Ahhh, ahhh.
Screams erupted, explosive and growing louder, instantly releasing an unbelievable surge of energy.
Emanuel, slightly surprised, instinctively turned to look behind him, glancing around—
Something was off.
No one could deny the buzz surrounding Anson. Whether people liked him or not, his influence was undeniable, and he was one of the biggest highlights of this year's Cannes Film Festival. Otherwise, the committee wouldn't have personally invited him as a guest for the opening ceremony, intending to stir up attention.
However, buzz is one thing, and popularity is another.
This is Cannes, this is France. Although Hollywood blockbusters tend to perform well here, their influence has its limits.
Also, people may go to the cinema to watch movies, but cheering and screaming for Hollywood stars is a different story.
It's well known that French audiences appreciate films for their directors, not actors. The applause for Hollywood stars here tends to be more subdued.
After all, Cannes isn't Venice, and it's certainly not Hollywood.
Moreover, despite Anson's rapid rise to fame, it's only been a year with just two movies under his belt. He's still not Tom Cruise or Leonardo DiCaprio.
The opening ceremony had already made it clear. The hype was undeniable, but most of the audience remained coolly detached, observing from a distance.
But today?
Not even two days had passed, and when Anson stepped onto the red carpet at the Palais des Festivals once more, the atmosphere was completely different.
Had everyone gone mad? Or did something happen in these past two days?
Emanuel wasn't the only one wondering; Anson himself felt the same. Two days later, in the same place, the shift in energy was disorienting.
Looking at Gus's bewildered expression, Anson spread his hands and smiled.
But the real challenge lay ahead.
Anson bent down to address Alex Frost and Eric Dren, sitting in the back of the car. "Hey, guys, this is it, we're here."
The fact that Elephant was selected for the Cannes Film Festival's main competition was undoubtedly a surprise. Even Gus himself admitted as much. But the opportunity was a rare one, offering a special experience for both the actors and the director.
However, the Elephant cast was a bit unusual. All the actors were regular students, and after the film wrapped, they returned to their normal lives. None of them pursued a career in acting or even thought about going to Los Angeles.
For them, filming a movie was just a unique experience, but since it didn't get released in theaters and the media didn't pick up on it, nothing much happened afterward. It didn't feel all that special, like just another school play. Life carried on as usual, with nothing to get particularly excited about.
Cannes?
Oh, so what?
Gus told the kids that if they were interested, they could let him know, and he'd take them to Cannes for a vacation. There was no limit on participants; anyone who had acted in the movie could sign up.
If they weren't interested, that was fine too. Gus wasn't forcing anyone.
In Hollywood, the Cannes Film Festival holds special significance. It's hard to imagine anyone turning down a trip to Cannes. But for regular high school students from Portland, filmmaking wasn't a part of their daily lives, and Cannes seemed distant and foreign—
It had no appeal.
In the end, only Alex Frost was interested.
And his reason? He wanted to fly on a plane.
The kid had never flown before, and now he had a chance to fly for free, across the Atlantic no less. Alex wanted to give it a shot.
Clearly, Cannes wasn't the main attraction.
Who would've thought Cannes could seem so "cheap"?
Since Alex didn't want to travel alone, he dragged Eric along.
Despite Eric's lack of interest and seeing the whole trip as a hassle, he eventually gave in and reluctantly joined Alex.
To these two high schoolers, Cannes had no special significance. It was just a trip, and they had no clue what a movie premiere entailed.
Or perhaps, they thought they knew, having seen it on the news. But once they got there, they quickly realized how wrong they were.
Reality turned out to be very different from what they had imagined.
So.
Alex pressed his back firmly into the car seat, shaking his head like a bobblehead, wearing a nervous, awkward smile. "Can we just leave now? Driver, keep going, we're not getting out."
Then, with a pleading look, Alex glanced at Anson, shaking his head and frowning, his face a mix of laughing and crying, like a robot malfunctioning.
Anson couldn't help but laugh. "Alex, no need to be nervous. Just think of it as an experience, a different kind of adventure. The next time someone talks about Hollywood, you'll know what it's really like. It's not that big of a deal."
Alex widened his eyes, glanced outside, and muttered, "This isn't a big deal? Even our school's football games don't draw this many people."
"Ha!" Anson burst into laughter. "Watermelons. They're all watermelons. Seriously, take a look. At the end of the day, it's just a field of watermelons. All of them."
Alex pulled a strained face, still glued to his seat.
Meanwhile, Eric peeked outside, then at Anson, took a deep breath, and, summoning his courage, patted Alex's arm, signaling him to move aside as he prepared to step out.
Alex stared at Eric as if he'd seen a ghost, pressing even harder against the seat, as if ready to bite his tongue if anyone tried to drag him out.
Eric shook his head in helplessness, while Anson's hearty laughter filled the air. Without any more hesitation, Eric turned, opened his door, got out, and walked over to stand next to Anson.
Ahhh! Ahhh!
Screams and cheers surged like a wave. Eric thought he was ready, but standing in the midst of the storm, his knees trembled involuntarily.
Anson turned to stand beside Eric, offering support.
Eric: "Watermelons?"
Anson: "Yep, watermelons."
Eric took a deep breath. "Alright, I'm ready."
At that moment, Alex couldn't hold back any longer. He bolted out of the car, ran to stand beside Eric, glanced up at Anson's height and style, then scurried over to Eric's side, nodding furiously and clenching his fists to psych himself up.
Gus adjusted his suit, ready to walk over to Anson. But before he could, Anson motioned towards Alex, and Gus understood. Like a mother bird guiding her chicks, Gus moved to stand beside Alex, helping calm his nerves a bit.
Alex finally started to relax, glancing left and right, only to realize something was off—
Now, Alex and Eric were standing front and center, while Anson and Gus were on the edges. Wait, that's not how it's supposed to be, right?
Alex was about to protest, but it was too late. The other three had already started walking, and he had no choice but to follow, his legs wobbly as he hurried to keep up.
Damn!