Chapter 64: Unnoticed

The theater lights came back on, and fewer than twenty audience members stood up, clapping sparsely. Applause at film festivals was common, often just a polite response. Murphy couldn't discern what this applause meant.

Perhaps only the people clapping knew their true feelings about the film.

Daisy clapped vigorously; she loved the modern Little Red Riding Hood turning the tables on the Big Bad Wolf. Seeing Little Red Riding Hood brutalize the wolf and crush the Lolita obsession was incredibly cool and satisfying.

Her male companion had only one thought: cherish life, stay away from Lolitas!

He had seen many films about Lolitas, but "Hard Candy" was by far the fiercest. It combined the evil of Lolita, the calm of Iris, and the ferocity of Matilda, with additional intelligence and cunning. It was a blend of all dangers. Visible and hidden Lolita enthusiasts faced this sugar-coated poison and could only hope for the best.

Not far behind them, Jones Butler wasn't clapping. Instead, she took the last moments to jot down more notes while the memory was fresh. This would be part of her later evaluation.

Violence, blood, sensitivity, controversy, simplicity, tension, and thrill... she first wrote these keywords, then added her evaluation.

"An empty house, a hard metal table and chair, a few solid-colored walls, long dialogues, simple yet tight plot, creating suspenseful and thrilling scenes."

"'Hard Candy' has many elements of a popular film: online dating, ****, crime, murder, revenge, suspense, deduction, strategy, psychological warfare, thriller, pedophilia, psychological analysis. The director is a great storyteller, handling sensitive themes with control and is an expert in creating tension and using film techniques."

She thought for a moment and added, "Plot summary: A minor girl meets with a ******** photographer she met online. They outwit each other. The girl discovers the photographer's murder evidence and takes revenge. The photographer tries psychological tactics to escape. The girl castrates the photographer. He breaks free to hunt the girl, but she defeats him psychologically and executes him by hanging. Justice is served."

Finally, Jones Butler wrote, "The plot flows seamlessly, with each scene tightly connected. Recommendation level: Priority!"

Next to her, Beck Larson from Castle Rock Company didn't take notes but was deep in thought. As a professional viewer and buyer, he had his own assessment.

If the maximum score was ten, he would give this film a six. This wasn't a rating for the film but for its market potential.

From his perspective, Beck Larson judged that a significant portion of male viewers would reject the protagonist. Many men wouldn't like this girl, feeling a chill below after watching the film.

Women might find it gratifying and praise it, but Larson believed that some sympathetic women might disagree with the protagonist's actions, leaning towards the male viewers' perspective. However, men switching to support the women's stance seemed unlikely.

This limited the film's audience, making it destined to be a niche film.

As a buyer, Beck Larson's primary concern was the market. Market potential was his only standard for evaluating films.

After "The Blair Witch Project," everyone wanted to replicate Artisan Entertainment's success from the Sundance Film Festival, but Larson remained rational, knowing such miracles came from significant marketing investments, not the film itself. "Hard Candy" had a clear target audience and lacked the potential for large-scale marketing.

Based on these standards, the film's market potential score was below average, but its selling points couldn't be ignored.

Firstly, using violence to counter violence was an appealing fantasy for many viewers, making it enjoyable for a good portion of the audience. Secondly, Little Red Riding Hood was both innocent and cool, with brains, acting skills, and expressive eyes. Thirdly, the confined setting and minimal but impactful twists made it a low-budget model, fitting the B-movie aesthetic of being quick, cheap, and effective. Lastly, the sharp editing, tight music rhythm, and the director's ability to tell a tense, engaging story with a simple, sensitive plot...

Everyone had different impressions of a film. Bill Rossis, who had seen the rough cut, was now surprised by Murphy's camera work and editing rhythm, not expecting the final product to be this good. What left the deepest impression were the film's various sounds he hadn't noticed before.

The voice-over dialogues between the protagonists; the abrupt start-stop disco music; the ice in the ice bag; the subtle sound of the scalpel cutting skin; the photographer's painful gasps; the shattering glass...

These were all skillfully and accurately integrated into the sound effects by rookie Murphy Stanton, stimulating his auditory senses, enhancing character psychology, and amplifying the film's impact.

The sparse applause lasted less than ten seconds before fading away.

As the screen returned to darkness, Murphy felt his heartstrings tighten. His first screening had ended, but it didn't clear the haze surrounding his future.

Murphy stood up, his hands trembling slightly out of sight. Despite enduring the harsh realities of prison, and his time across the Pacific, he was still young. Even with a strong mental state, he felt nervous.

Seeing the professional viewers, Murphy took a deep breath, steadying his hands to prevent the tremor from spreading to the rest of his body.

He had staked everything on this film. It was the start of a series of plans. If it failed, starting over wouldn't be simple. How could he not care?

"Is our film over?" Paul Wilson seemed dazed.

The audience was already starting to leave. The professional viewers finally stood up. Murphy steadied himself and reminded Paul Wilson, "If you feel down, you can go outside and cry."

This scene was indeed different from Paul Wilson's expectations. There were no prolonged applause, no fans rushing to congratulate, and no moved audience members asking for autographs...

"Hard Candy" had ended, the audience was leaving, and they remained unnoticed.