The screening of "Buried" continued until around seven o'clock, which was later than expected. This was mainly due to the enthusiastic and wild questions from the live audience, dragging on for quite some time.
Even after the screening ended, journalists continued to surround Renly. The entire crew was down to only Renly and Rodrigo. The reporters weren't very interested in the director, so Renly became the center of attention. Leaving the screening hall, a crowd still gathered around Renly outside the cinema entrance. He was interviewed for about ten more minutes before being let go.
"A stunning debut, truly remarkable!" Ryan's hoarse voice echoed from behind, and he dashed over, trying to jump onto Renly's back. But Renly heard the sound in advance, and with a quick dodge, he avoided the attempt. Ryan stumbled forward, taking several large steps and nearly falling. His embarrassed appearance caused everyone to burst into laughter.
Ryan turned around, hands on hips, biting his lower lip. His gaze fixed on Renly, full of meaning, but eventually, it turned into a wry smile.
In that interval, Rami had already rushed in, which Renly clearly hadn't anticipated. Rami got a hold of him this time. It was Ryan's turn to burst into laughter.
Rami's voice exploded in Renly's ear, "Toronto, did you hear that? Renly is in Toronto! Renly is in Toronto!" This was a hip-hop way of saying someone significant had arrived, someone worth paying attention to, someone everyone must enthusiastically welcome or even revere.
Renly could only smile speechlessly. These friends of his were even more excited than he, the person of the hour. They seemed like the protagonists of "Buried" today. Ryan once again approached, patted Renly's chest firmly a few times, "Today was truly amazing! God, did you see the expressions on those media reporters' faces? They were utterly dumbfounded, completely at a loss. That look was just too classic! Classic! Tell me, if it keeps going like this, and the movie directly wins the People's Choice Award, what are we going to do?"
Renly burst out laughing.
Impossible. "Buried" couldn't win the People's Choice Award. The movie was too tense and heavy, especially with its dark ending. The People's Choice Award was meant to be for films that got every audience excited, thrilled, and loved. "Buried" simply didn't fit the criteria, and neither did Ryan's "Blue Valentine". Most likely, this year's People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival would be "The King's Speech".
"Man, you should consider your movie. We're competitors after all," Renly lifted his chin, challenging Ryan.
Ryan, however, wasn't fazed. "Then let's have a comparison! How about a bet? Let's bet on who wins, you or me?"
He spoke as if the entire Toronto International Film Festival was only a competition between these two films. But Renly didn't refute him; instead, he raised his right hand high. "Then let's see. The loser has to strip down and run wild at the main venue entrance. How about that?"
"Taking it up a notch!" Ryan was directly startled, but Renly egged him on further. "If you're not up for it, forget it." This time, everyone started to cheer, and Ryan found himself in a tough spot. He could only nod repeatedly, "Naked run it is! You have some, I have some. There's nothing to be shy about, right?"
The group took a taxi and left the cinema, heading back to their hotel. As they passed by the main venue, the bustling scene unfolded before their eyes. Over a hundred journalists completely packed the red carpet interview area. Enthusiastic fans crowded the surroundings, making the scene impassable. There seemed to be at least six hundred people, maybe even more... The lively commotion, amid the fading sunset, illuminated the night's brilliance. It was an entirely different level from the screening of "Buried".
"Aren't you attending?" Renly turned back, looking at Ryan sitting in the back row, and asked.
Ryan and Rami both turned their heads to Renly and followed his gesture to look outside the window. Only then did they understand. Ryan shook his head. "Such events are kind of dull. Besides, I don't know Affleck, and neither does Rami. If we go, we'd just be extras. Those Boston elites don't like to mingle with us Canadian bumpkins."
Ben Affleck represented Boston's elite class. They were a unique group who believed Boston was a better city than New York or Los Angeles. They had their own culture, their own circles, their own system. They seemed disconnected from the world while also trying to stay seemingly connected. In fact, Boston's isolation was even more severe than that of the Midwest.
The backdrop of the movie "Spotlight" revealed Boston's peculiarity. After changing careers to directing, Ben's gaze had always lingered on the story set in Boston, "The Town". Just like how Woody Allen had a special feel for New York.
Renly's lips curled slightly. "Only those who live in a castle would think they're the center of the world." Boston was like that, and so were London and New York. Nobles were even more so.
Ryan and Rami could hear the faint hint of disdain in his words. It wasn't envy or jealousy; it was a condescending contempt born from a high vantage point. They exchanged a glance and burst into laughter. They liked this side of Renly.
As the night deepened, Toronto's liveliness and prosperity continued without end. When morning came again, the whole city revived, welcoming a new day filled with vigor and vitality.
Andy Rogers woke up early in the morning, as there was a busy day ahead.
The screening of "Buried" had ended, but that was only the first step. Next was the media reviews in the official program, followed by the movie's regular screening in various theaters and the audience's feedback. At the same time, the media would be conducting interviews with Renly. The movie's promotion needed to take its first step, then they would need to seek distribution companies, arrange release schedules, and if they didn't secure a distributor, they'd have to appear in other film festivals...
Busy? Yesterday's screening was the least busy part.
Although yesterday afternoon's screening had gone smoothly, with positive feedback from the media and the audience, for Andy, those were just the atmosphere of the moment. Especially at the Toronto International Film Festival, the audience often displayed incredible enthusiasm within the screening hall, but after the film ended, no one would remember the work, let alone vote for it in the People's Choice Award. The frenzy of the screening was merely an illusion; the real competition began with the film critics.
Opening the official program of the Toronto International Film Festival, Andy began browsing through it. Unlike other film festivals' scoring systems, Toronto didn't award professional prizes. Instead, it relied on audience votes, so the media didn't give scores; they just provided evaluations. Whether the comments were positive or negative, one had to read them to understand.
There were only two films screened yesterday. "The Town" was shown in North America, while "Buried" had a global premiere. The official program unhesitatingly featured "The Town" on its cover.
Andy didn't hastily flip over the page. Instead, he took a quick glance. Unexpectedly, Ben Affleck, whose acting career had been criticized countless times, had earned unanimous praise for his directorial work this time. The media was generous with their words of praise, considering the film to be exceptionally intelligent and profound.
Just when everyone thought Ben's acting career was going downhill, he had ingeniously turned the tide. Andy found this quite amusing. The future trajectory of word-of-mouth for "The Town" was something to look forward to. Toronto was merely the first stop in North America. The real North American comprehensive reviews would only be known after the film's official screenings and releases.
Then, Andy turned to the next page, and there was "Buried". Once again, he felt surprised. He had thought the official program might give half a page at most, but it turned out to be a full page, featuring professional reviews from nine media outlets. Only authoritative professional media could get their reviews published in the program, while reviews from other media could be found on the official website or their own platforms. This small detail alone indicated that the success of yesterday's screening had been noticed by the film festival organizers.
"Renly Hall's solo performance lights up the entire big screen! Once again, it displays the unique and charming allure of cinema."
The review's title from Variety stood out prominently, clearly indicating their standpoint.
"A fascinating and brutal survival film set in a confined space. It continuously raises the stakes of suspense and mystery within the limited setting. The underlying political significance behind the script broadens the film's depth, infusing a social meaning into the survival game. Cortés' control over the pacing and atmosphere reminds us of his sharpness from his short films. However, this time, he isn't the star of the film; Hall is.
As a newcomer to the big screen, Hall delivers a profound and captivating, delicate and tense performance. His acting oscillates between strength and vulnerability, despair and hope, pain and panic, bursting with incredible energy and infusing the film with a fresh vitality. Without a doubt, this 20-year-old actor has made a stunning proclamation.
It's worth mentioning that just two weeks ago, Hall won his first Emmy Award for his debut work.
This isn't a perfect film; the weak and convoluted script undermines its core depth. Yet, Hall's performance perfectly compensates for this flaw, creating one of the most intriguing locked-room films since "Saw"."
Praise, unreserved praise. Even without a score, it was evident from Variety's admiration and appreciation for "Buried". As Hollywood's most authoritative professional magazine, Variety's positive review gave a promising start to the journey of "Buried" ahead. But this wasn't the only good news.