"Christopher Nolan? Following?"
Gilbert couldn't quite recall, but in his past life, Nolan's first feature film, Following, had been screened at the San Francisco Film Festival.
It was also this film that brought Nolan some attention, eventually leading him to Hollywood.
However, perhaps due to the butterfly effect, Following was now being showcased at the Sundance Film Festival instead.
Out of curiosity, Gilbert bought a ticket and went to watch it.
Unlike the overwhelming popularity of Chicago, this experimental film by an unknown director failed to impress the audience.
Although some of the shots were quite creative, the rough production quality made it incomparable to the polished Chicago. As a result, Following did not win over the festival audience, but it did catch Gilbert's attention.
A future visionary director like Nolan was someone Gilbert couldn't afford to miss.
Sophia specialized in independent films, and James Gunn alone wasn't enough. Melon Studios still lacked a well-known, influential director besides Gilbert himself.
Nolan had great potential and a unique vision—he was worth cultivating.
After watching the film, Gilbert instructed his assistant, Anna, to reach out to Nolan and see if he was interested in joining Melon Studios to develop his career in Hollywood.
Anna quickly located Nolan, who happened to be at the festival with his wife, Emma Thomas.
Following had garnered some attention, but the spotlight of this year's Sundance Film Festival was entirely stolen by Chicago, leaving Nolan feeling a bit discouraged.
Emma comforted him, saying, "Don't worry, darling. I've spoken to a few distributors, and they're willing to buy the film's rights. At the very least, we won't lose money."
Nolan sighed. "But they're all independent distributors. No major Hollywood company is interested in our film. This feels like a failure.
I should've listened to you and submitted it to the San Francisco Film Festival instead."
Emma had originally suggested screening Following at the San Francisco Film Festival. However, something deep inside Nolan told him Sundance was the right place, so he had come here instead.
As the couple lamented their situation, someone approached them.
"Mr. Nolan, Gilbert's assistant, Anna, would like to meet you."
"Gilbert?" The Nolans were both taken aback. Nolan asked, "You mean Gilbert, the director?"
"Uh… yes, but it's his assistant who wants to meet you."
"It's the same thing. Without Gilbert's approval, even his assistant is a big deal to us—someone we'd never normally have the chance to meet." Nolan was overjoyed. "Quick, invite her in!"
The couple had been sitting in a hotel café, sipping coffee when Anna, dressed in a professional business suit and high heels, confidently approached them.
After handing her coat to a waiter, she took a seat across from the Nolans.
"Would you like something to drink?"
"Just a black coffee, please…"
Once the waiter left, Anna introduced herself. "Hello, Director Nolan, I'm Anna Singh, Gilbert's assistant."
"Nice to meet you, Miss Singh. This is my wife, Emma Thomas."
After the introductions, the conversation began.
When it came to social interactions, Emma was clearly more adept than Nolan, so she took the lead in speaking with Anna.
"Miss Singh, may I ask what this meeting is about?" Emma knew the answer but asked anyway.
As expected, Anna's response was not surprising. "My boss saw your film Following and found it very interesting. He wants to know if you'd be interested in joining Melon Studios."
"As an assistant director under Gilbert?" Emma asked.
Sophia Coppola had risen to fame with Good Will Hunting, becoming one of the hottest young directors in Hollywood. She had earned her opportunity to direct independently after working closely under Gilbert for years.
Anna didn't deny it. "To direct independently, one must first prove their capabilities."
Saying this, Anna handed them a business card. "If you're interested, come to Melon Studios in Los Angeles.
Gilbert is leaving this afternoon, but he will meet you in Los Angeles. Think it over."
With her task complete, Anna didn't linger. She bid farewell and left the couple to consider the offer.
Nolan turned to his wife. "What do you think? Should we go?"
Emma smiled. "It's your decision, darling. But I don't think meeting him would hurt."
Nolan nodded, making up his mind. "Let's wait until the festival ends. If no other opportunities come up, we'll go to Melon Studios—even if I have to start as an assistant director."
Emma squeezed her husband's hand in support. "I believe in you, darling. Whatever you decide, I'll support you."
Their hands clasped tightly as they faced the uncertainties of the future together.
After making a brief appearance at Sundance, the Chicago team didn't stay long. They returned to Los Angeles soon after.
Following its debut at Sundance, reviews for Chicago started rolling in.
"The film, in what appears to be a tone of praise, thoroughly satirizes the restless mindset of the 1920s, as represented by Chicago. Surprisingly, its themes remain relevant even decades later.
A classic lyric in the movie states that murder can be an art, and the brilliance of the film can be summed up as 'shamelessness can be an art.'" — Variety
"Gilbert has inherited Bob Fosse's style and boldly crafted the entire film as Roxie's hallucination.
He fully exploited the musical potential of the actors—Naomi Watts and Tom Cruise delivered outstanding performances, while Hollywood newcomer Catherine Zeta-Jones showcased her mature acting skills.
Additionally, he infused sequences like the 'Cell Block Tango' and the manipulation of the media with remarkable visual creativity, making the film an absolute treat for moviegoers." — Los Angeles Business Journal
"An innovative musical film experience. Never before have I felt the need to hold my bladder while watching a musical, but Chicago achieved that. It delivers both depth and entertainment.
Depth is not typically a strong suit of musicals, so Chicago stands out with its sharp social critique and vividly crafted characters." — Chicago Sun-Times, Roger Ebert
If these reviews from newspapers and film critics might still be suspected of PR manipulation, then the overwhelmingly positive reception from Sundance audiences speaks for itself.
Unlike the Toronto Film Festival, which has an older demographic, Sundance audiences are younger.
Young people now love sharing their opinions online, and so the word-of-mouth praise for Chicago began spreading rapidly across the internet.
"All three lead actors deserve an Oscar!
And seriously, films with such tight pacing, zero dull moments, and such meticulous cinematography are rare."
"This movie is phenomenal, even outside the musical genre! The scene transitions are amazing! The puppet show sequence was dripping with satire and was so well-executed! And the part where the female inmates tell their stories—brilliant!!!"
"Absolutely worth going to the theater for. I promise you won't regret it. If you don't watch it, you'll regret it for life."
"In my opinion, the best integration of musical choreography and storytelling. It's been twenty minutes since I last heard Pop, Six, Squish, Ah-ah, Cicero, Lipschitz, He Had It Coming, and I'm suffering withdrawal..."
"Wait... how did you manage to post a voice message?"
These comments from a small number of Sundance viewers were like a stone dropped into a still lake, instantly stirring up waves.
Gilbert's marketing team hadn't even launched their campaign yet, but thanks to word of mouth, the film was already attracting attention.
This is the advantage of online publicity. Unlike the past, when word-of-mouth could only spread within an audience's immediate social circle, the internet allows people to share their thoughts with countless strangers.
In this era, online discourse was still in its infancy, and people were more trusting, easily believing in the credibility of viral recommendations.
But Chicago was truly deserving of the hype. While it was still screening at Sundance, its limited release in North American theaters had already begun.
"Hey, Evans, are you really not going?"
In New York,Ruiz planned to attend an advance screening of Chicago, but Evans wasn't interested.
Evans shook his head. "No, man, it's a musical. I have zero interest."
"But it's directed by Gilbert, and it stars Tom Cruise and Naomi Watts," Ruiz argued.
"Even if Gilbert himself were dancing in it, I still wouldn't care," Evans insisted. He really wasn't interested.
Seeing no way to convince him, Ruiz gave up and went alone, abandoning his attempt to drag Evans along.
In reality, despite the overwhelmingly positive online reviews from early audiences, the musical genre still deterred many moviegoers.
Just hearing the word "musical" triggered an immediate aversion in some people, making them instinctively avoid the film. It was understandable.
This was one of the reasons why Chicago opted for a limited release instead of a full-scale opening.
Ruiz arrived at an independent theater in New York for the advance screening. The cinema was showing both Chicago and Shakespeare in Love.
Even though Chicago was technically an independent film, it clearly had stronger box office appeal than Shakespeare in Love.
It made sense—after all, this was Tom Cruise. How could Joseph Fiennes possibly compete with him?
Likewise, while Gwyneth Paltrow had become famous earlier than Naomi Watts, she couldn't match Watts' current star power.
And then there was Catherine Zeta-Jones, whose beauty and charisma simply overshadowed Paltrow's.
On top of all that, Gilbert himself was a major draw. No matter how much publicity Joseph Fiennes and Gwyneth Paltrow's rumored romance had generated, it couldn't make Shakespeare in Love as buzzworthy as Chicago.
That said, for Shakespeare in Love, box office buzz wasn't the priority—the real goal was winning an Oscar.
But Ruiz wasn't concerned with all that. He had come purely because of his trust in Gilbert's reputation.
And as it turned out, Chicago delivered an exhilarating cinematic experience.
That rush of excitement started at his feet and shot straight to his head.
Who knew a musical could be as thrilling as a blockbuster action film?
He had been wrong—how could he have been so narrow-minded as to think Gilbert would make an outdated musical? Chicago redefined what a musical could be.
When Ruiz returned, he was so excited that he grabbed his friend Evans by the shoulders and shook him.
"Man, you have no idea what you're missing! This film is incredible—unparalleled! I swear, it's the best musical I've ever seen."
Evans, feeling a bit dizzy from being shaken, was skeptical. "You're not messing with me, right?"
"Messing with you?" Ruiz reacted as if he had been insulted. "I would never! Just go watch it.
If it's not amazing, I'll give you the phone number of that hot girl we met at the bar the other night."
Evans was convinced. "Alright then. Let's go tomorrow. But I'm still taking that girl's number."
"Deal."
...
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