Sophie smiled, stretched, and picked up her phone from the backrest of the couch. "Now to promote it on our socials," she said, almost like a disguised command.
Within seconds, each of them was on their own device, in silence, typing, editing, picking emojis and hashtags.
From the Twitter account he had created for Second Take Films, Owen wrote a new tweet with the trailer link.
A couple of minutes passed. Matt glanced at Owen's monitor, where the Twitter post about the Paperman trailer was up, let out a small laugh, and shook his head.
"You know this isn't normal, right?" he said.
"What isn't?" Owen asked, without taking his eyes off the screen.
"I became your friend, what, three or four months ago? Before that, I only really knew you from college parties," Matt began.
Owen just smiled faintly, not denying it.
"Then you called me to direct Paranormal Activity, you financed it, and in about three months it was already finished and accepted into a very prestigious international film festival. On top of that, you sold a script to A24, wrote and starred in a short film that went viral, and now you've just uploaded another, more complex and ambitious short in black and white, with effects, original music… and you put over $8,000 into it like it was the most normal thing in the world," Matt concluded, looking at him with awe and admiration.
Owen slowly turned in his chair, meeting Matt's gaze calmly. There was no arrogance on his face.
"I don't really know what to say to that… thanks, I guess. I do it because I like it," Owen said, giving a slight shrug.
His effectiveness came from all the stories, both feature films and shorts, that he had seen in his previous life, stories that didn't exist here. He only needed to transcribe them and add the work of production, financing, and so on. That's why, in such a short time, he had managed to produce one feature film and two shorts.
And he didn't downplay his own effort. Acting in them demanded commitment and giving his all; it was the part he enjoyed the most, since it was his passion. Producing them wasn't easy either, but he also liked it, and it required countless hours transcribing scripts, reviewing every shot, designing the production, gathering the crew, handling contracts, solving problems, and more.
Sophie, who had been listening quietly, walked over and wrapped Owen in a gentle hug, resting her chin on his head.
"And you do it brilliantly," she said with a warm smile.
After that, they talked a little more about Paperman and the trailer, sharing ideas about possible festivals, the impact of the premiere, and how much Owen's channel had grown in such a short time.
But inevitably, the conversation shifted to something more imminent: the Palm Springs Festival.
"Do you guys know how many tickets they're giving us?" Matt asked, leaning back on the couch. "I mean the free ones. I can't imagine it'll be many."
"Not many," Owen replied from his chair. "A couple per team member. After that, if we want more, we'll have to buy them ourselves, or our guests will,"
"The publicity we kicked off helped a lot. I don't know if we'll fill theaters, but the viral marketing worked," Sophie added.
It had all started about a month earlier, right after they got the festival confirmation.
Owen had come up with a simple but effective viral marketing campaign: create fake social media accounts under the names of the film's characters, upload clips of them acting out scenes inside a house as if they were being haunted… but without showing anything too explicit.
The style was natural, everyday, shot on a cellphone like a personal diary. Just noises, glances off-camera, doors opening, shadows in the background.
They also paid three YouTubers specialized in horror, known for posting strange, unexplained cases that were never fully debunked. People who analyzed supposed paranormal footage and offered theories, without confirming if it was fiction or reality.
That made the clips spread quickly. Comments even started popping up on forums like Reddit and Twitter, sparking discussions, exactly what they were aiming for.
"And tomorrow's the cherry on top. We're going to upload the official trailer of the movie," Owen said, turning in his chair with a faint, excited smile.
Just like Paperman, a week before the festival he would upload the trailer to his YouTube channel.
At the end of the trailer it would say that the movie could be seen at the Palm Springs Festival, with the specific days and times. Owen and Sophie, through the fake accounts they had created, would also reveal that it had all been a promotion for the film and encourage people to watch the trailer.
They might stir up some indignation, but that's viral marketing.
"Two trailers back-to-back, that'll help drive views," Matt said with a faint smile.
"Back to the topic of guests, do you have anyone in mind?" Matt asked.
"Yes. My mom is coming, obviously," Sophie replied.
"Seriously?" Owen raised an eyebrow.
"Well, yeah. It's my movie that's going to premiere at a festival, and even though she didn't take it seriously before, once she saw it listed on an international festival's website she changed her mind," Sophie said with an ironic smile.
"And also my dad and my sister are flying in from Chicago. They're staying a few days, you'll finally meet them," she added, looking at Owen.
"I'm looking forward to it," Owen said, figuring Sophie's dad and sister would be much easier to handle than her mother.
"I'm inviting my parents. They'll finally see my first feature as a director at a prestigious festival, even if they're not really movie people… I also invited a few college friends who couldn't believe a film I directed is screening in Palm Springs," Matt said with a self-satisfied smile.
Sophie smiled and nodded, but then both she and Matt turned their heads at the same time, looking at Owen.
"And you?" Sophie asked curiously.
Owen glanced down at his phone for a second, then looked back at them.
"I invited Cristian Méndez," Owen replied as if it were nothing.
Matt frowned. Sophie took a second longer to react.
"The guy from A24?" she asked, her tone rising slightly. "The one who contacted you about The Spectacular Now?"
"Yes. He's the Creative Executive I've been talking with since we signed the option agreement. You know he asked me for the first cut of the film a while back," Owen answered.
Sophie and Matt nodded, remembering that. After asking for the cut, Cristian had only told Owen that he liked the movie, but nothing more.
That had dampened Matt and Sophie's hopes a bit. Owen, however, believed Cristian was waiting to see how the movie performed at the festival, which was why he had decided to invite him.
He knew that in Hollywood, if someone at that level wasn't interested, they simply wouldn't accept the invitation.
So the fact that Cristian said yes wasn't just a polite gesture, it was a good sign.
"That's amazing!" Matt said, straightening up.
"Yeah. I also offered him another ticket and he accepted. He said he'd bring a colleague from A24. He didn't clarify if it was someone from distribution or acquisitions, but probably…" Owen said with a faint grimace that could almost pass as a smile.
There was a brief silence. Sophie and Matt exchanged a glance. It was impossible not to get their hopes up.
"Well… that changes things. It's not the same watching the movie knowing there's just an audience, as knowing there are A24 executives in the theater," Sophie said.
"Yeah, that's true…" Matt added in a serious tone.
"Relax. The movie's already done. Now it's their turn to watch it," Owen replied with his usual calm.
Sophie and Matt looked at him for a moment but said nothing. They were already used to that serenity of his.
Sophie shifted slightly on the couch and returned to the subject.
"And your family? Are you going to invite anyone? I'd like… to meet them," she asked, mustering up her courage.
The question lingered in the air for a few seconds, bringing with it an uncomfortable silence.
Owen lowered his gaze slightly toward the floor.
To Sophie and Matt, Owen had hit rock bottom in his disastrous past and then risen again. They believed that, left alone and without family support, he had straightened out his path, leaving behind drugs, partying, and alcohol.
But what they didn't know was that his personality was different from the original Owen. Since they hadn't known him before, they couldn't tell.
And although Owen shared a few traits with the former Owen, such as the passion for acting, the rest of his essence was different.
The original owner of this body had been more impulsive, more emotional.
Jackson, on the other hand, had always been calm, methodical, disciplined, obsessive about details, and responsible.
In his first life, his parents died when he was seven. He went to live with his grandparents, who loved and cared for him with devotion, but who were also his only family bond.
At eighteen, when both of them passed away, Jackson was left completely alone.
It was then that he decided to move to Los Angeles. Alone, without a support network, chasing a dream in the midst of uncertainty.
He had to sustain himself with multiple part-time jobs, competing at auditions against people with better connections, sleeping in cramped spaces, with no one waiting for him at home.
Always alone. In this way, slowly, he managed to carve out what could be called a certain level of success.
At twenty-four, he was invited to the Oscars for the first time. Not as a nominee, but as part of the cast of a blockbuster film that had been unexpectedly praised, where his supporting role had stood out above many others.
His performance was mentioned in several reviews. His name began to circulate in the specialized press.
He wasn't a star, but he was someone the industry was starting to regard with respect.
At twenty-five and twenty-six, he maintained a steady streak: commercial films where his acting earned good reviews, with his skills improving in each role. And at twenty-seven came what could be called his turning point.
He appeared in a high-budget blockbuster, playing the main villain. A supporting role, yes, but so magnetic and carefully crafted that it stole the spotlight from the entire film.
Critics and fans alike took notice. He was talked about in interviews, on social media, in articles.
He was nominated for an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor, competing against far more established names. He would never know if he had won, as he died before the ceremony.
Fortunately, he was given a second chance and took over the body of Owen, who had died of a cocaine overdose.
In this new life, unlike the last, he had a large family.
A loving mother, always attentive, who supported Owen with a warmth that felt sincere. A father colder, more reserved, but who had nevertheless indulged him during childhood and had never shown disappointment at his desire to become an actor. Maybe it wasn't the path he had dreamed of for his son, but he accepted it.
He also had an older brother and a younger sister. Uncles, cousins, grandparents. People who gathered for Christmas, birthdays, and other celebrations.
And he couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to be part of that.
He had never had it.
In his past life, he had his loving grandparents, but in the end, they were just three people in the world. Then two… and then none.
That was why, though he tried to ignore it, there was a part of him that longed to know what it would be like to belong to something like that.
"Owen?" Sophie asked, noticing the seconds slipping by without an answer.
He blinked, slowly came back to himself, and lifted his gaze to her.
Sophie studied him closely. There was something on his face she had never fully seen before: a mixture of nostalgia and sorrow.
"Your family would be happy to see you now. Truly. Not just because of your achievements, but because of how you've changed for the better. They would be proud," Sophie said, placing her hand gently over Owen's.
"Sophie's right," Matt added, giving Owen a pat on the shoulder.
"If you want to go talk to them, I'll go with you. You can show them The Black Hole, the Paperman trailer, and Paranormal Activity... I promise you, once they see what you've done, they'll understand you've changed. Nobody pulls all that off if they're still partying or lying around aimlessly. The results speak for themselves," he added, giving a thumbs-up with a confident smile.
Owen looked at the two of them.
He was grateful, yes, and it showed in his expression, but there was also a different spark in his eyes, something strange, almost quietly comedic.
"Thanks, really," he said with a faint crooked smile. "I'll think about it."
"Great!" Matt said, happy at the thought of his friend possibly reconciling with his family.
"Well, that's good to hear! You've got three days. No more. The festival's just around the corner… and it would be nice to meet your family there," Sophie said with an enthusiastic smile as she gently squeezed Owen's hand.
Owen nodded, without making any promises.
He knew it was important to Sophie, that she wasn't pressuring him in a bad way, but because she wanted to know that part of him.
Three days went by like that. The Paranormal Activity trailer had already been uploaded to YouTube two days earlier. Sophie and Owen had told the truth on their fake profiles, promoting the film and the trailer.
And Owen made a decision. He was going to try. He was going to attempt to reconcile with his family. But he would go alone.
At first, he thought about a plan where he would slip in some of the original Owen's traits, more impulsiveness, a touch of arrogance, a kind of exaggerated emotionality, to seem more believable to his family.
But he realized that keeping up that version for too long would be exhausting.
Worse still, Sophie and Matt, who knew him as he was now, would notice the difference and sense something was off. He didn't want to have to explain himself to them.
Much less perform two versions of himself for two different groups of people.
So he chose another strategy: to play with emotional memory.
To trust that his family would remember the good things about the original Owen: his best moments, his creative energy, the authentic passion he had always shown for acting since childhood.
And now, seeing in him calm, stability, and tangible accomplishments, it was very likely their minds would do the rest: filling in the blanks with the idea that he had simply grown up. That he had matured.
After all, families tend to cling to the idea of redemption.
That narrative where someone hits rock bottom, learns from their mistakes, and comes back stronger, wiser.
And if their son returned with the same passion for art, but now with direction and focus, why wouldn't they want to believe in that change?
In the end, he still carried the original Owen's passion for acting and his dream of being in Hollywood. That hadn't changed.
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