153 [Mass Release] | Chapter 153Standing ovation
On the screen, Arthur was looking down on the people gathered to hear him sing live. This was the last scene of the movie in which Arthur would sing the song that he had just completed in front of an audience that would include Charlie and Claire.
It was the accumulation of all that Arthur had went through in the movie and how he had matured as a person.
‘His eyes are a bit different.’
Alexander who has his sights fixed on the screen thought.
Throughout the movie, the emotions in Arthur’s eyes were pretty subtle and hidden, like he didn’t want others to know what he was feeling. He was a very reserved character and his eyes portrayed that very well.
But in the last scene, there was a brightness in his eyes as Arthur started his performance, like he had finally found the hope he was looking for.
Although there were still a lot of questions in his mind, he now has hope that in the end, everything will be fine. That was clearly signified when Arthur started his performance.
‘Ah… this is…’
For a moment, Alexander was only able to widen his eyes in wonder as Arthur started singing. It was because he felt a deep, heavy silence in his whisper-like voice.
That immediately reminded Alexander of how Arthur was as a character when the movie had started. Cold, unsure, finding a reason to hold onto things.
The singing was clearly displaying that but as the song went on, the voice slowly became brighter. The cold whisper changed to a ray of hope, like Arthur was getting the answers of the questions he was looking for slowly.
‘I have never seen something like this.’
Alexander thought in his mind.
Not only him, every other reporter and critic in the theatre hall was thinking of the same thing. None of them have experienced something like this in their life.
Although no one other than Aiden was able to see it, a strong silver light was flowing all over the theatre. There was a spark to the silver light which had come due to Aiden using both his singing and acting talent at the same time.
This was making the audience feel very strong emotions.
Everyone of them had watched a lot of movies. Even musicals but none of them had ever felt like this. This wasn’t something of a visual spectacle but it was clearly something that was touching their hearts.
Like every note was striking their soul.
As the song went on, it became brighter, especially when the chorus ended. Alexander was clearly able to feel the words that Arthur on the screen was trying to portray.
The lyrics literally meant to keep their hopes up even if something bad has happened. Even if you are having a bad day, smile. Even if you have gone through a heartbreak, don’t be sad because life would give you another chance.
All this was also clear in the journey that the movie had been.
And Alexander didn’t even realise that the song had ended. When he blinked his eyes, he saw that the movie was over.
Credits were rolling.
“What just happened?”
He muttered and looking around, he saw that other people had the same reaction. The whole movie had been very enjoyable for him but the last scene was truly something out of ordinary.
It was simply magical.
Alexander felt that even if the movie wasn’t good, the last scene was worth it to watch it again. It was such a scene where one would feel a plethora of emotions at the same time that you won’t be able to control yourself.
Some people in the audience were already crying without realising it themselves.
The whole romantic comedy was very emotional. It has the fun parts, the chemistry between the leads, the emotional parts and then finally, acceptance that some relationships are never meant to be.
The best part about the movie was maybe that.
The maturity of Arthur to move on and finding hope when he was the saddest was something that truly touched everyone’s hearts.
And him singing ‘Lost in the Sky’ at the end of the movie was the highlight. Something that the audience would never forget.
That’s why, after a while, a person in the theatre stood up and started clapping.
It caused a chain reaction as others also followed suit. One by one, everyone was up and clapping as it was the only form of thanks they could give to the movie. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ
When Alexander saw people standing up, he followed suit. He had definitely seen way better romantic comedies, but [30 days of Happiness] had truly managed to touch his heart.
Because of that, he clapped as hard as he could.
Sitting a little distance away from him, Amanda Bailey also stood up. There were already tears in her eyes due to the last scene but she clapped, her eyes looking towards Aiden who was smiling seeing the reaction.
Maybe the only person in the room who was not standing was Gordon Lee and even he had been affected by the movie.
It had managed to make him emotional but due to his clash with Aiden and ego, he refused to stand up.
“Aiden, they are giving us a standing ovation. A standing ovation!!”
Leo who was sitting next to Aiden said, his hands shaking due to the excitement he was feeling at the moment.
“I can see that, Leo. They loved the movie.”
“Yeah, we did it! We fucking did it!”
Saying that, Leo stood up with the whole cast and faced the audience that was giving them a standing ovation.
The effort he had put in for months had bore fruit and he couldn’t stop his tears from falling out.
Once, he had felt that everything was over due to Rodrigo backing out of the movie but now, things have changed.
His decision wasn’t wrong.
The standing ovation that he was receiving was proof of it.
***
As soon as the press release of [30 days of Happiness] ended, rumors spreaded all over the Toronto film festival.
Some people weren’t able to believe it. After all, [30 days of Happiness] was not a movie that people were looking forward to a lot. They were doubtful if the movie would be good or not.
A debut director was someone that could not be trusted easily, especially with an independent production and a young cast.
The only reason people even knew about it was because the soundtrack had gotten very popular. Despite that, everyone believed that the movie would be very average.
That’s why, when they heard what had happened in the press release, they weren’t able to believe it. Many even thought it was a joke.
The movie got a 5 minute standing ovation!
It was a very big deal as it proved that the movie was one of the best to premiere at the Toronto film festival.
It should be noted that only [Blood Valentine] had gotten a 5 minute standing ovation till now. [Dark], a noir thriller did get a standing ovation but it was only for 2 minutes.
This meant that the movie was as good as [Blood Valentine], a movie that was in the lead to win People’s Choice Awards.
It was a huge thing for the cast and crew of [30 days of Happiness].
In their minds, they were now directly competing with a big movie.
Other than that, a lot of reviews from the critics also came up. This included reviews from big media outlets working in both America and Canada.
<[30 days of Happiness] starts out as an average rom com that one might watch if they are bored but when the movie picks up its pace, it shows what good writing and characters are capable of. It keeps moving in his narrative and the best part about the movie is that both the main character’s growth is clearly seen. Aiden Silvereye stands out as Arthur Reeves, especially in the last scene. This might become the big solo movie of his budding career.
-Amanda Bailey, LA times.>
<A movie with a lot of heart in it, just the right emotions and actors that we might see a lot of in the coming years. Despite a fairly good plot which is predictable at places, the movie shines. The performance of Aiden Silvereye and Katie Brooks are one of the best in a rom com in a while, especially the former. The musician and actor clearly showed everyone that he’s here to stay. I might rewatch the last scenes a couple of times again. It’s definitely worth it!
-Alexander Hooch, Hollywood Weekly.>
<Last month, Aiden’s Silvereye track ‘Lost in the Sky’ rightfully got viral all over the month and when I found out that it was a track from his upcoming movie, I really wondered if the movie would have stuff other than great music and yes, it do have a lot of stuff. In a well made romantic comedy, music and Aiden Silvereye steals the show. It truly brings back the feeling of old romances where as an audience, you would directly feel the characters emotions.
-Fredie Wilder, The Box Magazine.>
<In his directorial debut, Leo Shaw truly shows that he had given his everything to the movie. It proved to be a surprise package in the already good amount of movies to watch at the Toronto film festival but [30 days of Happiness] might just leap over those movies to achieve something that no one had dreamed of. Other than [Blood Valentine], this movie is surely the contender of People’s Choice Award.
-Ibrahim Jaffer, Canada Tomorrow.>
Like that, a lot of critics who have been present during the release wrote their reviews but one person was missing.
Gordon Lee hasn’t posted any review yet.