Chapter 273: 《influenza》 First Break
“Wah woo!”
“Ahhhh!! Damn it!”
“Mommy, these zombies are way too realistic… scared the hell out of me!”
Back row.
With the initial simple shot transitions, Fu Jie’s girlfriend was scared into screaming— not because she was timid, but mainly because Influenza really invested heavily in the special effects zombies.
During the pre-broadcast period of Xing Ni, Influenza’s post-production was being polished, to the point where several investors ran off without money, showing the team’s “dedication” to bloodsucking.
If not for this, Chi Ye wouldn’t have gotten involved in this project.
Later, both Chi Ye and Jin Sui invested huge sums, and even required every extra in Influenza to train for about half a year in “zombie dance,” so Influenza’s sincerity and effects were explosive.
Plus, it was in a top movie theater for genre films at the Cannes Midnight Screening, making the visual, marketing, and shocking feeling extremely terrifying— immersive.
And in the following movie viewing, as the plot developed, the live audience gradually went from listless at the start, to focused, then to occasional gasps.
—Zhang Lin played by Chi Ye, due to busy work, once again brushed off his daughter’s birthday perfunctorily, and under inner guilt, he took his daughter on the high-speed train from Taipei to Kaohsiung.
To meet his ex-wife.
The shot pans down from the gray sky over Taipei Station, the platform crowded with hurried passengers.
Zhang Lin in a dark gray suit, carrying a briefcase, brows furrowed, strides quickly through the crowd, his watch on his wrist glinting in the morning light.
Trailing closely behind him is his little daughter An An—a girl with a ponytail, carrying a pink backpack, head down fiddling with her Huawei kids’ smart band, expression downcast.
Father and daughter board the high-speed train, Zhang Lin heads straight to the window seat, places the briefcase on his lap, and quickly pulls out his mobile phone to check stock trends.
An An hugs her backpack and curls up in the corner of the seat, glancing out at the flying scenery, suddenly asking softly: “Daddy, can we really see Mommy?”
Zhang Lin’s fingers slide on the screen, head not lifted, brushing her off: “Mm, we’ll see her in Kaohsiung.”
“Excuse me, excuse me…”
Suddenly a flight attendant’s voice comes from ahead, an old grandmother with a cane shuffles by unsteadily, An An blinks her big black eyes and proactively stands to give up her seat.
Zhang Lin glances over, gently presses his daughter’s shoulder, and reminds in a low voice: “No need to give up your seat in this situation.”
An An stubbornly pulls away from her father’s hand, retorting softly: “Grandmother’s knees hurt too…”
“…” Zhang Lin awkwardly withdraws his hand, just about to speak when his phone rings, he immediately answers, continuing the work call, repeatedly mentioning “fund sell-off” and “block the news.”
“…Chi Ye always likes playing these unlikeable roles.”
Ling Bingbing sees this, subconsciously purses her lips, but the next moment, she herself is stunned— she actually “hated” him the instant Chi Ye appeared.
Because of these simple shots, lines, expressions…
Such natural acting skills.
He… has improved so much since the Big Shot period.
—Zhang Lin’s setting in the movie, age, is much older than what Chi Ye played before.
Yet completely no sense of incongruity.
Ling Bingbing is surprised in her heart.
The many film distributors in the front row are also a bit surprised— not at the plot, but at Influenza’s rhythm and filming techniques… very mature, steady rhythm, fast within steady.
How fast exactly?
The shot sweeps the carriage: student couple laughing and playing, pregnant woman Li Ya played by Sheng Ning gently stroking her pregnant belly, Taiwan homeless man curled up shaking in the bathroom corner.
Zhang Lin pulls a folder from his briefcase to review files, but accidentally flips to a birthday card— the card drawn with a family holding hands pattern, corner written “Want to celebrate birthday with Daddy and Mommy.”
The train broadcast voice interweaves with the regular clacking of rails, sunlight through the window casts shadows on Zhang Lin’s profile…
Suddenly, the high-speed train broadcast carries a gentle Taiwanese accent female voice: “Next stop, Hsinchu.”
“Eh, shouldn’t the next stop be Taoyuan Station? Why announce Hsinchu?”
“What’s going on, wrong announcement again, so annoying.”
“Hey hey, play cards! Heard there’s a super hot seafood restaurant opened recently in Kaohsiung, after Zuoying Station, we head straight there to eat our fill, then to Pier-2 Art Center for night market and night views, this trip is just too awesome…”
Various noisy voices in the carriage, Zhang Lin hears the words nearby, scoffs with a curled lip, shakes his head— Taipei’s high-speed train is so unprofessional.
The shot gradually pulls back, against the train background carrying passengers of different genders, personalities, identities, a line of subtitles almost blending into the background emerges, then perfectly fades away—
April 6, 6:00 AM, virus outbreak, train departs.
In the movie theater, everyone instinctively straightens up— after just a few minutes of setup, everyone already knows this trip is destined to be “eventful.”
“Didn’t expect Asia to make movies with this kind of quality.”
Front row, a representative of one of the oligarchs says softly: “Seems very appealing.”
“Makes one look forward to the following development.”
“…Let’s see more, their special effects are better than imagined.”
Everyone initially still discussing, but as the train starts, attention and gasps come one after another, without a break midway.
From the initial virus outbreak, train departs, to sealed space bloody hunt, midway stop— desperate platform, then traversing hell carriage, and finally Kaohsiung— hope or trap?
A total of five “segments,” five small climaxes, converging into the final big climax.
The train like a countdown bomb, every station closer to Kaohsiung, survivors fewer and fewer.
During this, Zhang Lin from “only caring for family” to blocking zombies to protect Li Ya.
Li Ya from “recording the truth” to personally ending her husband.
And zombies so realistic they almost crawl out of the big screen, bloody carriage, even various metaphors between “Mainland” and “Taiwan.”
Male lead Zhang Lin initially has great bias toward Taiwan, he married his Taiwan wife, but due to various daily trifles and habit differences, they divorced, and before the train starts, he still feels Taiwan high-speed train is not as good as Mainland.
This is a superior sense of arrogance, very fitting his cold-blooded selfish character in the movie.
But along the way, he experiences many previously ignored details and things.
Taiwan student A Hao insists on saving the old man first: “Kids and elderly first!”
Before dying, he pulls out pineapple cakes to stuff to his female classmate: “A Mei, you must survive…”
Mainland travel group leader Old Wang, leading Mainland aunties group on “Taiwan island ring 5-day tour.”
He often complains Taiwan prices high, tells the group: “Buy your own mineral water! Here one bottle 5 RMB.”
Zombie outbreak, he suggests “throw suspicious people off the train.”
Zhang Lin curses him inhumane, another Taiwan grandma supporting Old Wang smiles bitterly: “This has nothing to do with where they’re from, human nature just can’t withstand the test.”
To be fair, Influenza really took “integration” between Mainland and Taiwan to the extreme, the film full of various small details, midway mutual hostility, then undivided mutual cooperation…
Thus, many Asia region movie fans in the audience, watching, many even empathize without setup.
“That’s exactly it… didn’t expect co-production to be this good.”
“I never despised anyone, used to not like Mainland much, but because of Chi Ye, really learned a lot.”
“I saw MRT, night market and betel nut stands in the zombie crowds… temple festival eight generals, wow, so detailed…”
Several Taiwan international students whispering when, on the big screen, the hell portal-like sound rings again— they’re already very familiar with this voice: “Next stop, Hsinchu.”
Hsinchu, again Hsinchu!
From the film’s start, every station the train passes, broadcast announces “Next stop, Hsinchu,” at first everyone thought the broadcast broken, but later realize every announcement accompanies more dangerous attacks and deaths.
And this time, already at the film’s end, the train about to reach the final station— Kaohsiung.
Among the excited train passengers at departure, survivors only Zhang Lin and his daughter An An left, plus pregnant woman Li Ya.
Train out of control crashes into platform, Taiwan military locks them with spotlights: “Hands up and walk out, or we shoot!”
—Turns out bitten ones also get shot.
Everyone shivers, the adrenaline-filled repression and despair all night reaches peak.
Dead, everyone dead, at the end, reaching the final station, thought they’d be saved, but didn’t expect bitten also shot…
Zhang Lin after countless life-and-deaths, disheveled and dirty, no longer polished, hears the military shouts, stunned for a moment, then notices a clear scratch on An An’s arm.
“…”
Li Ya suddenly tears off her sleeve to wrap the wound, shouts to soldiers: “She’s not infected!”
“*#%#…”
Words just out, strange noise suddenly rises, then Zhang Lin and Li Ya almost simultaneously look down, see An An’s pretty cute little face already full of blue veins, biting into her father’s hand.
The two stunned on the spot.
“…”
Everyone in the movie theater also jolts.
On the big screen, Zhang Lin reacts fast, hurriedly hugs his daughter back into the carriage, dodging soldiers’ shots.
Soldiers… soldiers don’t shoot, because just as they’re about to shout, five or six zombie companions emerge behind, gnawing their necks from behind.
—The final “safe point” fallen too?
Zhang Lin and Li Ya fall into despair.
At that moment, distant broadcast: “Survivors please evacuate to Zuoying Naval Port…”
“Still hope!”
Zhang Lin’s eyes light up, one arm hugging daughter, one hand dragging Li Ya, runs toward the broadcast direction.
Then, they encounter even more terrifying zombie tide, Zhang Lin ultimately sacrifices himself, movie theater atmosphere drops to freezing point.
Li Ya becomes the final “survivor,” she staggers to the other, only escape route, not “breached” by zombies, government and military guard it tightly, the only “safe point.”
Pregnant belly and all, waving hands toward this direction.
“Finally survived… just staying alive is good…”
Fu Jie, already used half a pack of tissue paper, no longer scared, seeing this, emotions ease a bit.
“What is this?!”
Suddenly, her girlfriend beside her, eyes swollen from crying over Chi Ye’s sacrifice, gasps.
Only to see on the big screen, just as Li Ya walks out, the shot shows a sniper scope crosshair.
“She doesn’t seem infected…”
“Covered in blood, what if scratches?”
“Report to superiors, we can’t decide…”
Two soldiers’ exchange sounds, then both movie theater and big screen fall into dead-silent quiet.
Big screen suddenly goes dark for an instant, lights up again.
“Bang!!!”
A muffled sniper rifle shot rings out, Li Ya opens her mouth, pupils dilate, falls into the ruins.
One shot, ends the last two lives.
Movie theater instantly in uproar.
But no time to react, shot pulls back, Kaohsiung landmark buildings billowing thick smoke, zombie tide crossing ruins, devouring the whole island……
Big screen completely dark, film ends, site remains dead silent.
“…Why no reaction?”
Chi Ye in the front row turns back, observing everyone, he’s very satisfied with the various gasps and visual shocks during Influenza movie viewing.
In fact, Influenza’s rhythm is indeed perfect, achieving all effects he wanted, but now… this reaction seems a bit off.
“You really have no heart.”
Sheng Ning right beside him reaches out, subtly wipes her eyes, then calmly says: “There will be reactions.”
Chi Ye turns back, just about to chat with her.
Clap clap clap.
Suddenly, don’t know who starts applauding.
This applause like flipping the movie theater switch, instantly more and more applause, louder and louder.
Clap clap clap… clap clap clap…
Front row overseas cinema chain film distributors, distribution, oligarchs stand up, mid-row media, writers, reporters stand up.
Back row guests, ordinary audience, including today’s “accidental” entrants, Western audience unfamiliar with Chi Ye and prior Influenza, stand up.
Applause like thunder, continues.
Chi Ye blanks for a second, then instinctively wants to stand to thank.
“Don’t move.”
Sheng Ning tugs him.
He glances sideways at his “older sister.”
“Cannes ‘custom’… longer applause means better reception for your film.”
Chi Ye stuns, he really hadn’t heard of this “custom” before.
“Is that a thing?”
“All released films like this?”
Sheng Ning gives him a strange look: “Of course not.”
“Many bad movies even get booed out on the spot.”
She turns head to back, smiling: “Applause started, means the film is great.”
“One or two minutes, means big hit.”
“Then… now?”
Chi Ye hears the ongoing applause nearby, this… seems over three minutes, heading to four.
In the dark, Sheng Ning stares at Chi Ye, phoenix eyes hazy: “Three or four minutes… means this film’s gonna explode… big explode.”
