The Best Director

“It’s just, you know, these two belts are almost identical, uh, actually, I’m still learning about this stuff, and…”

“This… stuff?”

On the big screens across 3056 cinemas in North America, Miranda and others were engaged in fashion pairing, with newly hired Andy, Miranda’s second assistant, observing them examining a pale blue and a paler blue belt, barely containing her laughter. Miranda asked her in an airy tone, “Amusing, is it?” Andy’s stammered response was cut off by Miranda, and the scene shifted from the goofy-looking Jessica to the silver-haired sorceress, Meryl Streep.

With a faintly surprised expression, she soon chuckled and said, “Oh, OK, I get it. You think these ‘things’ have nothing to do with you? You go to your closet and you choose…” she glanced at Andy with a smile, “let’s say that baggy blue sweater, because you want to tell the world that your life is so significant that you can’t be bothered with what you wear.”

The ridiculed Jessica looked dazed, with a hint of evasion in her eyes; meanwhile, the camera quickly cut to the surrounding Emily and others, some with indifferent expressions, others with ridicule. As Streep coordinated the outfits in her hands, she continued, “But what you don’t understand is that that sweater is not just blue, it’s not turquoise, it’s not lapis, it’s actually cerulean. And you’re also blissfully unaware of some things.”

“Like how in 2002, Oscar de la Renta designed a series of cerulean gowns for his runway show, and I remember Yves Saint Laurent…was it? He presented military jackets in cerulean. I think we need a jacket too,” Streep told the designer and resumed, “And soon cerulean became a favorite among eight other designers at their fashion shows and trickled down to their retail stores; then to that sadly casual, middle-tier brand, CASUAL CORNER, and at last, you found this sweater in a clearance bin at a store.”

“Anyway, whatever.” Streep remained nonchalant as Jessica looked increasingly awkward, “The color blue generated millions in revenue, countless jobs, and an indescribable amount of effort… And the funny thing is, you think you’ve made the choice of this color, this garment for yourself, thinking your taste is independent of fashion; but actually, it’s the people in this room who’ve helped you pick out from all these ‘things’ and decided on that garment for you.”

In front of the big screen, countless women naturally glanced at their clothing, many wearing cerulean-colored, mid-range brands felt Andy’s embarrassment, even those who previously scorned fashion as “a bunch of bitches wasting time dressing up” blushed. This was indeed the trend; could it be true that the fashion industry made the choice for her?

Is this really a film satirizing fashion? Fanny, wearing a cerulean coat, furrowed her brow. Yet, reflecting on this monologue, it seemed to make a lot of sense; watching the scenes unfold, perhaps “TDWP” would clarify and teach her what fashion is.

The fashionistas at the Ziegfeld Theater, upon hearing this monologue, were utterly satisfied. Anna Wintour smiled, even though that Loser, Lauren Weisberger, sought attention by slandering her; Weisberger did grasp some understanding of fashion, and Wang Yang turned it into a beautiful cinematic vision. Streep’s performance wasn’t “Wintour,” but so far, the film was captivating.

“TDWP”‘s creative team absorbed members from the fashion TV series “Sex and the City,” including costume designer Patricia Field, set decorator Lydia Marcos, and art director Jeremy Conway, among others. With Wang Yang’s objective perspective on fashion, this “TDWP” wasn’t the type of superficial film that flatly mocks “useless fashion,” just like its 2006 counterpart.

By this point, the audience grew more accepting of the unembellished and unbiased portrayal of the fashion industry. It was Miranda’s speech that had touched them, as she explained clearly and profoundly how fashion influences the world and everyone’s life.

The cerulean color was chosen by renowned designers from countless shades on their swatches, made into beautiful garments for release; then it was conveyed to the masses by the media and magazines, followed by mid-range markets, creating a new trend. So the discount sweater on Andy had relevance to fashion, but it was just the residual product of fashion; in the end, the choice was made by someone else, the designer, the magazine editor, Miranda.

Miranda’s discernment wasn’t demonic; it was professional standards, it was work ethic.

The concept of “details determine success or failure” applies to any profession—film and fashion alike. The pursuit and dedication to detail, the repeated trials in pairing, those two belts’ color differences might be minute, but each presents a different perception with the same outfit. Finding the best and trendiest sensation from those subtle variations is the art of fashion.

This is how a fashion practitioner survives and succeeds in the fashion world; therefore, Miranda might be the most fastidious person globally, and her professional meticulousness inevitably spills over into her personal life, which can be unbearable but isn’t the reason “TDWP” labels her a devil.

It isn’t the reason for Andy’s complaints. The greatest difference between the ’03 and ’06 film adaptations is the portrayal of Andy. Faced with Miranda’s biting sarcasm, Andy didn’t respond with cursing. She saw the impact of fashion, witnessed Miranda’s power and allure; Miranda’s choices dictated the dressing and styling for women worldwide for the next quarter, for the coming year, dominating the flow of global trends.

Andy aspired to change and prove herself, striving to excel, transforming from a fashion rookie to one of the people in the room.

“This woman is too beautiful…”

In the midst of lively and cheerful music, like an advertisement for a fashion brand, Jessica, after her “transformation,” walked down the street in high heels, wearing the most dazzling and fashionable clothes, her hair done in wavy curls, an angelic sweet smile on her face, and a slim, curvy figure set against a backdrop of filmic, brightly colored and clear images, changing from innocent and cute to sexy and fiery styles.

Male audience members and lesbians naturally had hearts in their eyes, and even many heterosexual female viewers couldn’t help but sigh, no wonder Best Director is so devoted, what’s with this woman, she’s too much…

“WOO.” Evelyn and her bestie Kelly both sighed softly, both envious and jealous, this woman was not only beautiful but also monopolized Best Director; now a well-known blogger and film critic, Clair suddenly laughed, she really wanted to write a one-liner review, “TDWP” is Best Director showing off to everyone just how beautiful his fiancée is! During “High School Musical,” Jessica was still a young girl with her childishness not yet faded, but now, years later, she had become a top woman who could make the whole planet’s heart race.

“Hehe!” At a regular cinema in New York, Natalie, who had already finished shooting “Star Wars: Episode III,” laughed, not knowing why she was laughing. She stuffed a handful of popcorn into her mouth, suddenly remembering a rating from some movie magazine that had dubbed her “Galactic Girl” and Jessica “Visual Girl,” she murmured with a smile, “Galactic Girl, isn’t that cooler…”

On the big screen, Emily, who had been mocking Andrea behind her back with her colleagues, suddenly stared in amazement as Andrea walked in confidently. In slow motion, every grin and frown seemed so charming.

“I just realized something, you’re not like an angel, you are an angel.” At Ziegfeld Theater, Wang Yang looked at Jessica next to him, pouting his lips and exclaimed. Jessica cocked her mouth and shrugged her shoulders, unable to resist breaking into a teeth-revealing smile, her gentle voice filled with sweetness, “Do you know which compliment I like the most, the one that touched me the most? The very first one: ‘Believe me, you’re a ugly duckling now, but you’ll turn into a beautiful swan someday.\'”

Err! Wang Yang touched his forehead with an amused smile, sticking out his tongue, actually, you were not bad at that time, it was just a matter of not paying attention to dressing up and wearing braces, he said with a laugh, “You are now.” Jessica looked at the screen, then at him, and almost inaudibly muttered to herself, “No, I will always be that ugly duckling.”

“Is that all?” Watching Andrea work hard and actively after her transformation, gradually winning Miranda’s satisfaction, Clifford Pugh, the film critic from “Houston Chronicle,” frowned. After watching this long, he felt no sense of surprise!

The picky ones aren’t just Anna Wintour, or the king of the world, James Cameron, or Best Director Best Director. Film critics are a super picky bunch, especially when their expectations before watching a movie reach MAX, especially when it’s the youngest Oscar-winning Best Director, Chinese director, who always brings surprises. “TDWP” is practically at the same level as his 19-year-old “High School Musical”!

Is it that every time Best Director lets his woman play the lead, he tends to move towards younger audiences? Claudie Yaupg from “USA Today” also raised her eyebrows. Compared to “MIT-21-TEAM,” which gripped the audience from the very first second, the first plot point blabbed sharply for minutes, leaving an unforgettable classic scene; and then entered the plot without any nonsense. “TDWP” has already wasted too much time, it’s too bland and boring.

Even disregarding Best Director’s own standard for comparison, this movie appears to be just another cliché Hollywood product, telling some very superficial truths, Wang Yang didn’t even put in the effort to articulate these truths well, which he could have made exciting! But now he only gave time and space to those materialistic fashion displays, which, although well-crafted in every aspect and using camera colors with Best Director’s unmistakable “warm” style, turned out to be a completely, disappointingly commercial formula.

“A bland office environment, shrinking satire on fashion, treating trivial matters as emergency rescues, only Streep, Alba, and that Emily’s performances are surprising…”

Stephanie Zacharek of wrapped her arms around herself, this film really lacked any technique, Meryl Streep’s performance was astonishing, especially daring to dye her hair silver at her age, playing a completely different type of screen new image, which is admirable, and even more impressive is that she played it so well, with her profound skill fully displayed in her understated performance.

Emily Blunt was probably the biggest surprise, in every scene she was in, she stole the spotlight, even in front of Streep; Jessica Alba also made great progress, her performance became more lifelike and invested, noticing her acting skills beneath her too-beautiful appearance is not a simple task. But for now, they all seemed to be victims, regardless of the director, this was just a boring, semi-satirical film.

Has Best Director lost his edge? Is he scared of offending the fashion world? Or did he just want to cater to the majority of fashion-loving viewers and make a killing at the box office?

Joe Morgenstern of “Wall Street Journal” lifted his foot impatiently, too disappointed, it was now just a stale, high-end TV show introducing fashion! He had thought it would be so impressive, the feeling of psychological emptiness was unpleasant, recalling “The Pursuit of Happyness” which was touching, “Juno” that was interesting and moving, last year’s “The Hangover” which almost killed him with laughter, and the recent “MIT-21-TEAM” that was so exhilarating.

And this… this pile of stuff, what exactly does it talk about? Joe Morgenstern had already decided to give “TDWP” a B-, he thought this would be the first time he would give Wang Yang a B grade, goodbye Best Director.

The story on the big screen gradually progressed, and Andrea’s mindset began to change as well. Striving to climb the ranks, she also started dieting to lose weight, even though she wasn’t fat at all. Confronting dissatisfaction from her family and boyfriend, Andrea said, “Please, skipping one meal won’t hurt anyone! But those pants, did you see those $2,000 pants? A fat girl can’t fit into them, and that’s what really hurts.”

“Yes, I’ll just be at ‘Runway’ for one year, and then I’ll go to ‘The New Yorker’! All of this is worth it now, trust me!”

In the movie, within the setting of a living room, Jessica’s portrayal of Andrea sounded somewhat perfunctory. Andrea’s mother pleaded with distress, “But you don’t need to diet!” Andrea rolled her eyes and said, “No, Mom, I know my own body best.” Her mother sighed, “Andy, is it worth it? Your sister just had a baby two days ago, and you still haven’t visited her.”

“Oh, oh… I called, I just have been too, too…” Before Andrea could finish speaking, the phone in her pocket suddenly rang. She quickly took it out, stood up while hurriedly saying, “It’s happening again, Mom, I have to go.” She glanced back at her mother and said, “This weekend, tell her, I’ll visit this weekend!” Then she answered the phone while walking away with a laugh, “This is Andy, oh… alright…” Andrea’s mother was left with an expression of displeasure, helplessness, and a sigh.

Despite nearly unanimous dissatisfaction from critics everywhere, general audiences in 3,056 theaters were enraptured, thoroughly enjoying the viewing process. Everything was so comfortable and pleasing to the eye, with girls dazzled by the endless stream of fashion brands and boys admiring the beautiful, stylish women, not to mention the engaging story and superb acting…

This is definitely number one for fashion films! Fanny, who was equally engrossed, couldn’t help praising inwardly, ‘The marvelous Yang has done it again!’ Even someone like her who despised fashion had started to fall for this movie: 10 points, 10 points!

“Andrea has turned bad.” In a San Francisco cinema, Evelyn sighed just like Andrea’s mother. The initially naive Andy was so endearing, and now, she’s dieting and scheming—it’s annoying, but oh so captivating! It makes one think, without this transformation, how could Lauren Wintour have possibly written ‘TDWP’? She’s an incredible woman, but more importantly, she knew Andrea would turn back into a good girl in the end.

Caught up in her busy schedule, Clair glanced at her watch and suddenly felt sentimental. How did the time fly by so quickly?! With Yang’s movies, it’s always like this, whether you’re on edge, excited, laughing out loud, or just comfortably forgetful of time.

Compared to the 2006 version of ‘TDWP’, Wang Yang stayed truer to the details of the original work and the arc of Andrea’s character, and also took a distinct approach in the structure of storytelling.

“Miranda, I love you and ‘Runway’ magazine, you’re amazing! You’re my idol! … I’ve spent all my money trying to look more like a model, but I’m just so useless, I hate myself! I have a huge butt, loads of fat, oh God! I really don’t know what to do, but my high school prom is coming up this year! Could you send me a gown or tell me what kind of dress I should wear? I need your help! Please, please…”

In the elegant office on the big screen, Andrea received a stack of ‘Runway’ reader letters, opening each one as an assistant, pausing finally at the plea of a high school girl. A worshipful female voice-over began as the camera focused on the photo included in the envelope—a pretty, fair-haired Caucasian girl, but where was the fat? The camera cut to a close-up, showing Andrea’s stunned reaction.

The high school prom is one of life’s most important moments. Watching (and hearing) the pleading tone of this high school girl, Jessica on the screen pursed her lips. Holding the letter, she stood up and walked toward Miranda’s office, knocking and entering. Facing the poised Streep behind the desk, she said, “Miranda, there’s a letter from a reader…” Streep, wearing rimless glasses, looked up with a faint expression that seemed to say, “Is this your first day as an assistant? You’re bothering me with this triviality?”

If it were a regular letter, she wouldn’t have come in. Jessica approached the desk, handing over the photo while explaining, “This girl is about to attend her high school prom and she’s hoping you could help her out, maybe provide a gown or some fashion advice…”

“Dispose of it,” Streep glanced at the photo and went back to the files on her desk, speaking softly, “What are you still doing here?”

“Uh, do you mean…” Jessica blinked in confusion, unsure of what ‘dispose of it’ meant. She’d never encountered a situation like this before. But Streep showed no sign of wanting to speak further, busying herself with her work. Knowing Miranda’s temperament all too well, Andrea took a couple of steps back to leave, attempting to put the photo on the desk, but without even looking, Streep already said, “Take it out.”

“Emily, what should I do with this?” The camera cut, and as Jessica left the office, she had no choice but to ask Emily, her frenemy and the first assistant,

Emily Blunt, with her red hair and smoky makeup, glanced at the photo in the envelope a few times, then couldn’t help but burst into laughter, trying to maintain the composure befitting someone in fashion. She laughed and said, “You actually went to Miranda about this, didn’t you?” Jessica raised her eyebrows in a ‘laugh all you want’ gesture. Emily gestured for her to hand it over, reaching out with a laugh, “Give it to me, give it to me.” She took the photo envelope, walking elegantly toward the trash can and with a flick of her right hand holding the envelope, she said, “Now it’s handled.”

Without any slow motion or close-up, the envelope photo swiftly fell into the trash can, soundlessly. In a tight shot, Jessica looked on in disbelief, exclaiming, “What are you doing? That girl…”

“What? You still don’t get it? I knew you wouldn’t understand,” Emily rolled her eyes, expressing utter exasperation, seizing the moment to crisply lecture Andrea: “The sky-blue evening gown belongs to the world of high fashion, while the sky-blue knitted sweater belongs to them. A high school chubby girl in clothes personally picked out by Miranda? Oh heavens, is she her daughter? Unbearable, your ignorance soils this place.”

“Sky blue? Sky blue… Aren’t we at ‘Runway’ trying to inspire all girls to be fashionable and confident…” Jessica went from initially bewildered and frantic to increasingly feeble until suddenly she said, “She’s not fat.” Having just resettled herself, Emily let out a snort and said, “Don’t be naive.”

“Beautiful strike!” While some female viewers across North America felt something was off and fashion insiders slightly frowned, film critics all secretly cheered. This was irony, this was power! The sky-blue evening gown belongs to high fashion, the sky-blue sweater to the masses. This statement exposed the hypocrisy of fashion and a reality, that fashion (Vogue) is for the few; popularity (Popular) might increase the numbers but does not equate to fashion.

“Now that has some interest, but it’s too little.” Joe Morgenstern from the ‘Wall Street Journal’ still shook his head, though this struck him with a “magical Yang” sensation, it was sporadic and clearly, Wang Yang knew how to satirize fashion, but he chose to pander to the mainstream market, resulting in a crippled film. Regardless of any twists yet to come, he was set to give it a rotten rating, because the previous hour-plus had been utterly uninteresting; it should have been done better.

Claudie Yaupg from ‘USA Today’ remained unmoved. She was neither a yes-man fan nor overly critical, but if there was a scorecard, the moments of brilliance were too few and the inadequacies far too numerous, making Wang Yang’s work mediocrity itself.

Fascinating! J.R. Jones from ‘Chicago Reader’ found it compelling from the start. Indeed, it followed the structure of a traditional Hollywood comedy, which is, in simple terms, a naive young woman losing and then redeeming herself. The light comedy genre meant little surprise; yet it was so fresh and natural in appearance, with a smooth and comfortable narrative. Now it seemed, magical Yang was not content with simply critiquing fashion; this was a better signal.

Regardless, J.R. Jones thought ‘TDWP’ could provide a pleasant evening and was a worthwhile film to watch; however, he also vaguely sensed trouble for magical Yang this time. The stunning ‘MIT-21-TEAM’ had helped the youngest Best Director escape trouble before, but ‘TDWP’ was likely to fall short of the critical community’s high expectations and ambitions for the 23-year-old magical Yang.

On the big screen, this moment was like a watershed. Awakening in the middle of the night, Andrea lay in bed with an expressionless face, staring at the ceiling in the camera’s direction. Without uttering a word, the audience knew she was coming to a realization, beginning to doubt the true value of her fashion work, doubting whether dieting, being too busy to even visit her sister who had given birth, and advancing towards a promotion at the cost of becoming alienated from everyone was worth it or not.

“For ‘The New Yorker’, for ‘The New Yorker’!…” Andrea suddenly shook her head, reassuring—or rather numbing—herself by muttering repeatedly and then pulled the covers over her head to sleep heartily.

But the ticking time bomb finally exploded when Emily was in a car accident that injured her leg and prevented her from accompanying Miranda to the long-anticipated Paris spring-summer fashion shows. Andrea, as the second assistant, became the choice instead. Though going to Paris meant missing her elementary school teacher boyfriend ‘Alex’s’ alumni reunion, Andrea agreed to go to Paris, thus the built-up conflicts could no longer be hidden.

“How can Jessica Alba act so well?”

Watching the images on the big screen, many in the audience couldn’t help but be surprised. Good acting was there for all to see. Not to mention the ‘High School Musical’ trilogy and ‘Sweetheart’, in the already greatly improved ‘TDWP’, this segment actually felt explosive! Could it be that she excelled at heart-wrenchingly emotional scenes? Not really, similar plots in ‘High School Musical’ were just a cold poker face after all.

“You have no choice? Who decided you had no choice? The one making choices is always yourself…”

“Is that guy even human?! What rubbish! Apologize already, forgive her already!” Many male viewers got anxious on Alex’s behalf, was missing one alumni reunion reason enough to break up with a girlfriend who was outrageously beautiful, sexy, and deeply in love with him? That was too much!

※※

※※

※※

PS: Today’s chapter is 7,300 words. November has started, and I’m seeking votes for the monthly ticket count!! I need your monthly tickets!! Monthly tickets!!! Let’s charge at the beginning of the month, thank you!! (