For Hollywood, the last week of January 1987, the most talked-about topic was no longer the new Golden Globe Awards ceremony, but a young man and his directorial debut.
"The 3rd Sundance Film Festival successfully concluded, and 'Run Lola Run' returned with a full harvest".
This was an article published in a very prominent position on the front page of The Hollywood Reporter on January 27.
On January 26, at the closing ceremony of the Sundance Film Festival, founded by Hollywood superstar Robert Redford, 'Run Lola Run' deservedly won two major awards: the 'Grand Jury Prize' and the 'Cinematography Award'.
In the ten days prior, due to its immense popularity, the Sundance Film Festival organizing committee even had to double the number of screenings for 'Run Lola Run', but tickets for the screenings were still in short supply.
At the awards ceremony that day, clearly influenced by 'Run Lola Run', the Egyptian Theatre in Park City was also packed to capacity.
However...
Regardless, Sundance was still just a nascent film festival.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that during this period, rather than the Sundance Film Festival boosting the fame of 'Run Lola Run', media coverage of 'Run Lola Run' had, in turn, elevated the attention on the Sundance Film Festival.
Normally, after attending a film festival of such limited influence, everyone would enjoy a brief moment of excitement and glory, and then everything would quickly return to calm.
However...
For Simon...
For 'Run Lola Run'...
Many things were just beginning.
January 28.
Wednesday.
An article in the Los Angeles Times completely illuminated a name that had been unknowingly appearing in the periphery of many people's vision these days, making it dazzling.
'18 Years Old'
A title so concise it was almost suspenseful.
The accompanying image was a set photo from the casino scene of 'Run Lola Run'. The young man, with his hands propped on the gambling table, gazed at the roulette wheel with a slight frown, clearly deep in thought. Dozens of men and women around him, either standing, sitting, leaning against the wall, or chatting idly, all clearly paid some attention to the young man at the table.
A perfect capture, demonstrating a certain wonderful and strong commanding presence. Almost anyone who saw the photo could instantly determine who was the centre of the photo's world.
Peter Butler was clearly also a very good photographer.
And an excellent writer.
"First, think back: what were you doing when you were 18?"
"Then, consider another person. His 18th year began in a public mental hospital in the small town of Watsonville in San Francisco Bay. Dilapidated, gloomy, and chilling, these were my deepest feelings when I specifically visited the place. However, it was there that he completed another rebirth in his life. Why 'another'? Because his life seems to be filled with countless unknown rebirths. I have visited many people who were once close to him, and they all say he is a very hardworking person".
"But today, I will only talk about his 18th year".
"In the first four months of being 18, he recovered from a sudden mental illness, and so he changed his surname to Westeros. Simon Westeros".
"I asked him what 'Westeros' meant. He said he couldn't say, and didn't want to make up a reason to lie to me. Then I asked him where he was from, and he revealed everything, not even concealing his experience in the mental hospital. Clearly, 'Westeros' was more important, but we may never know".
"In the fifth month of being 18, he came to Los Angeles with two screenplays and successfully convinced a vice president of WMA to sign him, becoming the only screenwriter client under that agent".
"In the sixth month of being 18, he worked at a convenience store, earning $3.5 an hour, $140 a week. The convenience store owner said he was a promising cashier, but his salary wasn't enough to pay rent. So he borrowed a guitar and earned hundreds of dollars in an afternoon at Venice Beach. The hotel owner said he was a promising guitarist".
"In the seventh month of being 18, he successfully sold his first screenplay for $200,000, equivalent to a decade's earnings for most screenwriters".
"In the eighth month of being 18, he began shooting his first film".
"And so, he became a producer, director, screenwriter, cinematographer, editor, gaffer, composer... and finally, the stunning 'Run Lola Run'. Stunning, that is the most fitting word I can think of after watching it".
"The first time I met him was in the ballroom of a hotel in Santa Monica. It was a casino scene, and Santa Monica doesn't have casinos. I asked the film's producer, Mr. Ron McMillan, 'Isn't this a plot hole?' Ron was a bit speechless, gestured for a moment, and then, seemingly imitating someone's tone, told me: 'The director said there should be a casino, and so there was a casino.".
"This seemingly jocular remark left a deep impression on me, and now, I realize even more that it feels like some kind of wonderful metaphor."
"Then, I stayed on his set for a whole afternoon, watching him control the entire crew with a working style completely different from other film directors. He wouldn't shout, nor would he patiently explain; he preferred to command. It was as if the entire film was firmly stored in his mind, and he only needed to reproduce it onto film. As for everyone else, they were merely props".
"Even he himself was".
"The gaffer couldn't stand his demanding nature and resigned after only three days, so he personally took on the role of gaffer. Before that, he was already the producer, screenwriter, and director. After that, he also became the composer, editor, and colourist. In Park City, I asked him: 'Isn't doing so many jobs tiring?' He said it wasn't, and it saved money".
"Of course, he was indeed very frugal in making films. With a budget of $650,000, he ultimately only spent $597,000. It's clear that in Hollywood, where cost control is often haphazard, all film company owners would absolutely eagerly anticipate this type of director".
"However, I believe it's more because he is too proud, feeling that others' work is not as good as his own".
"Although everyone I asked felt he should be proud, including myself, at the same time, everyone found it difficult to sense any arrogance from him. He always seemed like a very ordinary and peaceful young man. On this point, some words from his girlfriend, Jenny, seem to offer a partial explanation: 'He's a guy so proud that he disdains pride, like a god from another world suddenly descending to conquer the world'".
"At the time, we were in a small restaurant in Park City, having just attended the premiere of 'Run Lola Run'. I was utterly astonished by his film, repeatedly questioning in my heart, 'Could an 18-year-old really make a film like this?'"
"Then, as lunch was nearing its end, I finally couldn't hold back and asked him: 'Simon, are you a god?'"
"He said no, I am just a man. A man who likes women".