Hope followed the preceding audience members, streaming into the screening hall and taking their seats one by one.
In American cinemas, there were no assigned seats. After entering the screening hall, you could just find an empty seat to sit in. This was even more true at film festivals.
The hall, which could only accommodate two hundred and fifty people, filled up in an instant. There were still a lot of viewers at the entrance who couldn't make it to the premiere. They were standing there, tapping their feet in frustration. This also meant that they would miss the chance to exchange ideas with the creators firsthand, a truly regrettable situation.
Seeing the completely occupied space, Hope revealed a satisfied smile. Luckily, they had arrived two hours early to line up. Otherwise, they might have had to go back with regrets.
"Ah!" Soft cheers and screams suddenly echoed. Hope turned her head and indeed saw the film's creative team entering the venue. She couldn't help but join in the cheering.
The chubby, curly-haired guy at the front was probably the director, Drake Doremus. He was carefully observing the audience, with a hint of nervousness in his expression.
Following him was Jennifer Lawrence, who was gesticulating with Renly behind her. Renly had a surprised expression, his face animated.
Felicity Jones and Charlie Bewley were at the back. Both seemed a bit tense, their expressions tight. Only after seeing the packed scene did they relax a bit.
Hearing the cheers, Drake smiled foolishly. Charlie waved his hand with restraint, and Felicity Jones broke into a broad smile, nodding in acknowledgment. Jennifer turned her head, raising both hands high and waving vigorously. Her unrestrained joy amplified the cheering in the crowd.
As for Renly, he seemed to have mentally prepared for this scenario. He didn't show any special reaction and merely smiled, yet his calm and collected demeanor effortlessly drew Hope's gaze.
The group made their way to the center of the second row and took their seats in sequence.
A man in a T-shirt paired with a casual suit walked out holding a microphone. Introducing himself as Joe Russell, he was today's official host. He then began introducing the production team of "Like Crazy".
Every time someone was introduced, the audience responded with applause and support. However, when it was Renly's turn, the venue erupted in unimaginable screams, shouts, and applause. It was on a completely different level compared to before. The two couldn't even be compared, with the scene being so lively that even the crew members were startled.
Hope could see Jennifer chuckling, whispering something in Renly's ear. Renly couldn't help but smile in response.
"Alright, everyone didn't come here to listen to me blabber. The film's screening starts now. After the screening, we will interact with the creative team." Wrapping up his words amidst a round of applause from the audience, Joe walked into the seating area as the lights in the screening hall gradually dimmed.
Hope suddenly became excited. Her understanding of "Like Crazy" was limited to it being a romance film. Other than that, she knew nothing. However, she believed that Renly's choice of this movie must have a reason. So, after "Buried", what kind of surprises would Renly bring this time? Could he achieve another breakthrough in a romantic film? If this was a chick flick...
Merely imagining Renly starring in a chick flick made Hope suppress a laugh. She was eager to dive into the world of this movie.
The screening hall plunged into darkness, and directly on the pitch-black screen appeared the words "Director: Drake Doremus". There was no opening scene, and from this detail, it could be seen that the film still hadn't found a suitable distributor. Following that was another line, "Renly - Hall".
Just this single line was simple and clear, yet Hope couldn't contain her excitement. She clenched her fist, resisting the urge to shout out loud. At that moment, she noticed someone beside her who was just like her - Tessa. In the darkness, the two exchanged a glance and both burst into smiles.
"Publications like Rolling Stone and Spare Rib were created to feed the need for alternative narratives from the established newspapers of the day," still in darkness, a woman's voice with a strong British accent began, as if delivering a report. "In much the same way, the Pauper Press of the 1790s in England was developed out of a need for mass representation for the popular classes. Those magazines and fanzines of the '60s and '70s also provided a means of reaching beyond the official and thus, ultimately, beyond the ruling classes."
The scene slowly shifted to the left, and a petite figure appeared on the big screen - Felicity Jones. She wore a retro-patterned dark black skirt, paired with a black crewneck T-shirt. Her bright brown hair was loosely braided into a fishtail braid that hung over her shoulder. Disheveled strands of hair fell out, creating an easygoing and natural look, exuding a fresh and charming vibe.
At this moment, she stood at the podium in a university classroom, presenting her topic.
Following the camera's movement, Hope then saw Renly!
He wore a white shirt that looked clean and crisp. His short, golden-brown hair with a slight curl hung casually and nonchalantly. Without any excessive adornments, he exuded a youthfulness that was palpable. Hope bit her lip tightly, restraining the urge to scream.
She had never seen Renly this youthful before, so beautiful that it made her want to howl with joy.
Renly wasn't listening attentively; he was doodling in his notebook, concentrating on sketching the framework of a chair.
Felicity Jones seemed to notice Renly's distraction. Her gaze drifted over, and Renly raised his eyes to meet hers. She pretended to look away, but then her gaze drifted back again. She caught Renly turning a pencil in his hand, his expression innocent, as if he were seriously listening to the lecture. Felicity Jones's gaze nervously averted, landing on her speech, and she quickly concluded her presentation.
"Thank you, Anna, very provocative, well done."
The professor's comments resonated in the classroom. Anna lifted her eyes slightly, looking towards the male student in front of her. She noticed him once again lowering his head to sketch with a pencil. His long, dense eyelashes drooped, gently outlining the contours of his eyebrows in the sunlight.
Class ended, and the professor instructed, "All right, make sure you turn in your final packet to Jacob. And thank you very much."
Anna sat in her seat, lifting her head to look at the male student standing beside the podium, who was none other than Jacob.
He had a military green backpack slung over one shoulder, a clean white shirt, his lips slightly pursed. He systematically received the final projects from his fellow students, softly murmuring "thank you." Sunlight fell onto his shoulder, softening the contours of his facial features.
Anna remained seated until all the students had handed in their reports. She was the last student left. Only then did she rise, glancing back at the professor who was still in the classroom. She then turned to Jacob with a mischievous smile. "I don't need to submit, right? Because I just finished my assignment."
"Cool," Jacob nodded, his voice slightly reserved.
"Cool," Anna repeated, her voice noticeably livelier.
She looked back at the professor once more before fixing her gaze on Jacob for a moment. With that, she started walking away. Jacob didn't understand the situation, so he pursed his lips, shrugged off the confusion, and walked towards the professor with the assignments in his hand.
In the parking lot, Anna took out a folded paper from her bag and placed it beneath a windshield wiper of a car. However, after walking a couple of steps away, a look of annoyance crossed her face. She turned around, retrieved the paper, opened it, carefully read it again, hesitated for a moment, and then placed the paper back under the wiper before walking away briskly.
The car belonged to Jacob.
Jacob opened the paper and read the contents. A smile bloomed on his lips in the sunlight, even his slightly scholarly brows became lively and tender. Soon, Jacob finished reading it all. At the bottom, he added a note, "PS, please do not think that I am crazy."
Chuckling, Jacob couldn't help but laugh.
Beautiful. Everything was so beautiful. In just the opening two minutes, "Like Crazy" told a story that made people's lips curl upwards. University campus, teaching assistant, student, a love letter, first signs of love... those simple details basked in golden sunlight, just like that white shirt - clean, fresh, and so beautiful that it made one want to scream.
Hope knew she loved this story. At first glance, she fell in love with it.
Anna left her phone number in the love letter. Jacob dialed it, and soon, the two of them sat in a café, looking at each other awkwardly and shyly. The awkward silence lingered strangely. Watching the two young souls take steps towards each other due to admiration, rekindling the simplest happiness and romance within their hearts.
"That letter didn't scare you, did it?" Anna took the first step, still unable to contain her laughter. Jacob, a bit awkwardly, avoided her gaze, shook his head. Anna continued, "It didn't freak you out? I guess you wouldn't be here if it had."
"No, it was nice," a slight smile tugged at Jacob's lips. "And it was funny. It was kind of great." Jacob nodded lightly, "I don't think you're a nutcase, by the way, at all."
Anna chuckled, "I thought I'd better put that, just in case."
"That was a good disclaimer," Jacob joined in the humor.
"Yeah, I just wanted to set that out," Anna's expression bloomed like a tender flower. Her eyebrows and the corners of her mouth radiated happiness, and she spoke vivaciously, "No nutcases here."
"Yeah," Jacob followed suit, but he didn't know how to continue. He pretended to be busy, picked up his cup, and took a sip of tea.
This time, the awkwardness was real.