Finally, "The Butterfly Effect" officially started filming.
Typically, a film crew chooses a simple and light scene for the first shoot—an easy take to bring good luck, implying a good start.
This was true even when Gus was filming "Elephant."
However, McGee and Eric, the two rookie directors, didn't follow the usual approach. Instead, they chose an extremely challenging scene for the first shoot, and it was also a crucial one.
In the movie, Evan has had a problem with short-term memory loss since childhood. He often can't remember certain moments—he was there, but his memory is blank.
For example, Evan remembers that when he was seven years old, Keller's father bought a video camera. He recalls being asked to stand in front of the camera with Keller and remove their shirts, supposedly to shoot a video.
But he doesn't remember what happened afterward.
Evan finds Keller and cautiously probes what happened that afternoon, never expecting Keller to avoid the topic and become emotionally unstable, crying uncontrollably. Later, Keller ends her own life.
This incident shocks Evan deeply.
At this turning point, Evan uses his diary for the first time to return to the past, back to that afternoon when he was seven, and stops Keller's father in his own way—
That afternoon, nothing happened.
Then...
When Evan wakes up and returns to the current timeline, the butterfly effect takes place.
Keller doesn't have any childhood trauma; she hasn't lost her ability to love and trust. She ends up with Evan, and they become a loving couple, entering college hand in hand, beginning a new and happy life.
Everything is as beautiful as a fairy tale.
Evan feels both confused and lost. He's not sure if he should believe all of this is real, unsure of when happiness might slip through his fingers, and unsure if he's in a dream.
But at the same time, even if it's just a dream, Evan wants to hold onto it tightly, to enjoy this happiness for just a little longer. Even if it's stolen happiness, he wants to savor it cautiously, even if only for a fleeting moment.
In fact, Evan's sense of foreboding is correct—
Because of Evan's interference, Keller's father didn't hurt her and instead vented all his anger on Keller's younger brother, Tommy. This caused Tommy to become paranoid and twisted.
After learning that Evan and Keller were together, Tommy lost his last emotional anchor. So, he grabbed a baseball bat and charged at Evan, eventually causing a tragedy.
Of course, Evan has no way of predicting the future and doesn't know that danger is approaching.
The scene shifts back to the film crew.
The scene about to be shot is an important intimate one in this timeline.
After Evan returns to the current timeline after altering the past, he experiences a day of chaos, collision, and exploration. When night falls, Evan finally finds a bit of reality:
He has achieved happiness.
Keller is in his arms, visible, tangible, and perceptible. Yet, the lingering feeling of precariousness and unease remains, making him tread carefully, as if walking on a tightrope.
The first scene takes place on a bed, right after the two have had sex.
To be precise, this scene happens mid-film, and it doesn't connect to the beginning or the end. Anson is completely puzzled as to why Eric and McGee chose this scene to be the first one filmed—
The difficulty lies in Evan's mindset. His constant anxiety that everything before him is just an illusion—a flower in a mirror or the moon in water—is layered. It's not just worry or fear; there's a deeper sense of caution and hesitation.
In the past, Ashton Kutcher played this scene like a simple romantic drama—a big boy rediscovering the joy and happiness of his beloved toy.
This approach isn't necessarily wrong, but it turns Keller into a mere trophy, insufficient to convey the true meaning of happiness. Additionally, it makes Evan's psychological arc superficial, unable to display the complexities of fate.
Anson isn't sure if he can portray a new perspective; however, as the first scene of the shoot, he isn't confident either.
The challenge also lies in the chemistry between Anson and Rachel, as this is a scene that requires both parties to be fully open with each other. A single bedsheet won't be enough to dispel the awkwardness and unfamiliarity of two strangers in an intimate scene.
However...
McGee and Eric insist.
They sit down with both actors for an in-depth discussion to express their viewpoints:
They believe that starting with this scene aims to break the ice.
The emotional bond between Evan and Keller is undoubtedly the core of the entire film. At its essence, it's a pure love story. However, the key is that the film doesn't have the time to spend a lot of effort depicting the emotional tension between the two. The script and the movie leave no room for it; the directors must rely on the actors' chemistry.
So, they want to break the ice and break the barriers by throwing the two actors into an extreme environment right from the first scene, laying the foundation for the entire film.
Anson protests, saying there are many ways to break the ice, and it's unnecessary to do it this way.
But McGee disagrees. It's clear he has imagined it countless times in his mind.
"I read an interview where Wong Kar-wai, while filming 'Happy Together,' had Tony Leung's first scene in Argentina as an intimate one with Leslie Cheung."
"Moreover, Tony Leung thought he was playing a character attending a funeral."
"It wasn't until after that scene was shot that he finally realized what was going on."
"That's the effect I want."
"Anson, you can do it."
It turns out McGee has been eager to imitate the master's approach. The problem is, not everyone can mimic Wong Kar-wai.
Unexpectedly, Gus didn't imitate Wong Kar-wai when filming "Elephant," but McGee and Eric are trying to follow in Wong Kar-wai's footsteps with "The Butterfly Effect." Anson doesn't know if this is good or bad.
After all, imitation, if not done carefully, can turn into a disastrous endeavor. Countless new directors think they are learning from the masters but fail to realize that poor imitation only exposes their shortcomings.
There may not be a hundred directors trying to imitate Wong Kar-wai, but there are at least eighty, and the results have been disastrous. Almost none survived. Whether McGee and Eric have the directing skills to handle this scene remains to be seen.
Moreover...
Anson understands McGee's intention; he gets it and can attempt such a performance. "I can do it, but the key is..."
What about Rachel?
Unexpectedly, Rachel interrupts Anson. She seems to have anticipated his concern and, noticing his gaze, speaks up before he can. "I have no problem."
After speaking, Rachel swallows nervously, quickly glancing at Anson before looking away. It's clear she's tense and anxious, but she straightens her back, trying to show confidence—
She is ready.