Helming Hollywood (Fanfic)

"Dear friends: When you read this letter, your friend Nicholas Levi no longer exists in this world..."

When Adam Levi was a little anxious, he began to read the handwritten letter. His brows frowned when reading something on the paper, following the words on the suicide note. His big Jewish nose kept opening and closing, with some anger and anxiety. A father would not be happy when he saw the suicide note written by his son.

"I was born in 1972 and died in 1996. My life was short but not wonderful, with regrets everywhere. I had a wonderful childhood. My parents always boasted of me as a genius. I always thought I could be the best filmmaker in the world. After I grow up, I have been working in this direction. To pursue real art, I am constantly exploring. I hope to be a real artist, not like my father, become a critic who has no creativity and can only survive by being critical..."

The plain words, with a bit of sadness, showed the heart of a self-pitying and self-harming young man in front of Adam. As a senior member of the film academy and a leading film critic in Hollywood, who would dare to laugh at himself like this? He is a spoiled kid in his early 20s who understands nothing. Looking at his son's suicide note and listening to his son's evaluation of himself, Adam was somewhat sad.

"Unfortunately, my explorations failed. I raised funds, formed a company, and shot the first film I planned. My film was a profound reflection of my life. Films that pursue artistic pursuits, but no one in the entire film industry understands me. No company is willing to release my films. I want to tell the world that my talent is worth being remembered..."

The statement in the letter is very sympathetic. Adam, who is indifferent to the world, just sighed. Isn't it just shooting a movie that hit the street? Isn't this kind of story happening every day in Hollywood? Who wants to commit suicide for failed work? Is it worth dying for? Adam snorted softly at his useless son, folded the suicide note, and put it in his pocket before standing up.

"Alexander, thank you for sending my son to the hospital. I would be in unbearable pain now if you hadn't discovered his stupid behavior and rescued him in time. I don't know how to thank you. If you need anything in the future, just come to me, and I will help you solve it."

There is no need to read the letter anymore. Adam can guess what kind of self-pity is behind it. He stood up and thanked his son's friend, who sent his son to the hospital in time.

What a stupid child. He doesn't know how to respect his father, he doesn't know the meaning of himself, and he doesn't even see the value of life.

"It's not a big deal. Thanks to his timidity, he didn't cut his pulse well. He was rescued in time and is fine now, but his mental state is not stable" Alexander nodded. He knew that he should retreat now. "You should persuade him. He needs wise advice now."

"I hope he can listen to what I have to say." Adam stopped talking and walked towards the door of the ward. Through the glass, he saw the hospital bed inside. Little Levi was sitting on the bed in the ward, and his expression kept changing, sometimes happy, sometimes sad. After a while, he became baffled.

His expression changed back and forth, and Adam outside the ward couldn't figure out what he was thinking. Could it be that he was insane after committing suicide? Adam was also a little worried. That person is his son. No matter how disobedient and incompetent he is, he is still his son. Seeing his son fail in filming and trying to commit suicide after paying out all the money, Adam couldn't bear it, and seeing the confused and helpless expression on his son's face, he felt distressed.

To be an artist requires an artist's creativity and pursuit, not the artist's temper and problems!

When he saw his son giggling again, Adam finally couldn't help it. He pushed open the door and strode in. "It's good to see that you can still smile." At this moment, Adam pushed the door open and walked in, looking at his son on the hospital bed. He didn't know where to start. "How do you feel now?"

Hearing his words, Little Levi, sitting on the bed, raised his head. His expression was a little confused at first, but soon, it turned into a weird smile. Adam has seen many things in his life, but even so, when he saw a man who had just committed suicide with a proud and confident smile, he couldn't help being dumbfounded.

"It's completely healed, and I can be discharged from the hospital now." Levi raised his head with a smile, and his attitude was full of politeness, "Thank you for coming to see me."

Adam was a little surprised. He used to accuse him of being an old fool at every turn. Since when did his son learn to be so polite? Where did the child with eyes above the top who had no artistic talent go? Why did his temper change after committing suicide once?

"There's nothing to thank. You need to heal your wounds." Adam looked at Levi, and after seeing that his son wasn't dissatisfied, he spoke again, "If you don't feel exhausted now, I thought, maybe we can talk."

"What are we talking about?"

"Nick, you are not a child anymore, you have already graduated from college, and you should grow up too, so when I talk to you, I won't treat you as a child anymore." Adam sat by the bed, then adjusted his tone and tried his best to speak gentler and more friendly, "Nick, since I was a child, I have always told you that you are a genius. But you should know that it is because a father's encouragement and expectations for his son are not necessarily correct. I always hope you are a genius; I hope you are not like me. I have always envied my father, a big man in Hollywood, and he was involved in many amazing films. But I didn't have his talent, and when I grew up, I couldn't make good movies at all, So I could only make a living by writing film reviews and pointing fingers at other people's works. Others call me the editor-in-chief and say that I am a big shot in Hollywood and can be regarded as somewhat influential in Hollywood. Still, I know in my heart that Without creative talent, without successful work, even the boss of the critics cannot be truly recognized and respected by people. So I have always hoped that my sons can become real geniuses. My request to you, and I've always wanted you to be a genius, and these practices have hurt you."

Adam looked at his son: he can be considered a big shot in American film and television critics, but his son always Can't manage well. This stupid kid always thinks that he is so talented that no one else can compare; he doesn't care at all, the entertainment industry is a circle that pays attention to personal connections, and movies are not a salary that one person can complete, this industry pays more attention to interpersonal networks than other industries. His son has his contacts but refuses to use them. He wants to become famous overnight and become a great director. If this stupid idea is not eliminated, he will go on a radical path in the future.

Seeing that his son didn't respond, Adam continued, "Since you are no longer a child, you must recognize that maybe...you are not that genius. I can't blame you for this. Maybe it's my legacy. The genes are too bad, maybe the idiots of this era don't know how great works that transcend the times are appreciated, maybe the objective shooting equipment doesn't show your thoughts – there are many reasons, in short, it's not your fault. You don't have to use your life to punish other people's stupidity."

"I know. I won't be stupid again in the future."

"Don't be perfunctory."

"No, I am not what I used to be." On the hospital bed, Levi spoke, raised his head, and glanced at the window. The current little Levi is no longer the little Levi sent to the hospital. That little Levi had already passed away when he committed suicide. And the present Levi, in his bones, is a man named Levin - different from this person, who committed suicide. Levin died in a car accident in 2014. From waking up to now, it took Levin a long time to be sure he had traveled through time. He is no longer Levin, who lived in the 21st century but Levi in 1996. His rationality told him this was unlikely, but the extra memories in his mind, the changed appearance, and the year 1996 told him he had time-traveled. Now, I am Nicholas Levi, not the previous Levin.

In his mind, he recalled the short life of Nicholas: Obviously, this little Mr. Levi was entirely pursuing in his early years. He was not willing to live in the shadow of his parents but vowed to forge his own path. Therefore, he rejected the path his father arranged for him and passed film school at New York University by himself, intending to rely on his own efforts to become a director. It's a pity that he still couldn't survive independently after graduation. As a last resort, he returned to Hollywood to find connections through his father's relationship and worked in various crews to increase his knowledge and ability. But here lies the problem: After working for a while, his father thought he had no talent through multiple reactions and asked him to give up his career as a director and start a business honestly. However, he has the opposite opinion. Ever since, he took out all his savings, found a few more friends, set up a small production company together, and then shot a movie. It's a pity that this film cost them all their money - no one is willing to buy and distribute the copyright, and what they filmed is simply a waste of product. Because of this, little Levi chose to commit suicide. In his opinion, his behavior has proved that he does not have enough talent. As a person who pursues art, although he does not have enough talent, at least he has enough pursuit.

"What a weird person... Why bother to commit suicide after a movie fails? If you want to be an artist, you can't risk your life." Levin has already made a judgment on the past Levi, "such a fragile soul, It's better to go to rest. Your filmmaker's dream, I will continue for you. From today, my name is Levi, and this story will be my story."

*****

You can read advanced chapters on my Patreon account: https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.