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The streets fell quiet again, though the faint rustling from the halo of light hinted at the scene of Hathaway and her brother chasing each other through the house. A smile involuntarily curved up at the corners of Anson's lips as he turned and took a step forward.
After exiting the subway station, Anson walked with Annie to escort her.
Unfamiliar with the area, Anson found every house around him looking almost identical. Clearly, his sense of direction was not something to rely on. Even so, he realized they seemed to be wandering in circles, rotating a full 360 degrees around the block.
However, Anson didn't point it out, choosing instead to accompany Annie on a snowy walk.
Crunch, crunch.
Their steps alternated in the snow, their focus on their conversation gradually fading as their talk came to an end, allowing the bustling energy to give way to self-awareness. Slowly, sensations returned to their bodies.
The biting cold crept up from their toes, numbing fingers and the soles of their feet. It wasn't until moments later that they noticed the stiffness in their limbs.
Yet Anson's heart felt bright, as though floating on clouds of cotton candy.
In just one evening, it felt as though so much had happened, and yet, nothing at all. The invisible weight pressing on his chest had dissipated before it could settle.
---
The next day, Anson arrived at the bar on time.
Jim and Rebecca looked at him in astonishment.
Anson performing here under an alias had already been surprising enough. After the events of the previous night, it was downright shocking.
No matter how they looked at it, they couldn't understand why Anson still showed up to perform as scheduled.
Surprisingly, Anson seemed the calmest of all. Smiling at their stammering confusion, he said, "I told you everything would carry on as usual today."
Life resumed its normal rhythm, unaffected by the events of that night.
Perhaps the only difference was that more and more patrons came to support "LeVain Davis." Good music speaks for itself.
Unintentionally, someone recognized Anson, but he maintained his composure.
"...People have said it before. Personally, I don't see the resemblance. He's the handsome one in Hollywood; I'm just here doing my thing," he joked, a mix of self-deprecation and humor easily defusing any tension and even drawing laughter from the small bar crowd.
Edward, the bar owner, suggested with enthusiasm, "Why not try stand-up comedy here? Didn't your last comedy show do really well?"
Anson grinned at him, "Stand-up gigs pay a lot. Are you sure you can afford it?"
Edward groaned in mock frustration, "You're no fun. None at all."
Time slipped by in the busyness of each day.
This year, Anson stayed in New York for the holidays. Lucas flew in from Los Angeles, and for the first time in a while, the Wood family gathered to spend Christmas together.
After the holiday, there were only a few days left in 2003.
---
Meanwhile, Elephant finally made its North American debut in theaters.
Some claimed that the frenzy of The Butterfly Effect was sweeping the globe, and HBO should seize the momentum and leverage Anson's influence to boost Elephant. Perhaps it could make a splash in the market.
HBO, however, disagreed.
The Butterfly Effect was The Butterfly Effect. Elephant was Elephant. The two films were entirely different in genre, style, market, and target audience, connected only by Anson's involvement. There was no need to force a link between them.
More importantly, HBO didn't see Elephant fitting into the Academy Awards' framework. How should the film position itself during awards season?
Best Actor? Best Adapted Screenplay? Best Editing? Best Cinematography?
None seemed viable. Given the film's unique qualities, even if HBO aimed for the awards season, its positioning posed a significant challenge.
Even if HBO focused on Best Picture and Best Director, the film's tone and style made it difficult to gain traction.
HBO, seasoned in campaigning for the Emmys, knew the mechanics of awards lobbying well. But the substantial investment required might not yield effective returns.
After all, Elephant was never intended as an awards contender.
The Palme d'Or win was both unexpected and delightful. HBO saw no need to get greedy.
Objectively speaking, Elephant's theatrical release already exceeded expectations. HBO simply wanted film aficionados to experience its artistry.
No ambitions. No extensive strategies. No PR campaigns. HBO chose to focus solely on the film's essence, maintaining a rare purity in the industry.
Amid the awards season chaos, HBO's approach was truly a breath of fresh air.
---
As a result, Elephant was screened in just 27 theaters across the U.S.
Los Angeles and New York each had two theaters, while the remaining 23 were distributed across major cities, all within independent arthouse theaters far removed from shopping malls and big cinema chains.
The strategy was clear: this was an indie film for cinephiles.
Naturally, HBO avoided broad promotions, targeting specific audiences instead. The campaign was as understated as could be.
A Palme d'Or winner treated like this?
In fact, this was the norm at the time.
The European "Big Three" film festivals still carried an "artistic" label, with only fledgling connections to the Oscars and a wide gap from the mainstream market. The box office performance of their winners was often negligible.
Such films relied on indie theaters for gradual rollouts, with international box office outcomes determined by each region's market for arthouse cinema. Globally, breaking $10 million in revenue was rare.
In essence, producing arthouse films required selling international distribution rights to recoup costs.
For instance, Elephant's distribution rights were sold to a French company for $300,000 to handle its release in France and another $500,000 for the UK.
This was the norm—art and commerce had distinct boundaries.
---
However, Anson's involvement brought Elephant greater attention.
Leading media outlets like The New York Times and The Hollywood Reporter highlighted the film. With Anson's debut as a producer, The Butterfly Effect, dominating the scene, his daring venture into indie filmmaking with Elephant drew significant interest.
Coupled with the prestige of the Palme d'Or and Gus Van Sant's reputation, Elephant's limited release created an unexpected holiday buzz, attracting immense anticipation for its debut.
(End of Chapter)