Jennifer Raybould POV -
I woke up very early.
Dawn was breaking.
Perhaps it was due to the time difference.
There's a time difference even between the East and West Coasts.
Staring blankly at the ceiling of the wooden cabin, I suddenly felt like I might be going crazy.
It was just a weekend, and I actually flew thousands of kilometres from New Haven to a strange small town, staying in a bedroom provided by a boy I had only met a few times.
And, that boy already had a girlfriend.
Hmm.
That had nothing to do with me.
Perhaps, ever since that day on a certain beach when I heard that boy's wild guitar playing, I had always wanted to do something crazy.
If we don't go crazy now, we'll get old.
Yesterday afternoon, I skied for the first time.
Watching him speed down the mountain from the summit, Lisa, who also loved skiing, shrieked like she had met her idol, explaining to me how amazing he was, and then followed him down.
Then, the two foolish Jenny's, who could only snowboard, were left at the top of the mountain.
How embarrassing.
At least there were two of us; I had company.
I tried very hard to learn, inevitably falling several times, and my body still ached a bit.
However, that excitement in my heart continued even now.
It's a pity I have to leave in a hurry this afternoon.
I still have class tomorrow.
Moreover, I couldn't tell my parents about this, or I would definitely be scolded to death. I've been a good girl for many years.
I could only keep it silently in my heart.
I don't know how long I was in a daze, but I felt it was already broad daylight, so I carefully sat up, picked up the wristwatch from the nightstand, and checked the time: 7:30 AM.
His movie premiere was at 9 o'clock, so they would definitely have to go a bit earlier.
I wonder if he's awake yet.
Perhaps I should go prepare breakfast for everyone.
Hmm.
I definitely have no other intentions.
I am a good girl.
After getting dressed and washing up, I even tied my hair up in front of the mirror.
I'd definitely have to untie it when wearing a hat outside.
However.
He occasionally glances at my ponytail.
Heh.
You're exposed!
Do you think I wouldn't notice?
Without calling Lisa, I tiptoed out of the bedroom and tiptoed into the kitchen.
Then I was startled; he was already busy in the kitchen. Hearing him greet me, I quickly responded, feeling as if I had been caught doing something bad.
Still, I mustered the courage to go and help.
Janette and Lisa also woke up very quickly.
After breakfast, at 8:10 AM, the four of them drove away from the resort apartment and arrived at the Egyptian Theatre in downtown Park City.
Having done my homework beforehand, I knew this was just a very mini film festival, not very popular. Looking at the Egyptian Theatre's hall with over 400 seats, I secretly felt a little worried. I had noticed yesterday that the streets of Park City weren't bustling, and now it was morning, and in such cold weather, even fewer people would be willing to get up to watch a movie.
If too few people came to watch, it would be really embarrassing.
So I very proactively volunteered, getting a thick stack of film festival flyers from the staff, intending to hand them out outside the cinema.
I'm quite pretty, so I should be able to attract a few more people to come in.
Lisa and Janette also came out with a stack of flyers like her. Lisa already regarded him as an idol, and she was a very enthusiastic person by nature, so her doing this was understandable.
Janette, however, surprised her a bit.
One look at her, and you could tell she was a woman of privilege, yet she was willing to do this. It seemed she truly loved him.
Then, she quickly realized that her earlier worries seemed a bit excessive.
From 8:30 AM onwards, people began to gather in twos and threes towards the Egyptian Theatre. As it approached 9 o'clock, the queue of people waiting to watch the movie stretched more than ten meters outside the cinema, but then news suddenly came from the ticket office that tickets were sold out.
Standing on the street, I turned and looked into the cinema; the hall was packed with people, and some were loudly questioning.
A couple next to them even argued a bit because of it. From what I heard, they had watched two movies yesterday, and the attendance rate was only 20-30%, so the boy thought he could come just in time and still sleep in a bit.
He didn't expect to be unable to get in.
Checking the time, it was almost 9 o'clock, and the screening was about to begin, so I exchanged glances with Lisa and Janette.
The cinema hall was full of people; how were the three of us going to get in?
After a moment of hesitation, I still pushed my way in.
After explaining the situation to the staff we encountered, the three of us were let in, and behind us, dissatisfied grumbling immediately arose again.
Entering the screening room, I saw people everywhere. The conversations converged, buzzing, exceptionally lively.
Recalling what that couple had said earlier, I couldn't help but feel a little smug.
He really was the one who stood out.
Somewhat nervously, I went to the front row with Janette. Fortunately, he had reserved seats for them, three consecutive ones right next to him.
I also saw Robert Redford sitting on his other side, looking like they were having a pleasant conversation.
Although I knew Robert Redford was the founder of this film festival, seeing him was still very surprising. I really loved "Out of Africa" from two years ago and even bought the videotape.
Meryl Streep and Robert Redford.
Karen and Dennis.
Myself and, him.
A small, inexplicable sense of identification, and a strange melancholy.
I sighed softly.
Janette sat next to him, I sat next to Janette, and Lisa, giggling, sat next to me, looking very excited.
What a carefree person.
Nine o'clock.
The lights in the screening room dimmed on time.
It was a bit unexpected; this was a film festival after all, was there no interaction at all? Then I suddenly realized that perhaps it would be after the movie screening. From 9 to 12, there were three hours.
The opening featured a line of poetry by the British poet T.S. Eliot: "We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time".
I knew Eliot, a Nobel laureate in literature. However, his works were always obscure, and I didn't particularly like them.
But, since he used it here, I decided to ponder it carefully.
Then.
The sound of a pendulum, the urgent ticking of the second hand, the impatient music, and Lola's shouts during her outburst completely interrupted her attempt to stop and think. In her mind, only the figure rapidly running through the streets of Santa Monica, Los Angeles, remained.
Red hair, blue vest, green pants, big leather shoes.
Her name was Lola.
Running Lola.
A completely subversive image.
A completely subversive film.
It was surprising, as if suddenly realizing that movies could be made this way, animation could be used this way, camera work could be so sharp, and camera movements could be so tricky.
And the music.
And the visuals.
It wasn't until the last shot ended that she came back from a dreamlike journey, and she immediately looked forward to watching it a second time.
In an instant, she felt a bit regretful.
In a short time, it would definitely be impossible for her to watch it a second time, unless this movie could be released in theatres.
Such an excellent film would definitely be released in theatres.
She had no doubt about that.
However, she still knew some things about Hollywood; even if it was released in theatres, such an unconventional film would certainly not have a very large-scale distribution.
Hmm.
At that time, even if New Haven didn't have it, New York definitely would.
Thinking this somewhat distractedly, she didn't pay much attention to the credits slowly rolling down the big screen, but the audience around her clearly began to whisper.
She didn't mind, nor did she think much of it.
Anyway, the movie was over, and they would definitely love this movie too.
Then, Lisa next to her suddenly poked her: "Jenny, did you notice?"
"Huh?"
"The end credits," Lisa said, turning to look at her a few times, dissatisfied, "Such a great movie, and you actually zoned out?"
"I, of course not," she immediately shook her head guiltily, defending herself, "I was just thinking about when I could see this movie again".
"Alright," Lisa shrugged, but then said, "You really didn't notice the credits?"
Worried that Jennette and he on the other side might hear, she motioned for Lisa to be quieter, then asked, "What exactly happened?"
Lisa raised her hand and gestured: "Lots of his name, Simon's name".
Still a bit confused.
Lisa, with a tone of clear suspicion that she might have been seeing things, said again: "Producer, director, screenwriter, cinematographer, lighting, music, set design, editing, anyway, there were several more, all Simon's own name".
This time she finally understood.
But she also felt that Lisa might have been seeing things.
Just as she was about to tease her a bit, all the credits had rolled, and the lights in the screening room came back on.
With the bright light, the discussions that had been in the dimness immediately softened a bit. After a brief pause, enthusiastic applause broke out.
More than ten seconds later, the staff set up chairs on the stage, and Simon, leading Janette and Robert Redford, went up onto the stage together. The applause, which had died down, became enthusiastic again.
It wasn't until Robert Redford smiled and raised his hand to quiet them that the screening room gradually became silent.
Subsequently, Robert Redford personally took on the role of host, holding the microphone and saying, "At the opening ceremony on Friday, I promised everyone that after watching the movie just now, you would absolutely not be disappointed. Now, no one should doubt my judgment, right? However, if you still don't like this movie, then you can only settle accounts with Simon".
Amidst the light laughter in the screening room, Robert also very subtly joked, "Of course, before you do that, you have to make sure you can beat this kid next to me. Now, if anyone has any questions, you can raise your hands."
Whoosh—
As Robert Redford's words fell, dozens of hands in the screening room went up almost simultaneously, and some people hesitated for a moment, raising their hands halfway, only to put them down temporarily given the situation.
Scanning the audience, Robert Redford pointed to a brown-haired woman wearing glasses, sitting in a front-row seat.
The woman stood up, habitually adjusted her glasses, and looked at Simon on the stage, saying, "Mr. Westeros, I'm Jane Trevor, a reporter from Variety. It's an honour to have seen such an innovative anti-genre film as 'Run Lola Run.' However, I just counted, and there are at least ten or more positions listed under your personal name in the behind-the-scenes credits. Although it might be presumptuous, I still find it hard to believe, did you personally complete all of these?"