Time flies, and the Cannes Film Festival is quickly coming to an end.

May 15 is the penultimate day of the festival. On this day, there will be some off-the-counter prizes, such as the FIPRESCI Award. But this year's Cannes almost no one talked about the FIPRESCI Awards, and not much attention was paid to them. Almost everyone's attention is on Truffaut and his Psychopath.

Truffaut was the standard-bearer of the New Wave, an iconic figure in French cinema and an unrivalled influence in the world of cinema. But after the May storm of 1968, he broke with Cannes. This is his first return to Cannes with a film after 16 years. What's more, he has terminal cancer, and "Psychopath" is likely to be his last film. As a result, "The Psycho" received unprecedented attention.

Early in the morning, the front of the Movie Palace was full of spectators holding signs and begging for invitations to the premiere of "Psycho". Invitations to the premiere were so difficult to come by, and there were so many people who wanted to attend the premiere of Truffaut's last film, that scalpers appeared, and an invitation was sold for hundreds of francs, and the most expensive was sold for thousands of francs.

Xu Wangqiu will definitely not miss the premiere of "Psycho", after all, this is Truffaut's last film, or the movie they agreed to make together, and they will definitely be supported by the premiere.

After entering the Lumière Hall, Xu Wangqiu found Polanski sitting not far from him. He walked over and asked the man next to Polanski to change his seat. The man readily agreed, but he made a request, hoping to take a photo with Xu Wangqiu. Xu Wangqiu asked Polanski to take a camera and took a picture of him and the man.

After the man left satisfied, Xu Wangqiu sat in his seat and asked Polanski: "Do you have any news from Truffaut, will he attend today's premiere?"

Polanski smiled and said, "Truffaut arrived in Cannes at noon, with his wife Fanny Ardan. He was in a bad condition, and the doctors would have refused to let him out of the hospital. But he told the doctor that he had made a movie all his life, and this was his last film, his farewell performance, and he wanted to say goodbye to the fans who had supported him over the years. The doctor was told that he cried, and finally agreed to attend the film festival. ”

Xu Wangqiu's heart swelled with sadness: "I knew he would come." ”

At this moment, the noisy screening room suddenly fell silent, as if the mute button had been pressed. Xu Wangqiu felt something, and suddenly looked up at the entrance of the hall. I saw a beautiful woman with excellent temperament and figure, pushing a wheelchair and walking in.

Xu Wangqiu knew the woman, the famous French actress Fanny Ardan, who was also Truffaut's wife. During the filming of "Flowers on the Wall" in 1981, Fanny Ardan fell in love with Truffaut and soon married, and later starred in Truffaut's film "Love Murder".

Fanny Ardan was propelled in a wheelchair, apparently it wouldn't be anyone else, but Truffaut.

Just looking at the man in the wheelchair who was described as withered and almost out of shape, Xu Wangqiu really found it difficult to associate it with Truffauut. The Truffaut he had met in Cannes a few years earlier was not like that at all, and Truffaut was passionate, personable, and completely different from the thin man in front of him. He asked himself, was that really Truffaut? Reason told him it was Truffaut.

But Xu Wangqiu still didn't want to believe it, and asked Polanski next to him: "Is that really Truffaut?"

Polanski sighed deeply: "Yes, that's Truffaut. ”

At this moment, someone stood up and clapped his hands vigorously. Then the audience rose up to welcome Truffaut with applause. Xu Wangqiu and Polanski also stood up and greeted Truffaut with applause.

Listening to the applause of the audience, Truffaut smiled childishly and raised his right hand and waved it lightly at the audience. He whispered to himself: "It's good to be able to go to the premiere and listen to the applause of the audience before I die!"

Favre Lebret, president of the festival, clapped his hands and walked towards Truffaut. He came to Truffaut's side, half-crouched on the ground, hugged Truffaut vigorously, and said with tears in his eyes: "This is my last film festival, and it's great that you can come." ”

Truffaut and Godard, the New Wave movement they set off, changed the world and earned them worldwide acclaim. As the most important film festival in France, Cannes naturally did not miss them and gave them great courtesy. However, all this came to an end in 1968.

In the summer of 1968, a May storm swept across France. In Paris, students barricades confronted the police, and workers went on strike in solidarity with the students' struggle. Godard and Truffaut, on behalf of the National Film Institute, filed a motion asking all filmmakers to oppose the continuation of the Cannes Film Festival as a sign of solidarity with the workers and students who went on strike.

The president of the festival, Favre Lebret, was a stubborn confession and rejected Godard's initiative. Godard and the others went to the screening site to smash the venue, and the two sides clashed at the screening stand. Godard's glasses were knocked off, Truffaut was overturned, and the stage was planted, and finally Chaplin's daughter, Geraldine Chaplin, rushed up to close the curtain in front of the stage, and the screening was forced to stop.

Subsequently, the four judges of the jury, Monica Witti, Louis-Mahler, Polanski, and Terence Young, submitted their resignations. The next day, the festival's president, Favre Le Breet, compromised, and at a press conference, he announced with a blank face that "the jury is no longer able to perform its functions, and this is the end of this Cannes Film Festival." ”

After the suspension of the Cannes Film Festival, Truffaut and Godard also broke with Cannes completely, and their films later participated in the Berlin Film Festival, the Venice Film Festival, but never again participated in the Cannes Film Festival.

This year marks the last time Favre-Lebret is president of the festival, and Truffaut is running out of time, and "The Psycho" is likely to be his last. Before the start of the festival, when the news broke that "Psycho" had been shortlisted for Cannes, almost all the French media carried the same headline, "The Great Reconciliation".

At this moment, seeing Truffaut and Favre Lebret hugging each other, countless people in the audience were red-eyed. While everyone applauded, they couldn't help but smile, and they all felt that this scene was particularly warm and moving.

Soon after Truffaut did so, the film officially began to be screened.

Truffaut was a fan of Hitchcock, and the title of the movie "Psycho" is a bit of a tribute to Hitchcock's "Psycho", but the movie itself has nothing to do with "Psycho", but is somewhat like Bergman's "Wild Strawberries".

"Psycho" tells the story of director François because of the failure of both box office and word of mouth, under great pressure, he had mental problems and had to return to his hometown to rest. In his hometown, he encounters many strange things, long-lost parents, a teenage girl with a crush from his youth, and a legendary elf. Here he retraces his life and eventually follows the elf out of the window and into the sky.

Xu Wangqiu remembered that Truffaut once said that all the films of a director are the chronicle of his life. Truffaut's first film, Four Hundred Blows, is a semi-autobiographical work that explores the life and inner world of a 13-year-old boy. And "Psychopath" is also a semi-autobiographical film, telling his life through a somewhat crazy old director, telling his views on movies, life, and the world.

In later generations, there are many movies that are called a love letter written by directors to movies, such as Scorsese's "Hugo", Zhang Yimou's "One Second", etc., "Mental Patient" is not a love letter to the movie, but a suicide note to the movie. In the movie, Xu Wangqiu can fully feel Truffaut's love for movies, as well as his thoughts on movies and the world, but Truffaut has to say goodbye to movies.

When the movie ends, the subtitles are crossed across the screen, and a faint sentimentality swells in the hearts of the audience. Everyone hoped that the movie would be longer and that they could watch it for a while, but the movie was over.

After a brief silence, applause poured down like a flood from nine heavens, engulfing the entire screening room.

Accompanied by enthusiastic applause from the audience, Fanny Ardan thrust Truffaut to the center of the stage.

Truffaut smiled and reached out with his hands, pressing them down to signal that he had something to say. The audience stopped clapping and watched Truffaut in silence. Truffaut smiled: "I have terminal cancer and I don't have long to live, this is my last film and my last time I will attend the premiere of a movie." The doctor wouldn't let me come, but I said I had to come, and I had to say goodbye to everyone on the spot. Thank you for your support to me and the film over the years, because it makes sense because of you. I thought I would be able to keep shooting, but unfortunately I can't do it again. It's time to say goodbye! Thank you!"

The tsunami-like applause rang out again, and many audience members applauded vigorously while crying.

Xu Wangqiu's eyes were also a little moist, and while applauding, he asked Polanski, "What do you think of this movie?"

Polanski turned his head to look at Xu Wangqiu, thought about it seriously, and nodded vigorously: "I think the shooting is very good, he surpassed himself and reached a new level in this movie." After saying that, he sat in a wheelchair, immersed in joy Truffaut sighed deeply: "It's a pity that he will leave us soon!

Xu Wangqiu also sighed slightly, Truffaut is only 52 years old, for the director, this age is the time when he is in the prime of life, and it is entirely possible for him to make more and better works, and said sincerely: "This movie is really strong! He has captured all his emotions and enthusiasm for films." There is no suspense for the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival!"

Polanski nodded slightly, but quickly shook his head again: "It's not certain, the film festival awards are a game of small circles, and they are decided by nine judges after discussion." Whoever likes the most of the judges is likely to win. Therefore, the selection of film festivals often has surprising results, many really good films do not win awards, and many mediocre works win awards. ”

Xu Wangqiu remembers Polanski's 1991 time as the chairman of the festival, ignoring many great films such as Kieślowski's "Two Lives" and Maurice Piara's "Van Gogh", and awarding the Palme d'Or, Best Director and Best Actor to the Coen brothers' "Barton Fink". The reason why Polanski is so fond of "Barton Fink" is that in addition to the fact that the movie is really good, the main reason is that he feels that this movie is "paying tribute" to himself in many places. Polanski was therefore complained of being the most irresponsible president of the jury in the history of the Cannes Film Festival.

Xu Wangqiu complained in his heart, if you want to say that you are surprised, you have to count the time when you were the chairman of the film festival. He knew that what Polanski was saying was true, that anything was possible until the results were in, but he still wanted Truffaut to win the Palme d'Or: "This is Truffaut's last film, and the quality itself is good enough, and I hope he will take the Palme d'Or and leave us with a smile." ”