Chapter 333: Inspirational?
Maggie had been resuscitated. Frankie saw her again, lying there alone with her eyes closed, her lips pale, looking like a lifeless shell. Unlike the beautiful and charismatic Hilary Swank, who played her, Maggie wasn't conventionally attractive or charismatic. Still, through her performance, her talent, she had held the audience's attention firmly. They laughed for her, they cried for her.
Ending the life of a beloved disciple would be an incredibly cruel act from any perspective. Frankie, overwhelmed by guilt, rushed to a church seeking answers.
His words were unclear and confusing to the priest, who encouraged him to respect everyone's choices. Frankie turned to his friend, Eddie, for advice.
Eddie said, "You are the only one qualified to help her end her life."
Overcoming his inner turmoil, Frankie finally brought a vial of adrenaline to Maggie's hospital room to bid her a final farewell.
Maggie looked at him and smiled once more.
Frankie said, "I'm gonna disconnect your air machine, then you're gonna go to sleep."
At this moment, he finally revealed the true meaning of "Mo cuishle" to her. It was an Irish word that meant "my love, my flesh." He truly regarded Maggie as his daughter and wanted to imbue her with that love.
Maggie gazed at him, wanting to cry and laugh at the same time.
Frankie fell silent, quietly removing the ventilator and injecting an excessive dose of adrenaline into the IV bag.
Meanwhile, Morgan Freeman's narration began again, "He administered an overdose of adrenaline, much higher than necessary, for he did not want her to suffer any longer."
Afterward, Frankie disappeared. Eddie didn't know where he had gone, so he wrote a letter to Frankie's daughter, explaining Maggie's story. This was why Eddie's narration continued throughout the entire film, as he hoped Frankie's daughter would truly understand what kind of person her father was.
The film ended with the camera fixed on Eddie as he wrote the letter.
The screen dimmed.
The credits began to roll, displaying the names of the cast and crew.
As the lights slowly brightened, the audience began to snap out of their daze.
The movie was over...
Some audience members thought quietly to themselves, "Is this really an inspirational film? The poster fooled us."
But nobody left.
Applause...
After a few seconds, someone started clapping.
Then, everyone joined in, including Quentin and Robert.
They were thanking the creators for such a masterpiece.
"Stand up,"
Hilary felt flustered by this reception, her skin covered in goosebumps. She felt like she should do something. That's when director Lyman told her to stand up and wave to the audience.
The audience's response grew even more enthusiastic.
Amid the thunderous applause, several microphones were brought in.
Lyman understood the Cannes format.
With the cast and crew, they bowed in gratitude. Lyman adjusted the microphone and smiled at the audience before speaking, "Regardless of the filming, the performances of the actors, the editing, or the music, I'm extremely satisfied. I admit that this film might not be my proudest work, but I want to say that it's undeniably a labor of love from many people."
This sentiment resonated with everyone. Although it deviated significantly from what some viewers had expected from an inspirational film, was it not inspirational in its own right? People who work hard and strive for their dreams—how could it not be considered inspirational? It was just that the ending wasn't particularly uplifting, but it couldn't negate the journey Maggie had undertaken.
Some audience members reflected on the film's plot. The first half had been somewhat oppressive, and they had to endure until Maggie made her rightful charge towards becoming a boxing champion. The latter part had pushed that sense of oppression to its peak. However, there was a refreshing and uplifting quality to the middle section, lasting over half an hour.
At this moment, Hilary's head was spinning. She wasn't entirely sure if this grand celebration was meant for her. Some audience members were even chanting "Maggie, Maggie." They only remembered her character's name.
But for an actress, this was the highest form of appreciation.
For some reason, she had a strong urge to call her mother.
After the screening, as the audience began to disperse, some reporters approached for interviews. Most of them were local, but there were also journalists from other countries like Germany, the UK, and the USA. French reporters were quite familiar with Lyman and enjoyed interviewing him; they basically surrounded him.
Everyone was relaxed; it was just casual conversation. Lyman sat in the center, answering questions of all kinds with ease, and he listened to the reporters' praise for the film. He felt immensely proud.
Thomas was also quite excited.
However, Hilary was still immersed in the emotions of the previous scenes and didn't say much.
After the screening, Lyman waved his hand and led everyone to a hotel. They started drinking and enjoying themselves. In the midst of the brilliant lights, all that mattered was having a good time.
...
"Director Lyman..."
"Come on, cheers."
He clinked glasses lightly with Hilary, smiled, and then looked at Thomas, who was asleep on the table. He drank his glass in one gulp.
Thomas couldn't handle his alcohol well; he had hardly drunk much before he passed out.
"I'm so happy today," Hilary said, her head spinning a bit. She couldn't explain why she was feeling this way.
Lyman had mixed feelings. Even after winning an Oscar for Best Actress, Hilary hadn't risen to stardom as easily as one might expect. It wasn't because of a lack of talent; it was because she didn't fit the typical Hollywood beauty standards. Hollywood already didn't prioritize female stars with average looks, making opportunities even scarcer.
In a way, her situation resembled Maggie's in the movie. There was a certain resonance between the character and the actress.
After the banquet was over, Lyman, who was still relatively sober, escorted a few people back to their hotel rooms on the upper floor.
Then, he walked alone to his own apartment.
As soon as he lay down on his bed, he felt like his head was sinking.
His tolerance for alcohol was pretty good, so if he got a little drunk, there wouldn't be any strange behavior.
In no time, he fell asleep.
But outside, "Million Dollar Baby" had suddenly plunged into the vast ocean of the Cannes Film Festival like a boulder, causing ripples that instantly caught people's attention.
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