Berlin Bound (2)

Echoes of a Family had entered the competition section of the Berlin International Film Festival. The news quickly became a major talking point among countless Hollywood insiders.

"Wow, I guess they weren't just going to take this lying down."

"I hope they knock Harvey Weinstein down a peg or two!"

Harvey Weinstein's notoriety in Hollywood was legendary. Rumors of him lobbying heavily to manipulate the Academy Awards were already widespread. Naturally, everyone realized that Echoes of a Family had turned its gaze overseas to escape the clutches of Harvey and his campaign machine.

A film pushed out of the domestic campaign looking abroad—it was a tactic that occasionally happened in Hollywood, and this time, Echoes of a Family had taken that path. Since its artistic quality was already proven, many were rooting for it to return from Berlin with meaningful results.

On the other hand, members of Harvey's campaign team showed signs of anxiety.

"...Is this for real?"

"They won't actually win anything over there, right?"

Under the current circumstances, Echoes of a Family wouldn't even get nominated for an Academy Award. Harvey had gone around disparaging ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the film as "cliché" and asking, "A family story at the turn of the century?" while running a massive campaign to steer all the votes toward his own productions.

In such a situation, what if that film went to the Berlin International Film Festival and won a major award? Harvey Weinstein's influence—and by extension, the authority of the Academy itself—might be called into question.

Of course, within the United States, the prestige of the Berlin International Film Festival was lower ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠than that of the Academy Awards. In fact, many Americans didn't even know it existed, or if they did, they only thought of it as "some festival over there." Globally, however, they were on par, and in terms of artistic merit, Berlin was often rated slightly higher. Therefore, if they won in Berlin and used that for media play...

On the other end of the line, Harvey, who was listening to Albert's question, shrugged unconsciously. With a cigarette dangling from his mouth, he pondered for a moment before offering his reply.

"I'll just mobilize some journalists to downplay it. It's nothing but a local festival anyway."

And indeed, some critical eyes were beginning to question that very result.

"Why, because they're the foreign press? Don't worry about it. It's the truth. It's just a local festival."

"We are different, Mr. Payne. The center of the world is America."

Harvey asserted confidently, as if telling him not to worry. But the moment he hung up, he let out a long, pent-up sigh.

"Whew... Sion. That son of a bitch."

Thanks to him, things had gotten troublesome. Harvey pictured Sion's brazen face from the party they had met at. Although he couldn't be one hundred percent sure, he couldn't shake the feeling that this Berlin submission had been orchestrated under his lead. That kid is no mere actor. He's harboring a venomous serpent inside.

"...Damn it, I'll have to thoroughly undermine Berlin's prestige."

Since the matter was already out of his hands, there was no other way. Thus, Harvey Weinstein could only pray with all his heart. Please, let Echoes of a Family leave empty-handed.

February 10, 1999, 7:00 PM, Grand Hyatt Hotel, Berlin. The opening day of the Berlin International Film Festival had arrived. The excitement was gradually building, much like the faint lights glowing from the screening halls outside.

"Oho..."

Jack Nicholson let out an exclamation of admiration as he looked over Sion, who had emerged fully styled in his tuxedo. Before heading to the Berlinale Palast, the festival's main venue, for the red carpet and the screening of Echoes of a Family, Sion's face—slightly sharp due to not fully adjusting to the jet lag—was incredibly striking. He looked like the absolute definition of an actor.

Jack chuckled and turned to Tom Cruise beside him.

"I wonder what the reaction will be?"

"Hahaha! I'm sure it'll be the same for you, Jack."

"That goes for you too, Tom."

Three men representing the past, present, and future of Hollywood. Along with Kate Winslet, who played Nancy, and director Robert Benton, these five attended the Berlin International Film Festival as the team representing Echoes of a Family. Throughout ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the event, they planned to promote the film through interviews, photocalls, and red carpet appearances.

In a competition section like this, on-site promotion was just as crucial as the quality of the film itself. The immediate reaction of the crowd could never be ignored. While the final decision ultimately rested with the jury, they were only human, and the possibility of their minds being swayed by the next day's newspaper headlines could not be overlooked.

The Echoes of a Family team was desperate enough to rely on even that kind of luck. Sion felt the same way.

If we go home empty-handed, it'll be an absolute embarrassment.

Yet, contrary to those worries, he was confident. Glancing at Jack Nicholson's face, his conviction grew. There was no way a film where a man of that caliber had stripped away his usual persona—a film that had connected the two of them as one—would end up without a single award.

"Shall we see if this handsome face of mine works in Berlin too?"

Sion grinned as he did a final check of his reflection in the mirror, and with that, the team moved out as one.

In front of the red carpet.

Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click!

The moment they stepped out of the limousine, a barrage of camera flashes erupted. As they had rehearsed beforehand, Kate naturally stepped forward and linked arms with Sion, while Jack Nicholson joined them almost side-by-side. Meanwhile, the director and producer subtly stepped back, helping the press focus entirely on the faces of the film.

As they walked forward with an air of grandeur, Kate spoke in a tone of mild wonder.

"It feels a bit different from America."

"Well, everyone's speaking German, aren't they?"

"Oh, come on, not that. I mean the atmosphere."

"Germans can be a bit dry."

"...They can hear you, Jack."

"Don't worry. I'm saying it in English."

Jack Nicholson bantered with his usual confident demeanor. The professional young actors, Sion and Kate, were no different. They maintained flawless smiles, responding to the flashing cameras of the reporters, completely at ease as they chatted about the refined energy of the venue.

It certainly feels that way.

If the Academy Awards or the Golden Globes were closer to a grand "show," Berlin felt a bit more subdued and serious. Perhaps closer to the Sundance Film Festival Sion had attended in the past. A small crowd of fans reached over the barricades, begging for autographs, and Sion smiled warmly at them, exactly as he had hoped.

This was a stage for elegant art films. He felt he needed to clearly showcase his style here.

"The atmosphere is a bit heavy. Shall we sign some autographs before we head in?"

"...?"

"Heh, do whatever you want."

Unlike Kate, who looked puzzled, Jack Nicholson—who already knew Sion's sly, fox-like nature—burst into an amused laugh. Letting go of Kate's arm, Sion stepped up to the crowd and began signing autographs one by one for the enthusiastic fans calling out to him in German.

Hollywood stars were often targeted for autographs even at red carpet events like this. After all, they tended to be consumed as "idols" rather than "artists." Because of this, Hollywood actors invited to the competition section often bypassed signing autographs to emphasize their artistic image.

But Sion was different.

Why bother with that?

He could see the nearby PR representative constantly checking their watch, but Sion didn't care.

"I-is this really okay?"

"Why not, Kate? Your popularity here is insane too."

"Ah..."

"I don't know what they're saying, but they're all calling you 'Rose.'"

"And you... don't look like 'Cal' right now."

"Is it because I'm greater than the movie?"

"Wow, look at this arrogant brat."

Jack chuckled heartily as he, too, began signing posters and markers thrust forward by the fans.

"And you happen to be 'Jack' too, just like in Titanic. Wow, Rose, Cal, and Jack are all here."

Around then, the PR representative stepped in, urging them that they had to go inside. Kate and Jack immediately pulled back, but Sion looked at the fans gazing at him with pleading eyes and assessed the situation.

First of all, I need to make sure we make a splash in tomorrow's local papers.

He needed to create a beautiful picture. After a brief thought, Sion gently kissed the back of a fan's hand as she practically leaned over the barricade. The crowd erupted in screams.

Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click!

Amidst the torrential downpour of camera flashes, Sion delivered the German phrase he had prepared.

"Ich liebe euch, Berlin!"

'I love you, Berlin!' With that single phrase, tomorrow's local headlines were set.

Inside the theater, just before the screening of Echoes of a Family following the red carpet event. Journalists, jury members, and actors who had gathered from all over Europe for the Berlin International Film Festival looked at the tall, handsome actor standing in front of the screen with a mix of emotions.

Most of them already knew what Sion had pulled on the red carpet just moments before. The eyes of nearly two thousand audience members were locked onto one person.

Directly onto Sion Lee.

Did they say he was of French descent?

His face is far too good to be kept only in America.

But his overall style is definitely very American. Flashy and exaggerated.

Though right now, he actually seems a bit quieter than the rumors suggested...

Flashy on the red carpet. Humble in front of the screen. Freely swapping between the masks people desired, Sion had undeniably become the center of attention from the very start of the festival.

Some found his attitude uncomfortable, dismissing it as "too Hollywood," but that sentiment was easily smoothed over by Jack Nicholson standing right beside him.

Hearing those words, many in the audience wore expressions mixed with various emotions. A titan among titans in the global film industry, not just in Europe, he had completely stripped away his usual larger-than-life persona. He spoke in a relaxed manner, almost positioning himself as a father figure to Sion.

Then, he nudged Sion's ribs with his elbow.

A man highly praised by Jack Nicholson himself. Although Sion Lee was already famous in Europe, that was strictly as a "Hollywood star." What kind of performance could a flashy, handsome actor—the very symbol of consumerist celebrity culture—possibly deliver to make the legendary Jack Nicholson speak of him as his successor?

Setting aside their prejudices, the audience watched as the film began. What unfolded before them was the inevitability of life's trajectory.

A complex way ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to put it.

Perhaps because he had not only acted in it but had also watched it several times, the profound thought struck him out of nowhere as he stared at the screen. Yet, Sion felt such philosophical rhetoric suited the film quite well. If expressed too simply, the weight of life would be lost. If made too complex, it would alienate the general audience. In that sense, Echoes of a Family was a film that could be interpreted as deeply as one wished, yet even when viewed at face value, it was a deeply moving piece that allowed viewers to feel and connect through the actors' expressions and actions.

I've worked hard to build up the buzz.

Now, all that was left was the reaction. At the Berlin International Film Festival, the standing ovation after the film was crucial. A minimum of three minutes was standard, a polite nod to the effort of making the film—meaning it was "just average." Five minutes or more meant a "good movie," but still unlikely to win. Seven minutes, however, meant "Oh? This is promising." And anything over ten minutes marked it as a "strong contender for an award."

How long would the applause last? Sion waited for the reaction with the anticipation of someone presenting a beautifully wrapped gift.

Meanwhile, sitting in the very front row, Angela Molina, the President of the Jury for the Berlin International Film Festival, stared at Sion's face on the screen and let out a disbelieving chuckle.

I've already seen it, but seeing it on the big screen is a completely different experience.

The flashiness he had displayed just moments ago was nowhere to be found. On screen, there was only a desperate, ordinary young man of the working class trying to survive in this era. His acting was so powerful that it completely erased his natural, striking good looks. Angela, in her mature years, found herself absorbing the emotions and pain of a youth she thought she could no longer fully understand, reflecting on her own past and present through the film.

At one point, she instinctively covered the German subtitles on the screen with her hand. And then she realized.

I can't perfectly understand the dialogue... but I can still feel it.

She knew exactly what emotion the film was trying to convey.

This is truly unbelievable.

Everyone in the theater was thinking the exact same thing. This was a film about connection and the restoration of relationships that transcended language. A father and son who could never seem to connect... finally understood each other, not through cheap words, but by pouring their emotions into the medium of sound.

He was an actor capable of this kind of performance...?

Now I see why Jack Nicholson praised him so highly.

Dumbfounded, the audience sank deeper and deeper into the film with every passing second. Over the course of more than two hours, their cold palms grew damp with sweat. Everyone was experiencing a burning warmth and a profound sadness in their hearts all at once.

As the credits began to roll, a heavy silence hung over the theater for a long moment.

"..."

"..."

Kate Winslet looked slightly anxious. Sion and Jack, however, casually crossed their legs and waited for the reaction. Finally, as the lingering emotions settled, people began to stand up one by one and applaud. The standing ovation, starting from a few sections, gradually spread throughout the entire theater.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes. Time flowed steadily, and eventually, every single person was on their feet. The enthusiastic applause they showered upon the stage carried an energy that felt almost like Hollywood itself.

Sion grinned amidst the roaring applause and stood up to acknowledge it. Then, as he always did, he cracked a joke to the man standing next to him.

"Father, can you hear this sound?"

"I'm not deaf yet, you brat."

Looking at Jack's glistening eyes, Sion leaned in and whispered in his ear.

"It's okay. You can cry."

Because this was the moment. The first screening of this year's Berlin Film Festival. The applause left behind an unprecedented record of thirteen minutes and thirty-seven seconds.