The Rush Line

It was just ten in the morning when Chanel Laurent set out for the cinema. After a full day of buzz and commotion yesterday, the film "Buried" had truly made a name for itself in Toronto, attracting even more attention than "The Town." So, it's easy to imagine that today's audience would be even more overwhelming, with many just wanting to join in the excitement.

The screening of "Buried" was scheduled for five in the afternoon today, with only one showing open to the public in two venues. Chanel left early in the morning, anticipating the possibility of needing to queue.

But two blocks away from the cinema, Chanel could see the bustling crowd surging in her vision, which left her stunned. She hurriedly ran over and was confronted with a terrifyingly long queue.

Following the queue from its tail to its head, Chanel realized it stretched over four hundred yards. The line not only twisted and turned around the entire plaza seven or eight times like a dragon but also extended into the adjacent street. The scene was astonishing, with at least five hundred people, possibly even more. The lively atmosphere was making the surrounding journalists very excited, fully igniting the frenzy of the 35th Toronto Film Festival.

Seeing this scene, Chanel was dumbfounded. She strongly suspected she was in the wrong place—how could "Buried" attract such a crowd?

Unexpectedly, the Toronto Film Festival hadn't anticipated such a surprise. 

Typically, an independent film like "Buried," without big names, gimmicks, or sponsorship, would struggle to gain attention. 

Though Toronto is a film festival, it differs from the three major European film festivals. In Europe, the market for art films is much more mature and extensive, with independent works being much more popular at festivals. But in Toronto, this is more of a film market for selling copyrights. Even the only award is the People's Choice Award. In the internet age, lacking gimmicks and promotion means lacking an audience; the era of "good wine does not need to be afraid of deep alleys" is long gone.

(A/N: Basically meaning that the era where good content can be easily discovered is long gone)

Thus, the Toronto Film Festival scheduled "Buried" for a four o'clock slot, despite it being one of only six films to have a world premiere this year. It still didn't receive special treatment; thus, the festival followed its usual tradition by scheduling three screenings in two cinemas. This number of screenings is not high but still reasonable.

Typically, popular films get eight to twelve screenings, while less popular ones are limited to three to five. After all, there are fifty-one films to be screened over the festival's ten days. Unless there's an unexpected situation, three screenings should suffice for "Buried."

The festival organizers didn't foresee the Emmy upset, the "Ophelia" craze, the YouTube buzz that even created a Billboard miracle, or the stunning debut of "Buried."

So, an unexpected situation arose: a queue over four hundred yards long, easily surpassing "Blue Valentine" and "The Town," making "Buried" the most talked-about film at the festival so far.

One of the Toronto Film Festival's traditions and spectacles is the "Rush Line." Apart from the premiere, screenings are divided into industry and public shows. Industry shows are for producers and media, while public shows are open to regular viewers, with tickets available before the festival starts. Popular films often sell out early.

However, there are other chances to get tickets. 

Firstly, every morning at seven, a small number of same-day tickets are available online. Snagging these tickets quickly online or at the cinema itself is a good option, but these are very limited and sell out fast.

The second chance is the Rush Line. Before each screening, any unfilled seats are given to those in the queue. The Rush Line is simple and fair: first come, first served, and no one knows how many seats will be available until the last moment, so early queuing is the only way.

This has become a unique sight at the festival, with the length of the queue being a measure of a film's popularity.

Of course, this applies only to popular films. Films like "The Illusionist" still have tickets available even right before the screening, a common occurrence at the festival, especially in Toronto, where the acceptance of art films is generally weaker than in Europe.

"Buried" tickets were not in high demand. Chanel had easily gotten a ticket for the premiere before the festival. In fact, there were still tickets available for the premiere, and the screening being fully packed was a pleasant surprise.

Given the availability of premiere tickets, it was no surprise that subsequent screenings hadn't sold more than forty percent. "Buried" had no prior publicity, and director Rodrigo only finished post-production at the last minute, barely meeting the submission deadline, leaving no time for promotion. To most viewers, it was just an afterthought.

Who could have predicted that yesterday's early morning screening would sell out, even causing about thirty people to queue; or that today's Rush Line would be over four hundred yards long, a truly incredible sight?

Chanel quickly asked the staff managing the queue at the front, "Is this the queue for 'Buried'?" After receiving a confirmation, she was momentarily stunned, unsure how to react. The staff seemed to understand her expression and smiled, "Yes, no one expected this. You'd better hurry, or you might not get a spot."

Chanel then sprinted forward, with the staff calling after her, "Don't join the wrong line, the left one is for the afternoon. The right is for the morning queue." Chanel hastily gestured an "OK" and quickly ran towards the queue. In the less than five minutes she delayed, the queue had grown by another dozen people. Chanel quickly took her place at the end, panting heavily.

"Hope we make it in time," a teasing voice came from ahead. Chanel looked up to see a blonde boy extending his right hand amicably, "Tyronn Johnson." Chanel shook his hand but didn't introduce herself, wearing a skeptical expression. Tyronn didn't mind and cheerfully explained, "I heard today's venue seats six hundred. The online ticket release this morning was canceled due to a system crash, so everyone rushed here. Hopefully, we can still get in."

Chanel realized, "But 'Buried' is the five o'clock show, what about the earlier slots?"

"On the right," Tyronn pointed. A venue typically screens six to seven films a day, with "Buried" being the fourth today. Before it, there were three other films, including the popular "The Town," but the Rush Line for "The Town" was less than a fifth of "Buried's." The stark contrast was shocking. "Did you come specifically because of the rave reviews?" Tyronn asked warmly.

Chanel initially didn't want to respond but then thought better of it, "No, I watched the premiere."

In fact, Chanel hadn't planned to watch it again. The film was too intense and thrilling, making it an unpleasant experience to rewatch; it wasn't a classic that warranted multiple viewings. However, over the past two days, she couldn't forget Renly's face, especially his fear and panic in the interplay of light and shadow. His captivating performance haunted her.

After much hesitation, Chanel decided to watch it again, only to encounter this situation—she felt the premiere had been more comfortable.

"Oh my God, you've already seen the premiere? How was it? Is it as amazing as they say?" Tyronn asked excitedly, "I heard the lead actor's performance is phenomenal. Is that true or just hype?"

Without hesitation, Chanel exclaimed, "Of course, it's true!"

Her exclamation attracted curious glances from those around, and soon, a chorus of questions followed, "What kind of film is it?" "Isn't the lead actor Renly Hall a newcomer?" "Why did it suddenly get so popular?" "What's the film about?" "How's the lead actor's performance?" "I heard some people were scared to tears, is that true?"...

The barrage of questions overwhelmed Chanel. In an instant, she became the center of attention, feeling somewhat flustered. In those eager eyes, she could sense people's enthusiasm and anticipation.

Chanel glanced at Tyronn, who encouragingly clenched his fist, making her chuckle. She then raised her voice, "Yes, the lead actor is indeed a newcomer, but his performance is truly outstanding. I first saw him in..."

The Rush Line stretched endlessly, pushing the Toronto Film Festival to new heights.