Competition

The Morris Theater is located in the southern part of Park City, with a decent geographical location. It was only five o'clock in the afternoon when Lyman and his group finished dinner and arrived at the venue.

On the bulletin board at the entrance, there were movie posters of the films being screened: "Dream Work", "Face", "3 Idiots"...

Their eyes scanned the titles and covers of these films, but they had no recollection of any of them. At that moment, a movie was being shown inside, and it was Lyman's turn for the next one. So they stood at the entrance of the cinema, waiting for a considerable amount of time. It wasn't until after 6 o'clock that audience members started to walk out one by one.

"Another waste of my time..."

"The shaky camera was too distracting."

"I couldn't understand anything."

As these viewers passed by Lyman, it was clear from their comments that they were dissatisfied with the movie that had just been screened. After a while, Lyman and his companions began to enter the theater and communicate with the projectionist. Around 7 o'clock, the theater, which could accommodate more than 300 people, became crowded.

Although the entire crew of "3 Idiots" was not well-known, this was the norm at the Sundance Film Festival, so those who came here to watch movies didn't care about that. There was no significant promotion or fanfare, but the tickets inside the venue were still selling well.

The expectant audience whispered to each other, holding the official movie program in their hands, reading some information about "3 Idiots", and expressing their own opinions. This scene was not unfamiliar to Lyman. He had experienced the opening ceremony of the Venice Film Festival and understood that the most crucial moment was the release of the film. The movie they had made would be judged by the audience, and from the beginning, Lyman became somewhat nervous, unable to ignore people's opinions about the film.

The conflicting thoughts in his mind made it impossible to remain calm. Lyman hadn't been particularly concerned about the screening at the Sundance Film Festival, but the atmosphere and discussions at the venue started to heat up, making the air thick with anticipation and sending shivers down his spine.

"It's about to begin," René said.

The lights in the venue began to dim, and the audience, seeing this, stopped discussing, and the screening hall fell silent. Lyman carefully adjusted his posture. René had one leg raised, looking very relaxed, while Thomas leaned against his seat, legs slightly curled up. George sat upright with a straight posture.

The screen flickered.

Gradually, light appeared. A tender green leaf with a chrysalis hanging from it came into view. The chrysalis slowly split open, and a fully blue butterfly emerged, spreading its wings gracefully. Suddenly, a light appeared, and the butterfly elegantly took off towards the past. Its wings shimmered brightly, leaving behind a trail of blue flight before disappearing into the light. Next, the company name "Mann Studios" appeared in English letters.

Watching this 15-second opening animation, Lyman unconsciously clenched his fist. This was their studio's logo. Mann Studios made its debut on the big stage with this film. The audience in the exhibition hall wasn't particularly moved and were still waiting for the start of the main feature. However, René seated close to Lyman knew the true meaning of this animation. When designing it, Lyman had told him that the transformation from chrysalis to butterfly was the most beautiful metamorphosis.

After the animation, scenes of a university campus appeared on the big screen, accompanied by subtitles introducing the cast: Aamir Khan, Sharman Joshi, Boman Irani... Cinematography by Thomas, directed by Lyman Lattes.

Upbeat background music also began playing, and in the enthusiastic melody, scenes of new students hurriedly queuing to register and pay fees, lush green campus views, and well-decorated classrooms with a clean and airy atmosphere... Bright shots quickly switched, creating a vivid portrayal of university life.

At this point, the camera focused on a freshman entering the campus, dragging a large suitcase slowly into the Imperial Industrial University. "The use of light and color is quite good," Bella silently commented. As a professional film critic, she often frequented major film festivals. She had initially come to watch this movie as part of her job upon receiving an invitation from the Sundance organizers, but now she found herself genuinely interested.

Although it was only a less than 90-second opening scene, there was no hint of amateurish cinematography. The rapid succession of scenes accurately depicted the setting of the overall story. It was evident that the director had a wealth of experience and personal skills in crafting such shots. Moreover, this kind of visual style was at least different from the movies she watched yesterday. At that time there was no desire to continue watching, and she didn't even know where to start when writing a review afterwards. It felt terrible not knowing how to write about it.

"A single decision can determine a person's entire life. When I was very young, no, from the moment I was born, my father said, "My son will be an engineer in the future." And my fate was sealed, and so here I am now."

The bewildered new students stood in line at the registration desk, and the narration and camera quickly switched to a scene of his birth in the hospital when he was a child. Father loudly expressed his blessings for the child's future life to the relatives and friends, with hopeful tones. The child grew up to become the present freshman.

After paying the tuition fees, he went to the dormitory to secure a bed. On the first night of enrollment, senior students came to introduce the traditions of the college. From the perspective of this freshman, a group of people took off their pants, revealing various types of underwear, and passively accepting a so-called "college tradition".

In an instant, the entire atmosphere of the film turned from joyous to indescribably solemn. The sudden shift in plot with such a stark contrast did not create any sense of disharmony. It actually made Bella more focused and attentive.

"Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Farhan," the narration resumed, followed by, "This campus story begins with a late arrival of a freshman named Rancho, who will become my good friend."

The camera shifted to Rancho as the protagonist of the narration. After arriving late, he witnessed the scene in front of him, and his survival instinct prompted him to make a quick decision. Instead of following the senior students' arrangement and adhering to tradition, he ran into a dormitory room.

Outside the room, the seniors continued to shout, but Rancho remained calm. He took out the light bulb from the room, wrapped the wires around a metal spoon, and extended them along the gap of the door. The seniors wanted to assert their authority over this disobedient freshman, so one of them decided to urinate and counted to force the freshman out. After three counts, the senior successfully ended up lying on the ground, convulsing from the electric shock.

The freshmen couldn't help but burst into laughter, including Farhan. The narration continued, "From that moment, I knew he would be different from us. Rancho, he is an extraordinary person." The camera froze on Farhan who was laughing heartily.

After the new students settled into the dormitory, it so happened that Rancho and Farhan ended up as roommates, along with another freshman named Raju. The guy seemed to be wearing a lucky ring on his hand and hung a statue of Lord Brahma in one corner of the dormitory. He devoutly lit incense and prayed every day. From him, Farhan learned that Raju came to this school to secure a high-paying job after graduation, for the sake of his own future.

The three freshmen, each with their distinct personalities and expectations, began their university lives. Rancho was intelligent and enjoyed experimenting with mechanical theories. Farhan loved to laugh and had a passion for photography. Raju always wore a serious expression, with a furrowed brow...

Bella felt that the movie was becoming more and more interesting. The director used split screens to portray the personalities of the three characters. Coupled with Farhan's narration, the film gained a touch of drama, and the composition and transitions of the shots carried deep meaning. The cheerful atmosphere that emerged subtly brought a sense of comfort.

They attended classes together and made plans to go shower after returning to the dormitory. In this vast campus, an atmosphere of relaxation and contentment prevailed. It made people nostalgic for the beautiful times of their own past studies. Bella subconsciously glanced at the expressions of other audience members. The corners of their mouths slightly curled upwards, clearly immersed in this sense of beauty.

"Today is the day when the freshmen gather at the playground to listen to the speech by the director. We woke up early and rushed to the assembly," Farhan's calm narration sounded, shifting the viewers' attention to the playground.

The camera turned, and with the sound of a bell, the character representing the dean in Farhan's narration appeared on the screen. He had a solemn expression, white hair, and wore glasses. He controlled the direction of a bicycle with one hand.

"Oh, by the way, we gave the dean a nickname, "Virus"." the narration said as the director stood in front of the freshmen. He held something in his hand and began talking about the "theory of competition". The scene shifted to a young man in shabby clothes, the same person who had been selling bath products before, imitating the dean's gestures and giving a speech. The tone, demeanor, and even the actions and words were almost identical. It was truly ironic.

After finishing the "theory of competition", the director took out a pen from his jacket pocket, showed it to the freshmen, and said, "This is an astronaut pen, scientists spent millions to invent this pen. A long time ago, my teacher entrusted it to me, and I hope that one day, an outstanding student will appear, and I can pass this pen on to him."

The freshmen who heard the director's words were excited, and even Farhan, who had been indifferent, revealed a hint of desire in his eyes. Everyone raised their hands, expressing their confidence in obtaining the pen. However, after everyone lowered their arms, Rancho raised his hand.

Such a gesture appeared particularly abrupt among the group, and sure enough, the director asked him what his question was for raising his hand.