Late Bedtime Because Johnny Depp Brought ‘Modi’ to San Sebastian Himself  

Late Bedtime Because Johnny Depp Brought ‘Modi’ to San Sebastian Himself

As a dedicated cinephile, when attending international film festivals, I always try to avoid screenings where filmmakers are present, and I dread encountering celebrities. Does this sound contradictory? Or perhaps a bit pretentious?

It’s important to note there’s a key premise here: maximizing the number of screenings I can attend remains my most ambitious goal after years of attending film festivals around the world. When the filmmakers are present, some pre-screening appearances by the cast and film crew are inevitably involved. A few pleasantries are exchanged, and the start of the film is delayed by at least five minutes. If there’s less than a 10-minute interval between another screening in a nearby theater, I’d get up from my seat, squeeze past the people around me while apologizing as the credits roll, and sprint through the streets to catch the next screening.

Things get even worse when big-name stars show up. Streets in front of the red carpet are temporarily blocked off, and fans who raise their smartphones in the air to snap photos of celebrities clog the entrance to the cinema, making it impossible to pass through.

I just want to catch movies, not celebrities! But I’m also well aware that the success of a film often depends on the performances of its stars. As a movie fan, I do appreciate them—there were even a few I worshiped. However, I’m long past the age of fandom and have no desire to chase after stars anymore. Film festivals, after all, are also large-scale parties, and to be successful, they need to invite international A-list stars who can attract fan attention and commercial investment.

On the evening of September 24, the crowd outside the Kursaal Center, the main venue of the San Sebastian Film Festival, was the largest I’ve encountered in my 14 years of attending international film festivals. This was all because Johnny Depp was attending the premiere of his new directorial film “Modi: Three Days on the Wings of Madness”, along with the key cast members. I’m sure that in other parts of the world, especially in East Asian countries where idol boy groups are wildly popular, there are much bigger fan turnouts. But since those events are far removed from my world, I’ve never had the chance to witness them. Even at events like the Oscars or other major film festivals, I’ve never seen a red carpet spectacle with hundreds or even thousands of fans.

Before the “Modi” premiere, I, who never care about stars and didn’t know about the premiere, had just finished watching a horror movie called "The Wailing” at the Principal Theater. (Trust me, it’s going to be the next big hit in the sudden rise of Argentine horror films over the past two years.) There were still 15 minutes before “Modi” was set to start, and based on my extensive film festival experience, I knew it’d only take me seven minutes to walk across the Kursaal Bridge and reach the cultural center. I had plenty of time on my hands.

Just then, I received a message from a student producer, also attending the festival: “Depp’s screening is tonight. I didn’t get a ticket. Is there any way I could still go? Will there be scalpers at the entrance?”

Completely unaware of the situation, I couldn’t respond to her. But as I reached the bridge, I could already see the massive crowd gathered in front of the Kursaal. As I got closer, I realized there were hundreds of people, all holding up their phones and surrounding two black cars. Clearly, not only was there a screening of a movie directed by Depp, but he himself had also turned up for it!

It took me a while to squeeze my way to the west side of the entrance, only to find it blocked off by barricades. I ended up following a British journalist, who was also trying to figure out how to get in, and we made our way to the other side. Thankfully, San Sebastian, now in its 72nd year, is well-experienced in handling large events like this. Despite the hysteria, the enthusiastic fans acted in an orderly manner. After circling about 100 meters, we found the official entrance for ticket holders and quickly took our seats inside.

Because Depp and his cast needed time to slowly make their way in, greet fans, and wave to them, the scheduled 9:45 PM start time was delayed until 10:05 PM. The superstar and his team sat just two rows behind me. The audience was remarkably well-behaved—once the lights dimmed, everyone who had previously been aiming their phones at the cast promptly pocketed them and silenced their devices without any reminders.

Now that we’ve talked about the star, let’s shift gears and do a simple film review. “Modi” is Depp’s second directorial feature, following “The Brave” (1997), in which he also starred. The film is set in 1916, during World War I, in the art capital of Paris still bustling with dance and music. It depicts a 72-hour period in the life of Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani (known to his friends as Modi), during which he hopes to change his dire circumstances. In addition to the protagonist Modi, Depp also brings to life, with a degree of artistic exaggeration, several other real-life characters, including French painters Maurice Utrillo and Chaïm Soutine, Modi’s muse and English writer Beatrice Hastings, Polish poet and art dealer Léopold Zborowski, and French collector Maurice Gangnat, who could potentially change Modi’s fate.

Alcohol, mushrooms, and drugs—these elements, often associated with artistic creation or the destructive personalities of artists, are frequently present in this film as well. Though they might reinforce long-standing stereotypes for the audience, they also reflect a certain reality. Depp uses these familiar tropes, along with many hallucinatory scenes, to depict Modi’s frenzied 72 hours. This inevitably invites comparisons to Depp’s performance in Terry Gilliam’s “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.” However, the man who inspired the protagonist of that film, Hunter S. Thompson, who is the representative of “gonzo journalism,” was inherently much more suited to a drug-infused narrative. And Depp, with his eccentric personality, was a natural and perfect fit to portray Thompson’s hallucinogenic states.

In “Modi,” however, Riccardo Scamarcio, the Italian actor playing the lead role, comes across as somewhat too normal in both his appearance and his acting style.

That said, as a director, Depp still managed to portray the self-conceited artist from a century ago in a fairly complete way, while also subtly criticizing modern evaluation systems, including those related to art collection and appreciation. “Focus on the work, not on judging others” could very well be what Depp, who has been constantly hounded by rumors and scandals, is trying to convey to the audience and the media.

At the end of the film, Depp returned to the stage with his lead actors, leading to another long round of thunderous applause and cheers. The hallways were so packed with people that they became impassable. My plan to leave quickly, get a good night’s sleep, and wake up early to stay energized for more screenings the next day was thus completely thwarted by Depp.