the result turned out to be far better than I had expected.
It was arduous, but I have a feeling things are about to change for the better.
Let's hope my gut's right for once. It has been wrong far too many times in the past to be a sure thing now.
…
"To success, and conviction!" Jon's voice echoed in the bar, as the 3 of us, me, Emma, and he all raised our glasses of blended scotch, before taking a sip together… toasting to the highly positive reception my movie had received today.
Some critics had even gone on to claim it was the best movie in the 'Discovery' catalog this festival, a statement which had done wonders to free me of my stress, and inject a sense of wonder and accomplishment deep within me… Truly, this moment shall mark an essential milestone in my budding career.
And I am sharing it with 2 of my favorite people in the world, my stunning wife, and my loving brother, both of whom have stood by my side for years as I struggled again and again, not having achieved much. Even when I had almost lost faith in myself, they never did, egging me on to continue to pursue my dreams and cultivate my art form-
"Excuse me, is this seat taken?" I heard a voice from my right.
Considering both Emma and Jon were to my left, I replied without turning my head, "Not at all, please, by all means."
"Thanks."
I turn my attention back to my half-full glass of scotch, before glancing at Emma and Jon… both of whom were suspiciously wide-eyed as they looked behind me-
"Caught your movie by the way… Impressive stuff. Truly, a worthy showcase of your talent and potential." A voice rang out from behind me.
Having had enough of the suspense, I turned around, only to spot an impeccably dressed man, hunched over the bar, a luxurious navy blue suit that he filled out perfectly, his hair combed neatly on top...
Oh... That explains the wide-eyed looks. Pretty sure I was sporting one myself right now.
"It's ironic, I suppose. Barely an hour ago did I saw a riveting movie about the far-reaching consequences of 'following' strangers… yet here I am. Richmond Stirling… Ricky for short."
I maintained a calm exterior as I froze momentarily, before Emma nudged me slightly on my waist, snapping me back from my reverie.
I push out my hand to meet his, "Christopher Nolan… Chris for short." I sounded out, only to elicit his trademark mile-wide grin, as he shook my hand.
"Pleasure to meet you Chris. I would say what a lovely coincidence… but that would be lying. Now, how about an introduction here- your wife, I presume? And judging by the similarity of your features ang general proximity, I would say brother-"
The hell...?!