Chapter 15: Immersion or Illusion.
The film had no big action scenes. Strictly speaking, it was just a story about three or four people: the boy and the doctor, the boy and his mother, the doctor and his wife. David Fincher had grasped the theme perfectly — the thriller elements were only the wrapping; communication and family love were what the movie truly wanted to express.
Although David Fincher's strict standards kept the pace from being fast, it wasn't slow either. As time passed, both Al Pacino and Nicole Kidman were in better and better form. Ryan, however, kept running into trouble — it was taking him longer and longer to come out of character.
"Cut!"
After David Fincher called for the stop, Ryan remained frozen in the high-backed chair, unable to snap back to reality. It was as if the whole world had abandoned him and he could only hide inside his own mind, seeking comfort and protection.
This wasn't the first time it had happened. Before, Al Pacino and the crew had tried to approach him, but the moment they got close, Ryan would become terrified, shrinking and panicking exactly like Cole when he saw a ghost in the script.
Only Nicole Kidman could approach him safely during these moments. Only her arms could give him the warmth and safety he needed.
Several long minutes passed before Ryan finally came back to himself. He leaned heavily against the chair and let out a long breath. People always said great actors could enter and exit a role at will. So what was this? He could only go in — he couldn't come out. What kind of acting was that?
Especially when he sank into Cole's world, the darkest memories from his previous-life childhood would flood his mind and take over.
"Ryan, you need to rest," David Fincher said seriously.
"No, David." Ryan shook his head firmly. "I'm in my best state right now. Please trust me, okay?"
David Fincher tried to persuade him a few more times, but seeing Ryan's determination, he finally returned to the director's chair and started preparing the next shot. The coming scene was one of the most important in the entire film.
Weak light spilled across the hallway. With a soft click, the door opened a crack. The boy in shorts and a T-shirt poked his head out, his pale face full of hesitation. He was scared.
After looking left and right, he finally made up his mind and slipped into the bathroom with awkward, hurried steps.
Suddenly the boy felt something pass behind him. He turned slowly, terrified, and stood frozen in front of the toilet, looking so lonely and helpless.
After hesitating for a long time, he decided to check. He walked slowly, his hesitation turning into unease. From the kitchen came the sound of utensils. He thought his mother was making breakfast and felt a little calmer.
He stepped into the brightly lit kitchen and asked tentatively, "Mom?"
The woman in the pink nightgown spun around and spoke in a low, shrill voice. "No! Dinner isn't ready yet. What do you want?"
Her face was covered in ugly purple bruises. Combined with her hysterical expression, she looked terrifying. She roared in fury and thrust out her hands — both wrists were covered in deep knife scars. "You can't hurt me anymore, Lenny! You're the one who made me like this!"
The boy could no longer bear the horrifying sight. He spun around and ran desperately back to his bedroom. But the female ghost's hysterical screams still chased him. Without thinking, he dove into the little red tent, facing the Virgin Mary and Jesus statues he had collected from the church. Helpless, despairing tears fell amid his suppressed sobs.
"Cut!"
Everyone, including David Fincher, breathed a sigh of relief. They hadn't expected this crucial sequence to pass in one take. The boy was incredible. Combined with everything they had seen from him over the past month, the only word that fit was "genius."
Yet inside the red tent that everyone had overlooked, Ryan still sat motionless on the floor. The loneliness, helplessness, and despair on his face didn't fade — they grew stronger. The bright sky-blue eyes gradually lost their light, and tears poured out like a broken dam.
The black-haired, black-eyed little boy was abnormally thin. The clothes he wore were old and patched in many places, and the heavy black schoolbag on his back almost bent his spine.
He pushed open the classroom door with force. A few classmates were playing nearby. Their eyes flashed with unfriendly light, then they scattered. As he walked toward his seat, someone started it and soon the whole class was chanting in unison, "Idiot! Beggar! Idiot! Beggar!"
The little boy bit his lower lip hard. He didn't even notice the blood. His body trembled uncontrollably, tears rolling in his eyes, but he stubbornly refused to let them fall.
"Idiot! Beggar!"
The chanting grew louder. He couldn't take it anymore. He yanked off the black schoolbag and swung it at the closest boy's head — one, two…
"You're nothing but trouble for us! Why can't you just endure it when they insult you? Look at all of you — you're all unwanted kids your parents threw away. What? You dare glare at me? I'll teach you to glare…"
The orphanage director slapped the boy again and again. The boy bit his lip even harder, but there were no tears left in his eyes.
"Ryan!" David Fincher called out. When he saw that Ryan still didn't respond and blood was seeping from the corner of his mouth, while the bright sapphire-like eyes were losing their light, he shouted urgently, "Quick! Go get Miss Kidman!"
Nicole was in the middle of removing her makeup. She didn't even put on shoes — she ran barefoot, ignoring everything around her, and rushed straight into the red tent. She pulled Ryan tightly into her arms.
"Ryan! Ryan! Wake up!"
Ryan just stared blankly ahead, as if only his body remained. Nicole's heart trembled violently. She could feel the boy growing cold — not physically, but in his soul. The Ryan she knew, the Ryan she loved, the Ryan she had depended on for years, was drifting farther and farther away, as if he might disappear at any moment.
"No~ Ryan! Come back!"
Nicole Kidman pressed her forehead tightly against his, trying to warm his gradually freezing soul with her own body heat, trying to call back the most important person in her life with her deep, loving voice.
"Damn it! I knew it! I knew I shouldn't have let you film this cursed movie! Ryan, I swear! If you don't wake up, I will send you to boarding school — a Catholic one! I swear to God and Satan at the same time! I swear I will personally tear down that orphanage that dragged you into pain and darkness! I will send that black pig of a director to Alcatraz!"
Panic filled Nicole's eyes. In her hysteria she had no idea what she was saying. Luckily there were no Black crew members present, or she would have been in serious trouble.
Seeing the blood on Ryan's bitten lip, Nicole could no longer hold back. Her blue eyes flickered, and two large tears rolled down.
The tears slid across her fair cheek, carrying her breath and the feelings that had seeped into her soul, then fell onto Ryan's cheek and lips, landing in the heart that had been slowly overtaken by coldness and darkness.
The young man's personality was extremely stubborn, just like the short black hair standing upright on his head. He watched the beautiful woman walk farther and farther away. The person who had given him ten years of warmth and light finally disappeared from his world forever. From that moment on, dark clouds covered the sun and darkness replaced the light.
Time jumped to that night again. The young man, drunk, smelly, and numb as a piece of rotten wood, opened another can of beer and raised it to his throat. Suddenly two drops of liquid fell from above and landed on his face.
"Why does this feel so familiar? This scent… this feeling…" The young man finally remembered something. His hand loosened and the beer bottle shattered on the floor.
"Anna? No! This is Nicole!"
"Anna? Nicole!" Hearing Ryan finally speak from inside her arms, Nicole said urgently, "Ryan, I'm here! I'm right beside you! I'm not going anywhere!"
Ryan's eyes blinked. The blank stare gradually regained its light. The sky-blue pupils grew brighter and brighter. Nicole could feel it — the familiar Ryan had come back. Only… only she had an indescribable feeling that Ryan seemed a little different now.
"I'm sorry, Nicole. I made you worry." Ryan held her tightly, as if only this embrace in the whole world could bring him warmth and peace.
"Ryan, if… if it's possible, please don't scare me like that again, okay?" Nicole breathed heavily, still not fully calm.
"Don't worry, Nicole. I just remembered a lot of dark memories."
"Then… who is Anna?" After living together for so many years, Nicole had become sensitive to certain things.
"An… Anna?" Ryan was a born actor. The surprised expression on his face was completely natural. "I said — 'I'm at ease,' Nicole!"
He deliberately slowed down and pronounced it clearly so she could hear it perfectly.
"Nicole, I think Ryan needs rest!" David Fincher walked over at that moment. "You don't have many scenes left. I'll give you a few days off. Take Ryan somewhere and relax. He got too deep into the role."
Too deep into the role? Ryan sighed. He had long stopped being able to tell whether he was too immersed or had fallen into an illusion.
"Alright." Nicole agreed and looked down at the boy in her arms. "Where do you want to go, Ryan?"
"New York!" Without even thinking, Ryan gave the answer instinctively.