Chapter 24: A Bit Tricky

The senior figures had departed, leaving only Hou Keming, who concurrently served as the director of the Youth Film Studio.

"Cao Yang, what are your thoughts? Do you want the Youth Film Studio to handle the distribution alone, or should we partner with China Film Group?"

As the vice president of the academy, Hou Keming spoke to Cao Yang in a consultative tone, devoid of any airs.

"Since we’re all on the same side, I'll be blunt. The Youth Film Studio has limited funds and its distribution channels are what they are. If we go it alone, we can't afford to mass-produce prints all at once, unlike the deep-pocketed China Film Group. With piracy as rampant as it is now, even if the attendance is decent, the market will be flooded with bootlegs before we can even release a second batch of prints."

Cao Yang thought for a moment and made his decision. "Then let's partner with China Film Group for the release."

In the current domestic market, even the best word-of-mouth is useless. There is too much piracy, making long-term theatrical runs unfeasible; the bulk of the box office is concentrated within the first ten days or so. Famous directors and stars bring their own reputation and hype, attracting audiences in the first few days, which usually ensures a respectable box office. Consequently, directors nowadays tend to favor hiring big stars—as long as the opening box office is decent, who cares about the long-term reputation? This phenomenon will persist for a long time.

As Cao Yang left the office and headed back to the Directing Department, he saw a banner: "Congratulations to our school’s Director Cao Yang for achieving great success and returning with honors from the Berlin International Film Festival."

The school was making quite a fuss. He had seen a large red banner at the main gate, but he hadn't expected one inside the campus as well. It wasn't as if he had won the Golden Bear; there was no need for such a spectacle. Next time he had the chance to stand on the podium at one of the "Big Three" European festivals, he would have to promote the school even more—not for any other reason, but as a sense of duty as a student of the Beijing Film Academy.

Upon reaching Old Situ's office, he saw him still reviewing the script he had delivered that morning. Cao Yang didn't disturb him; he simply refilled Old Situ’s insulated mug and sat on the sofa to wait. He inadvertently noticed over a dozen bound documents on the desk and, thumbing through them, realized they were all scripts.

Old Situ set down the script, lit a cigarette, and after a puff, said with a smile, "I don't know where those kids heard the news, but they found out you submitted a script to me first. They must think the Youth Film Studio only invested in you because I recommended it to the school."

He took another drag and continued, "So, a dozen students wrote scripts and brought them to me. At first, I was interested. I picked one—the best of the bunch, I suppose—and called the person in. But ha! They haven't even learned to walk yet, and they’re already indulging in wild fantasies."

Cao Yang didn't know what to say, so he just smiled and remained silent.

Old Situ stubbed out his cigarette, tapped the script on the table, and said, "The concept is clever. It’s a piece that speaks for women, which is inherently favored by European film festivals. Looking at this, it reminds me of a Taiwanese film called *Vive L'Amour*; the entry point is similar, but the core is completely different."

He took a sip of water and added, "The male and female leads have almost no lines of dialogue, which places high demands on the actors' performances. Regarding the artistic side of the film, I’m not as adept as Old Xie, so I can't give you any useful advice."

"However, when it comes to censorship, this script might run into some trouble."

Cao Yang had already anticipated this. He knew exactly where the problem lay. "You mean the scenes involving the bribery of the police officers?"

"Exactly. It's not just the bribery; there's the torture to extract confessions and the beatings in prison. The key issue is that none of these people face legal consequences. Legal retribution is the crucial point—just having the protagonist beat them up isn't enough."

"I’ve considered all that. That’s why I hinted that these are all the female lead’s imagination. Even the male lead himself is a projection, created by the female lead who is on the verge of a mental breakdown from years of domestic abuse. If the bribery, torture, and beatings all happen to the male lead, and he doesn't exist, they are all fake. Is that still not acceptable?"

Old Situ lit another cigarette, took a puff, and replied, "In my experience, it’s difficult. You can’t overestimate the audience's comprehension. Things that require careful scrutiny of a film's details to understand might not be grasped by the average viewer, and they won't necessarily analyze a movie that closely. Their first impression will be: 'Wow, the cop was bribed, there was torture, the prison guard beat someone...' That is where the problem lies."

Cao Yang pondered this. Old Situ was right; one couldn't expect everyone to dig into the details of a film, nor could one expect everyone to understand one's intentions. The gap between individuals can be quite vast. He had wanted to test whether virtualizing the male lead would make it passable, but it seemed he had been too optimistic.

This film was translated as *Empty Room*, which wasn't entirely accurate. Strangely enough, the earliest title was even more ridiculous: *Seduction in an Empty Room*, making it sound like a cheap adult film.

The original title was *3-Iron*. A 3-iron is a type of golf club—a less frequently used one that is longer than standard clubs and has a lower loft, making it difficult to aim the ball into the hole. Yet, many people still buy this club and let it collect dust in their bags. The name fits the plot perfectly, both in appearance and metaphor. On the surface, the male lead repeatedly sneaks into temporarily vacant rooms, and the few times he uses a golf ball to strike someone, he uses that very club. The metaphor is that the golf ball symbolizes violence in the film.

Cao Yang had wanted to add a few ambiguous details to allow viewers who delved deeper to infer that the female lead, unable to resist domestic violence, had imagined a savior for herself. The female lead was frequently abused by her husband, pushing her to the brink of a breakdown; her predicament and suppression made her crave freedom and dignity, which is why the seemingly "unfettered" male lead appeared.

Because he knew it would be hard to pass censorship, Cao Yang had tried to modify it by virtualizing the male lead, but it seemed even that wouldn't suffice.

In truth, passing censorship would be simple: change the setting to either abroad or Hong Kong. But filming in Hong Kong at this stage was troublesome; all staff and actors would need work visas, equipment would require import permits, and filming in public spaces would need official authorization. These things took time, and Cao Yang couldn't afford the delay if he wanted to make it to the Venice Film Festival in September.

Seeing Cao Yang silent, Old Situ, fearing he might become disillusioned and harbor resentment toward the censorship system like the Fifth Generation directors, offered some words of comfort.

"While the censorship system can sometimes be biased and is often criticized, it is undeniable that—setting aside grand theories—it acts as a decent barrier for preventing cultural infiltration and establishing values for the youth. You are still young; you may not feel it deeply or might disagree, but in time, you will come to understand."

Cao Yang nodded and smiled. "It's alright, Teacher. Don't worry, I understand. In fact, I already have a solution in mind. I'll just reconsider which approach is better."

Leaving Old Situ's office, Cao Yang looked up at the bright sun and whispered to himself, "I'll go ask Old Tian. He has experience with banned films; let's see what advice he has."