America 1987

Chapter 48 Accident

Sex, Lies and Videotape itself doesn't actually have any very explicit scenes. The only slightly outrageous part is the conversation between the female protagonist, Anne, and her psychiatrist, which has a hint of sexual liberation.

However, this was the first time Hollywood filmmakers had catered to French tastes, so the Cannes judges were naturally willing to award the Palme d'Or to 26-year-old Soderbergh as a form of publicity—look, even Hollywood directors are making films like this, which means our sexual liberation movement is on the right track, and those who oppose sexual liberation are conservatives and die-hards who are out of touch with the times.

David Ovitz doesn't have the excessive arrogance of Hollywood filmmakers. The three major European film companies still hold considerable prestige in this era, and actresses outside the United States are quite envious of their Best Actress awards.

So it's not hard to understand why he would go ahead to scout out the location, win a couple of prizes, and get some recognition.

Moreover, while he doesn't think it's reasonable for movies to have excessive explicit scenes, he wholeheartedly agrees with the idea that people should be honest about their desires.

"As human beings, we should honestly face our most primal desires."

After saying this, David rolled over and pressed down on her, demonstrating the true meaning of his words through his actions.

……

In the dimly lit bedroom, Nicole, dressed in a white slip dress, lay flat next to David, staring blankly at the ceiling.

A long, pullback shot shows David lying on his side beside her, his right arm dangling over his body.

Nicole removed the man's hand, climbed out of the covers and got out of bed. She turned and sat on the chair at the foot of the bed, one leg crossed, her arms crossed over her chest, her natural wavy hair falling beside her face.

"John?"

David hummed in response, half-asleep.

"John, I called you at 3:30 last Monday, and they said you weren't there. Do you remember where you were?"

"Monday?"

This question startled David so much that he raised his voice several decibels.

David is now playing the role of a lawyer husband who is having an affair, feeling guilty, and being questioned by his wife.

"Last Monday? I had a late lunch."

"Late lunch" refers to a meal eaten after lunch and before dinner, usually in the afternoon, which is equivalent to a formal version of "afternoon tea".

"Who did you eat with?"

David rolled over, a little guilty, and touched his chest. "I ate it all by myself."

"What's wrong?"

The camera alternates between close-ups of Nicole's face and David tossing and turning in bed. "Is something wrong?"

"Are you having an affair?" Nicole raised her eyebrows slightly.

"My God," David began honing his acting skills in the scene, looking up at Nicole with an incredulous expression, "Just because I ate lunch alone, does that mean I slept with someone?"

Do you have one?

"I don't."

"Oh my god, this false accusation of yours hurts my heart so much."

David was somewhat shocked by the character's shameless lines.

Nicole maintained her indifferent tone, "If I'm right, I want to know. I don't want you to lie; I'll be very angry. But if you lie to me, I'll be even angrier."

These words have a clear element of deception on the surface. Phrases like "admit you're right" and "I'll be even angrier if you lie to me" carry a strong sense of putting pressure on people and setting them up for a way out.

Those with slightly weaker mental fortitude would probably have given up by now.

It's a bit like the police separating two criminals for interrogation and telling them, "Your partner has already confessed. If you stay here and stubbornly refuse to confess, you'll only get punished more severely. Confess, and I can try to get you a reduced sentence."

Judging from the results, this kind of rhetoric is indeed very effective for most ordinary people with average psychological resilience.

However, the character John in the movie is a lawyer with a very strong mental fortitude.

So, after thinking for 0.01 seconds, David still chose to firmly deny it: "Nothing happened."

"You have no idea how angry I'll be if you lie to me."

While the pressure continued, David, who had already devised a strategy, sat up from his pillows and began trying to regain control of the conversation. "You're too suspicious."

"I should be the one who's suspicious."

Indeed, the best defense is a good offense. John's professionalism as a lawyer ensures that he never falls into the trap of self-justification; he only tries to make his opponent fall into it.

So David then turned the tables, saying, "Every time I try to touch you, you act like I've been in a cesspool."

He astutely grasped this unusual aspect of the female protagonist and posed a rhetorical question.

The profession of actor is magical because it requires you to completely transform into another person.

They were strangers who only knew each other by name when they first met, but they were forced to play the role of a married couple.

Although it's much easier to portray a couple whose relationship has become strained than one that's in the honeymoon phase. After all, the inherent sense of distance between strangers fits the relationship between the two characters perfectly at this point.

However, portraying a wife's suspicion of her husband's infidelity still presents a certain level of acting difficulty.

By this time, Nicole had come to deeply understand this.

A wife questioning her husband about infidelity is essentially a manifestation of possessiveness. Nicole, at least so far, doesn't seem to have any possessive thoughts towards David.

"I think many women would love to have a man like that," David, shirtless and wearing only underwear, leaned against the bed under the covers and continued his performance. "Young, handsome, high-earning, and very... hard in bed."

Upon hearing the other person's lines, Nicole subconsciously glanced at their bare upper body—full and well-defined pectoral muscles, clearly sculpted abdominal muscles, and smooth, firm shoulder and arm lines; they were indeed quite imposing.

"My sister is one," Nicole said, glancing quickly at Catherine sitting not far from the set, feeling that the line sounded particularly real.

"Oh my god, An."

"Is it her?"

Nicole was completely immersed in the role and pressed for an answer.

"Ann, I didn't," David quickly denied. "I didn't sleep with your sister. First of all, I don't think she's that attractive."

"Is this supposed to be comforting me?" Nicole began to understand the character's state of mind.

No, I was just saying.

I'm just saying I wasn't there, and you don't want to doubt me when we're having sex.

I could easily assume that you don't want to do it because you're having an affair.

"I don't."

"I didn't either, okay?" David felt that the other person's acting was a bit too good. He was able to deliver these lines so realistically because he had already acted them out countless times in his mind.

What's wrong with Nicole? She shouldn't have any experience in this area right now.

"Then why shouldn't I believe it?" Nicole glanced at Catherine sitting in the back.

"That's ridiculous. Maybe when you find the evidence."

"Is there any other evidence?"

"No, that's not what I meant." David was completely engrossed in the conversation. "We shouldn't have had this conversation in the first place. Don't make assumptions or judgments about me based on intuition."

Nicole also noticed the other person's overly realistic tone and expression, but she clearly remembered that the other person's main profession was directing. How come when they acted, they felt that they were no less skilled than professionally trained actors?

With the general reputation of Hollywood directors flashing through her mind and Katharine's tight-lipped nature, Nicole suddenly had an interesting idea.

"That's another lawyer's tone."

"Exactly. Imagine, 'Your Honor,' 'I am certain this man is guilty,' 'I cannot prove he was present.'"

That's enough.

Nicole couldn't help but chuckle as she watched the other person play two roles—one moment a husband, the next a lawyer.

"There was no motive."

That's enough.

"But I have a strong feeling."

"That's enough." Finally, she had to suppress a laugh and interrupt the other person's comical act. "You've clearly stated your point, okay?"

Finally, David apologized first to soften his stance, then said that he was under so much work pressure and had to endure David's suspicion when he got home, which really hurt him. He delivered a series of brilliant performances and successfully captured the essence of the character Ann in the movie.

"I'm sorry." Nicole's eyes were filled with tears. Don't misunderstand, she almost laughed out loud just now, and using that here perfectly expresses her wife's emotion and guilt.

"What?" David, finally overcoming this hurdle, called out joyfully, "Come here."

Nicole climbed into bed, and David pulled back the covers for her so she could crawl in.

Nicole nestled in the man's strong chest, reciting her last few lines.

The scene required her to place one hand on the other person's chest and draw circles, while the other hand was not in the camera's view, so it could be placed anywhere. Nicole placed it under the blanket where she could avoid the view of everyone on set.

"I've been so bored lately, I've been making up all sorts of complicated scenarios," Nicole looked up at the other person and smiled meaningfully, "and then, not wanting to waste my time, I started to believe these scenarios."

David frowned almost imperceptibly, but quickly continued reciting his lines without batting an eye, "Isn't psychotherapy helpful?"

The two chatted briefly, ending the scene with a seemingly unrelated question.

"You never use the word 'fuck'."

……

"Fuck!"

After the scene, David cursed inwardly, realizing he had almost made a huge fool of himself on set.

He really didn't expect Nicole to be so bold as to provoke him in that way in such a situation.

I guess the other person was also nervous, as their palms were sweaty, making them feel very moist and slippery.

I've only ever heard of directors harassing actors, never actors harassing directors. That's truly going against the natural order.

He cursed and swore as he went to the nearest toilet near the film set to relieve himself.

That makes sense, considering she's the woman who won an Oscar for Best Actress after divorcing Tom Cruise. Weinstein's influence was evident in almost all of her awards and nominations in the 2000s.

A woman who has collaborated with Weinstein multiple times is unlikely to be a pure and innocent person.