Jiang Se on the movie screen, with her slightly drooping shoulders and neck, sweaty head, and somewhat hurried tone when carrying her bag, all show her character, tiredness mixed with humility, and the invisible pressure is conveyed to every audience in the cinema through her eyes and smile.
Zhao Rang even used a long shot of nearly thirty seconds to record her words and actions, her tone when chatting with customers, her cautious and flattering look, she grasped the handrail in the subway station with one hand, leaned her head on her arm, and carefully explained to the customers.
Her appearance and facial features are still Jiang Se, but her temperament is completely different. After being surprised, Shu Payen discovered the difference between Jiang Se in the movie and Jiang Se he had seen before. She in the movie is obviously thinner than the real her, and her body language combined with her lines are very convincing.
The reflection in the subway window showed the frail figure of a woman with a slightly hunched back. The indifferent expressions of the people around her made Zhang Yuqin look even more tired.
Zhang Yuqin had just hung up the phone, and before she could put the phone back into her bag with the leather edges worn out, the phone rang again.
The sound effects in the cinema at the French Film Festival were excellent, and the screen was clear, capturing every subtle expression on the characters' faces.
Zhao Rang's "The Devil" shows very good details. The makeup on Zhang Yuqin, played by Jiang Se, is already a bit damaged. The low-quality powder is stuck in the corners of her eyes, mouth and forehead. Her hair is wet with sweat and has a frizzy texture, which all illustrate the living environment of this woman.
Jiang Se's performance was much better than Shu Peien had imagined. Zhao Rang did not let her shout out the pain and fatigue of her life in a hysterical tone. Instead, he used her contact with clients to show her work and social status.
It is easy to resonate with the audience, and the effect is much better than what she says out loud.
Zhang Yuqin's cell phone rang again. Unlike her previous polite smile, after she took out her cell phone, she wiped her hair vigorously with her other hand. When she saw the name on the phone, her expression softened in an instant.
"Zhuzhu."
When she called out these two words, her tone was so gentle that it seemed to warm water.
If Zhang Yuqin's expression was a little numb before, the phone call she received at this time made her whole body come alive.
"Mom, when will you be back? I have finished my homework..."
A baby girl's voice came from the phone. Zhang Yuqin gently asked her daughter to wait for a moment, as she had a client contract to deliver. She asked about her husband again, but Zhuzhu said that her father had made an appointment with someone to buy some drinks after get off work and had not come back yet.
The movie only played for a few minutes, but the plot prelude was clearly laid out.
Shu Payen suddenly felt that he had underestimated Zhao Rang and Jiang Se.
Jiang Se spoke her lines very well, which was a great plus for her performance. Her body language, the subtle expressions on her face and her lines made it possible for her to play this other woman who did not match her actual age and situation without embarrassing Shu Payne.
What even surprised Shu Peien was that her beauty did not become an obstacle to her acting skills. Five minutes into the movie, even though he had seen Jiang Se's impressive role before, the image of Zhang Yuqin quickly occupied a place in his heart.
Shu Peien had originally decided to watch "The Devil" on a whim, but after watching it for a while, he really became interested. He raised one leg and changed into a more comfortable sitting position, but saw that not far away, several foreign reporters who had originally come in together with cameras had put down their phones and tilted their heads to prepare for sleep. He frowned and sighed in his heart.
The movie "Devil" is shown in Chinese, with English subtitles below to make it easier for foreign audiences to watch.
However, due to the differences in culture, background and language between China and the West, it is easy for Chinese films to be difficult for foreign audiences to understand.
It was obvious that these people were looking for a quiet place to sleep. The journalists who came to attend the French Film Festival would be very busy during the past half month, and a few days before the festival began, all the movie halls would be packed with people.
Most of the audience who cannot enter the theater will take advantage of the opportunity of not being able to see their favorite movies to choose a quiet theater to have a comfortable sleep. After they have rested up, they will wait until there are fewer people watching their favorite movies or the works of the directors they are interested in, and then go to watch them.
This has become a normal part of the French Film Festival. As an old man who has been here countless times, Shu Pain naturally knows the mentality of these people well.
Although he did not like this situation, he had no right to interfere. Moreover, these Western media people just closed their eyes and rested quietly. They did not play with their mobile phones in the cinema, nor did they whisper to each other and affect others. They were considered to be quite polite.
Shu Payne suppressed his displeasure and turned his attention back to the movie.
Zhao Rang is very experienced in controlling the rhythm of the film. After the audience has a general understanding of Zhang Yuqin through his camera, her conversation with her daughter soon ends with her gentle whisper:
"Zhuzhu."
At this moment, the two chilling words "Devil" popped up on the screen at an inopportune time, coupled with Zhang Yuqin's gentle smile, there was an indescribable weirdness.
This huge contrast not only made Shu Payen raise his eyebrows, but even the reporters who were originally preparing to close their eyes and rest turned their heads to look at each other and whispered a few words.
As the melodious opening music sounded, Zhang Yuqin, who had been busy all day, finally dragged her tired body back home. What she was waiting for was a cold, half-open door. There was no light in the room. She called out "Zhuzhu"'s name, but got no response from her daughter.
Zhuzhu disappeared! Her husband was still drunk at the table. At this moment, the despair on Zhang Yuqin's face was reflected through the screen into the eyes of every audience.
The disappearance of her daughter was a fatal blow to Zhang Yuqin. She began to suffer from insomnia at night and naturally had no intention to continue working. She visited every place her daughter might go and searched everywhere around the provincial capital.
Every day she carried a portrait of her daughter and searched for Zhuzhu's whereabouts.
Seeing this, Tao Tao's heart was already wrenched in the theater.
When she sat down earlier, she was still thinking about taking a photo with Jiang Se after the film was over, but as the plot of "Devil" unfolded, she didn't care about that at all. (To be continued)