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weirdcanucks · 3 years

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For today's feature film, we look at Kevan Funk’s critically-acclaimed debut feature Hello Destroyer. The film swept Vancouver Film Critics’ Circle, winning 5 awards including Best Canadian Picture, Best BC Film, and Best Director. I've compiled a bunch of reviews and filmmaker interviews on the institutionalized violence, hockey culture, the craft of filmmaking and the Todd Bertuzzi case.

Synopsis

A young junior hockey player Tyson Burr’s life is shattered when a routine hockey play goes bad. In an instant his life is abruptly turned upside down; torn from the fraternity of the team and the coinciding position of prominence, he is cast as a pariah and ostracized from the community. As he struggles with the repercussions of the event, desperate to find a means of reconciliation and a sense of identity, his personal journey ends up illuminating troubling systemic issues around violence.

Where to Stream

CBC Gem if you are in Canada

Keep Reading for

Directors Guild of Canada post screening Q&A: does the Todd Bertuzzi case inspired the film?

Aggressively Canadian: An interview with the director Kevan Funk

Hello Destroyer explores the thin line between hockey menace and model

Review from Josh Cabrita of VIFF

More filmmaker Q&As

Content Warning: Violence

🎤 DGC Post screening Q&A

Audience: I grew up in BC. I remember in high school, the Todd Bertuzzi case was hung over the news of the city for a while. And I was just wondering if that's something that inspired this film at all?

Funk: Yeah. Todd Bertuzzi is my favourite hockey player of all time. So, yes definitely. I grew up in Banff, but I was a Canucks fan. The Todd Bertuzzi thing was something that I found remarkably frustrating at the time because I remember it really well too. I remember the hit on Steve Moore ahead of time when he hit Naslund, and I remember very well there was this intense bloodlust in Vancouver for retribution. And I don't mean just like among the fans. (There were) literally editorials about being like "we get pushed around too much, we need some identity. You can't let this happen, blah blah blah." And Todd was that guy. I still think Todd certainly deserves to be held responsible for what happened as an individual in that incident. But again, like that moment in terms of thinking about cultural culpability and how the idea of an act of violence extends beyond just a perpetrator of a crime and the victim and how a much broader group of people are implicated. I'm I really don't believe this idea of good and evil is something that really exists. There's like a select handful of people who we might be able to define as evil. But I think most violence that exists has a lot to do with social or cultural conditions around the people who are involved in that.

The Todd Bertuzzi thing was definitely something that informed it. I was hesitant to talk about it earlier before the film sort of got its own life and took out its own legs because I didn't want it to be "the Todd Bertuzzi story" because it informed it. But so did Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien, a lot of these guys. And to be honest, the fundamental thing that started me on writing this film was Errol Morris's film Standard Operating Procedure. It's about the prison guards at Abu Ghraib who were busted for this despicable torture. He does this incredible thing of holding them morally responsible for what they did, but also showing that they're victims of a system that essentially asked them to do this and then throw them all under the bus to wipe its hands clean when it becomes public. So that came first. But certainly heavily informed by Todd Bertuzzi. I mean, his name is Tyson Burr. You know, there're some strong hockey knots in there.

🎤 Aggressively Canadian: An interview with the director Kevan Funk

NOTEBOOK: You’re a Canadian filmmaker making a film with hockey in it, so there’s an impression that the film is about hockey. But from watching the film there’s a sense that it’s not the game, necessarily, that interests you, that if you were working in a different setting, you’d have made the same film, but about, say, football or the military instead of hockey. Would you say that that’s an accurate assessment?

KEVAN FUNK: Yes. The inclusion of hockey has much more to do with its presence as a cultural institution, because the film is very much about institutionalized violence. I have this frustration with English[-language] Canadian cinema’s lack of boldness in terms of embracing our identity and placing ourselves in Canada. So I knew I wanted to make something that was very Canadian, and so hockey just sort of ended up being that.

Hockey movies are super interesting in that they’re associated with being very Canadian, but most of them—the majority of them—are goofy comedies that say very little about either Canada or the sport of hockey itself. So again, even though Hello Destroyer wasn’t a film about hockey per se—certainly more the setting than the subject, having that locker room culture be reflective of an actual reality was very important to me, because I don't think that it’s represented properly in most work.

📄 Seventh Row: Hello Destroyer explores the thin line between hockey menace and model

In major junior hockey, players must walk a thin line between what their coaches deem acceptable and unacceptable violence. If players avoid violence, they risk being seen as “soft” by their teammates and employers. At a home game when the team is trailing, the coach, Dale Milbury (a name referencing two notorious champions of hockey violence, Dale Hunter and Mike Milbury), demands that the team “protect the house”. Eager to prove his worth, Tyson throws an illegal check that slams an opposing player face-first into the boards, leaving his opponent with broken vertebrae and a brain hemorrhage.

Televised hockey tends to glorify cheering for violence but provides no explicit reminder of any physical consequences. Hello Destroyer breaks this convention and does not sanitise the violence. In Funk’s hands, a fight is not heroic, gladiatorial combat, but sweaty, desperate grappling, conveyed through the thudding of fists, cries of pain, and, loudest of all, the cheering crowd. Funk frames the fights themselves in claustrophobic close-ups, frequently shifting focus, and never quite providing a clear view as the punches connect. The effect is alienating, and it forces an audience familiar with hockey fights to confront their brutality. Funk implicates fans for enabling violence by foregrounding the pleasure on their faces and the players’ pain through the physical ugliness of the fight.

✏️ Review from Josh Cabrita of VIFF

Kevan Funk’s debut feature, Hello Destroyer, is not only a perceptive exegesis of Canada’s colonial history and cinematic representations of hockey, but also about a myth that all children who play the game grow up with. Funk has stated in interviews that if the film was made in another country, it might’ve been set in the military or a different institution, but the fact that Hello Destroyer -- one of very few Canadian films to grapple with the sport’s hypocrisy -- takes place in the world of junior hockey makes it hard to deny the specifics for the allegory. The buzzing sounds of the overhead lights in a vacant rink, the dress code of having a black suit and tie for every game, the anger expelled at a hockey stick during a coach’s rant: these are all textures and details I’m firmly acquainted with. Yet it’s these same environmental observations that form the basis for a critique of hockey culture's contradictions and hypocrisy: contemplation and belligerence, civility and violence, alienation and ‘community’.

But, above all else, this is a film about culpability: the role complacency, the status quo and generational exchanges play in redirecting guilt to maintain a corrupt system of power. Tyson may not be the main perpetrator against the opposing team’s player (for guilt requires free will - something the film posits is out of his hands), but he’s most certainly guilty of contributing to a culture that normalizes the root causes of such an action: how he willingly shaves his own head after his teammates buzz it in a ritualistic hazing, how he remains silent when a lawyer fills in his voice, and how he stands by as a teammate is awarded the player of the game and parades a traditional indigenous headdress around the dressing room.

🎤 VIFF Post screening Q&A

#change hockey culture #film

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stackumbrellafan · 5 years

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#vancouver film critics circle awards #latestentertainmentnews #entertainmentnewsheadlines #latestcelebritynewsandgossip

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allthecanadianpolitics · 5 years

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The Haida Wildman stalked the Vancouver Film Critics Circle last night (January 7), taking four major prizes at the group's Canadian film awards ceremony at the Vancity Theatre.

Besides receiving their honours as the year's best director(s), Gwaai Edenshaw and Helen Haig-Brown’s Edge of the Knife was named both best Canadian and best British Columbia film (a repeat of its VIFF successes), while Tyler York—making his debut—was given a well-deserved best actor (male) award for his hair-raising performance in the period film. (The honour comes with a $500 cash prize sponsored by UBCP/ACTRA.)

#Edge of the Knife #haida #first nations #Indigenous #cdnpoli #canada #canadian politics #canadian news #canadian #Arts #film

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she-writes-words · 5 years

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Summer Lovin’ Chapter 1

Pairing: Harry Holland x Original Female Character

Word Count: 3.3k

Warnings: Mild Language

Summary:

Toni Thompson met Harry Holland after befriending his brother at an awards show. Tom's group had welcomed her in and practically acted like they'd known her their entire lives. Somewhere along the way, Toni fell hard for Harry, but nobody knows... Except for Zendaya. The group embarks on a summer trip together, one that they'd been planning for quite some time. How will Toni deal with her crush on her best friend's younger brother? Will they come to admit their feelings? Or will her fear of losing her best friends stop her from chasing the possible love of her life?

A/N: This is my first full-on fanfiction and my first writing for the Holland twin. I’m not sure how many chapters this will be, but please enjoy. Constructive Criticism is always welcomed!

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4

Driving up the California coast has always been my favorite thing to do. What made it even better was doing it with friends. Tom and Harry were currently seated in my car, jamming to a playlist made specifically for this road trip. A few cars behind us was Zendaya, Jacob, and Harrison. I peeked back at them from my rear-view mirror, smiling to myself.

I had met Tom a few years back at an after party. He wasn’t paying attention, obviously in deep conversation with someone, and bumped into me, spilling his drink down the front of my dress. I had cracked a joke about that being some way to get a girl’s attention. After what felt like a million apologies later, we had settled into a comfortable conversation, whoever he was talking to was long gone by now. We ended up exchanging numbers and continuing to talk the rest of the night via text. My nickname TeeTee came about thanks to that being what he put me under in his phone.

Suddenly a beautiful friendship had blossomed between us and we quickly became the best of friends. That’s how I met the rest of his inner circle consisting of his co-stars Zendaya and Jacob, his best friend from Haz, and his brother Harry. Sure, his other family was close to him and he did have other friends, but these were the ones I had gotten closer to.

Most of my free time was spent with Tom or Zendaya. He would occasionally spend a few days with me in Vancouver or L.A. when he could. If he was in L.A, usually Zendaya and I were as well. I had even been to London a few times, so I had gotten to know his family well. Zendaya and I had gotten close out of sheer luck thanks to us living so close to each other in L.A.

Now Tom’s younger brother Harry was a different story. Much like his brother, we had hit off almost immediately and he became part of my inner circle. When his brother didn’t have him hanging around and he wasn’t off doing a project of his own, he would stop in to see me when I’d be filming. Not only was Harry my best friend, but he also became my crush. A crush that I couldn’t tell Tom about out of fear of losing our friendship. Zendaya knew, but that was because she forced it out of me after a small get together he was at.

This trip we decided to embark on was something we didn’t get to do often. The six of us had decided to take a small road trip to a coastal beach house that a friend owned. The guys had all flown into LAX just for this trip. To say we were all excited was an understatement. It was only a few hours outside of Los Angeles, but come on, a trip is a trip. To get away from the hustle and bustle of the city with our favorite people is a must.

Getting off the highway and making a few turns, I could finally see the residential area near the beach. I smiled over at Tom who was still enjoying the music playing through my speakers while playing with his phone. “We’re here, ya know. Just a few more minutes until we get to my friend's place.”

Tom and Harry whipped their heads up from their phones in excitement. I smiled at the giddy men and rolled my windows down to take a deep breath of air. The smell of ocean water mingled with the scents of the flowers and trees lining the roads. It brought a peaceful sensation to my body that made me just as giddy as the grown men in my car. Beside me, Tom was taking a video with his phone, letting out a low whistle. In the back, Harry had his camera out, really when did he not have it out, and a goofy smile plastered to his face.

I pulled the car to a stop in the driveway of a gorgeous beach house and suddenly the only noise heard throughout the car was our breathing and the music. We were all just so in awe as we took it all in. The beach was just a few minutes away by walking and you could smell the strong ocean scent from the house. From the front, we could see the beautiful double door entry and a beautiful balcony attached to an upstairs bedroom. It was magnificent, to say the least.

Our attention was pulled away by the sound of a car pulling up next to us, a beaming Zendaya waving at us from the driver’s side and Haz and Jacob animatedly talking in the back seat. I patted tom’s leg and motioned to the friends beside us. “Think that’s our cue to get out, don’t ya think?”

“No, I thought I’d let them drag me out of the car,” he snarked back, a bright smile on his face.

“Fuck you, Holland.” He laughed at my sad comeback and I decided to get out of the car before I thought of something better. The moment I had closed my door, I was practically tackled to the ground by Zendaya. I could pick up a strong scent, but not overwhelmingly so, of coconut coming off her hair and skin as she tightened her arms around my upper body.

I was always amazed when I saw Z. She was an effortlessly beautiful girl and I always felt that I could never compare to her. It wasn’t a competition, of course, but it just didn’t seem fair that a woman could look that flawless. She would be in the simplest clothes and a bare face, just like she was at this moment, and she’d still look drop dead gorgeous. Her dark curls were so much prettier than my frizzy pink ones currently in a high ponytail atop my head. Shaking the thoughts from my head, I squeezed her back and chuckled.

“Nice to see you too, Z. It’s not like I just saw your face a few hours ago.”

“I’m just so excited to spend the next two weeks with you guys. It’s going to be amazing. I have so much stuff planned for us!” The girl was radiating excitement and energy, how she has so much I have no clue.

The guys had made their way up to us while Zendaya continued to ramble on about her plans. After a side hug from Haz and Jacob, we made our way up to the house. Zendaya was chatting with Harry and Tom about all the popular photo spots around town and how she was so excited to see the scenery and sunbathe. We all knew Harry’s camera would be attached to his face for a good part of the trip.

My attention was caught by a cool breeze lifting wisps of curls off my neck. I turned my head as if to follow the breeze and caught sight of the sun slowly starting to set. It was beautiful, no doubt about it. Just like Zendaya, I couldn’t wait to get more of the scenery. Something about the way the glow of the sun peeking through the trees just made me want to leave all my worries behind and never leave. I knew I couldn’t wait to get out and frolic on that magical beach.

The sound of someone’s fingers snapping in my face brought me back to the here and now. “You alright, love?” That accent. The one that belonged to my best friend. I laughed, looking up at him and patting his shoulder.

“Yeah, sorry about that. Got a little too wrapped up in my daydreams, I suppose. Don’t worry about it.”

Tom stifled his laugh as I brushed past him walking completely into the house. The discussion of sleeping arrangements was in full swing once I finally found myself in the kitchen. Trying not to disturb anyone, I quietly slid in next to Harry who smiled at me and threw his arm around my shoulders. Leaning up on my tiptoes to better reach him, I whispered into his ear “So what did I miss?”

“Tom’s bunking with Haz, you’re bunking with Zendaya, and Jacob and I are on our own.” He shot me a wink before turning his attention to Jacob. “I’ll take the upstairs if you’re cool with it, man.”

“Sure, man! Guess that means I get the lower level all to myself unless you want to join me, Harrison,” he sent a wink Haz’s way causing Z and me to fall into a fit of giggles as Haz jokingly threw himself into Jacob’s arms. Jacob was always so down with the flow and I really admired that about him.

I nudged Zendaya’s arm with my elbow. “Hey, Z, show me to our room?” With almost too much excitement, she grabbed my arm pulling me out of the warmth that was Harry’s arm and directed me up to the stairs a few feet away from where the group was stood.

“So ours is the master on the right. It’s got two kings and a kickass tub,” she whispered in my ear so as not to make the other guys jealous. I could hear the gloating in her voice. “Oh, and boys.,” She yelled down the stairs. There was the sound of shuffling and muffled voices, then four heads peeking up the stairs. “Get your crap sorted and we can head to the beach before it gets too dark.” And with that, we were off to check out or room.

A few hours later we found ourselves around a fire pit on the back porch, each of us with a drink in our hands. It had been a slow and peaceful night so far. Most of our night was unpacking our luggage, walking the beach, and then hunting for food. Between the excitement of the night and our drive earlier in the afternoon, we had all decided we were too tired to much. A night of games was the perfect ending to the night. I was sandwiched between the brothers with my head resting on Harry’s shoulder and a hand gripping a glass of wine. How natural this felt. Across from us Sat Haz who was talking to Zendaya and Jacob, arms flailing about as he explained something.

As I was thinking over the events on the beach, I started drifting in and out of the conversation. The breeze was so peaceful and serene as we were walking the shore. The guys were all bullshitting around when suddenly Haz races towards Tom with a hand full of sand and manages to get it down his pants. Zendaya and I stood back laughing as Jacob joined in, getting wet sand and stuffing it in Haz’s pants. Harry was standing off to the side taking pictures of the sunset and the wrestling match, chuckling at the stupidity of his brother and friends.

What happened next reminded me of those slow-motion moments in movies. The last bit of sun that was shining dropped down hitting Harry in such a way that it lit his form up in a beautiful golden glow. My breath caught in my throat and I couldn’t look away. Deciding I didn’t want to lose this moment, I took my phone out and captured a photo of Harry before he could look my way. His breathtaking smile, the way his eyes crinkled up, and the halo around his gorgeous curls. Oh, it was just-

“Strip poker!”

My head snapped up from its place on Harry’s shoulder, startling the two boys next to me. “Fuck, I’m so sorry. I think I got a bit lost,” I chuckled breathlessly. I looked over at Haz whose look of utter glee slowly fell as he realized he scared me.

“You scared the shit out of me, Toni,” Tom laughs, placing a hand over his heart.

“I’m sorry, Tommy,” I giggled, patting his back. It was all laughs between us after that.

“So, is that a no for strip poker?” Poor Harrison really wanted to get people naked tonight.

“That is a hard no. Sorry Harrison, but I’m shit at poker and really don’t feel like getting naked in front of you guys,” Z patted Harrison on the shoulder with an apologetic look on her face. It was no secret that the two of us sucked at card games. Haz knew this, he was just being a little shit about it.

“Well, how about truth or dare,” I suggested. The faces around me lit up with mischievous grins. We might be a bunch of twenty-somethings, but we’re still a bunch of high schoolers at heart. “Cool. Harry, you’re the youngest. You can start.” I moved to the seat across from Z to even out our position. Sipping the wine in my hand and humming in pleasure at the taste, I watched Harry shift his eyes across the circle, landing on his brother. Tom looks at him with a confident smirk.

“Truth or dare, bro?”

“Come on, mate. You know me. Dare!” And there it was. Cocky Tom who thought he was invincible. This side of him only came out around people he felt really comfortable with. And maybe when he had a little alcoholic his system to loosen him up.

He pretends to think about it for a moment, flicking his eyes between the only other guys out here. Looking back to his brother he grins. “I dare you to give Jacob a lap dance.”

I rolled my eyes and snorted at the childish dare. “My God, Harry. What are we, fourteen?” He glares at me as I continue. “We’ve all seen his cross-dressing performance, yeah? I bet he’ll actually enjoy this!” I arched an eyebrow staring at the older Holland brother and smirked at him. I cover a giggle with my hand when Tom glares at me, knowing it will just further irritate the man.

“Fine. In your underwear.” And suddenly the group, minus a red-faced Tom, howled with laughter. A middle finger thrown in the air by said man, and he was riding himself of his clothing as slow as possible.

After fiddling with her phone for a moment, the beat to Beyoncé’s Naughty girl started flowing through the speakers. Neither of us could hold back our cackles at the expression written all over Tom’s face. Attempting to ignore the two women laughing at him, Tom begins to perform the most cringy lap dance I have ever seen. Not that I’ve seen many.

Did it look like Jacob minded what was going on? Not at all. In fact, he looked quite ecstatic at the man gyrating his hips over him. Occasionally Tom would do something funny like smacking his ass, putting Jacob’s hands on his abs, or hip thrusts. The five of us were nearly choking for air by the time he had finished his dance, the music fading out and changing to another upbeat one. Not wanting to be made fun of anymore, Tom huffed and threw his clothes on as quickly as possible and picked the next victim.

It was all childish dares and truths after that. Drink a nasty concoction of multiple liquors, confess your undying love to someone in this group, what’s your most embarrassing sexual encounter, or send a dick pic to the last person you texted. Poor Haz got that one and I feel even worse for the poor lady he’s been chatting up. Haz brought it full circle by daring Tom to stick his hand through the fire. Lame and simple, sure. But it freaked him out enough which was the best part.

“Oh Harry, my dear brother,” he coos. Well, shit. Harry is in for it now. “Truth or dare?”

All eyes are on Harry as he grins. “Dare.” We all awaited what we thought would be the most epic revenge dare. I should have known neither of us would get away from his wrath so easily. Between his brother’s silly dare and my teasing, Tom was out for blood. He enjoyed watching people squirm.

“Make out with Toni. For two minutes.”

Z hoots with laughter when I spit out the mouthful of wine I had just sipped. I couldn’t help but shoot her a nasty glare. Turning my irritation towards the older Holland, I scowled at him. ”Do not drag my ass into this, Thomas!” I warned. All it earned me was a chuckle and slight head shake.

“It’s either you swap spit, or he has to strip, bare ass, and run down the street. Which would you rather have happened?”

Letting out a soft sigh, I motioned for Tom to switch spots with me, shooting an empathetic look towards Harry. As I sat down next to him, I placed my wine down on the table and smiled. “I’ve had some pretty bad kisses, I’m sure this will be fine. No big deal,” I muttered. There was a faint blush that crept over Harry’s face and it made his sweet freckles obviously stand out. My god, can he get any cuter?

“Totally not a big deal,” he whispered. There was a level of confidence and a hint of eagerness to his voice.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Tom putting a timer up on his phone. “On the count of three. 1..” I could feel my hands get clammy as I braced myself. “2…” My breath was shaky, and I prayed that Harry couldn’t hear it as I closed my eyes and leaned in. “3!” And suddenly the softest pair of lips were covering mine.

I shouldn’t have been shocked, I knew it was coming, but nothing could have prepared me for how wonderfully awkward yet sweet it would be. It took us a moment to find a steady rhythm and not squish noses too badly. The gentlest puffs of air from Harry’s mouth hit my face as we parted our lips, changing the angles of our heads. The burning heat from his hand couldn’t be missed when he placed it on my waist, the other wrapped around the side of my neck. I could hear soft snickering from the group around us, but I was too far gone to care. I threw myself into this kiss, making sure I’d leave a lasting impression on the younger boy. Propping a knee up on the couch to press myself against him, I tilted my head to the left, deepening the kiss.

The sparks were flying, at least they were to me. All I could hope for was that he felt the same way I did. This kiss, this closeness, it was something I had only dreamed about before now. This was sweeter than any dream I had. A soft moan slipped past Harry’s lips. The sound of his moan and the feeling of his tongue on my bottom lip shook me from my mind and had me pushing back off of him, taking deep breaths. Eyes wide, staring at Harry, I wiped the saliva from my lips and scooted back to my original seating. Peeking over at Harry, I could see the blush on his face as he ran a hand through his curls.

“Your time was up like a minute ago,” Zendaya chokes out. Her face was pink from laughing and there were tiny tears in the corner of her eyes threatening to fall. I shot her the bird and grabbed for my drink, downing the rest of the contents.

“Well, Zendaya, I think it’s your turn. Truth or Dare, babe?” I shot back with a smirk. With that, the game continued on, pulling the attention away from Harry and me.

#harryholland #summer romance #tom holland best friend #friends to lovers #harry holland fanfiction #summer lovin chapter 1 #summer love

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sarahinara · 6 years

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come home to you; matt x mc

Summary: Carmen (MC) meets Matt’s dad for the first time.

Word Count: 1662

Warnings: None.

Author’s Note: you know when you think of a scene and think ‘oh that’s cute’ but then have to write a bunch to get there? this is that

Matt only looks half-apologetic as he lingers in the doorway of the bathroom, Carmen glaring at him through the mirror with an iron grip around her mascara wand.

“In my defence,” he raises both hands, “he only told me this morning that he was coming to the wrap party.”

Carmen never figured that Marco Rodriguez, critically-acclaimed actor and father to the love of her life, would be one of those types, but the simple mention of him unnerves her too much to dwell on it. Leading up to today, she’d had the pleasure of getting to lead another movie with Matt – so much so that she was almost dreading the day they wrapped. Now, she gives herself another once-over for a whole different reason, finger tapping frantically on the counter, and is teetering on the edge of just restarting it all when Matt closes the space between them. Warmth seeps through her dress as he wraps his arms around her, pressing a fleeting kiss on her shoulder.

“He’s going to love you.” The pure conviction in his voice, soft and gentle, briefly stops her train of thought in its tracks. His thumb rubs small circles on her skin as she steadies herself, the lump in her throat pointedly preventing her from any coherent sentence.

“I just –“ She works to find the words, like the tangled ball of nerves in her stomach could be explained. A few beats pass like that, his presence grounding while her fingernails dig deep into her palm.

“He means a lot to you,” she finally manages. “I don’t want to mess this up.”

“Hey, listen to me,” Matt turns her around, cups her cheek to gaze into her eyes. “You are the most incredible person I’ve ever met. Nothing is going to change how I feel about you. And besides,” the corner of his lip tugs upwards. “He’s already told me how nervous he is to meet you.”

He lets out a little laugh at the look on her face. “How many women do you think I’ve fallen in love with, Carmen?”

The fear slowly seeps away and she flicks his shoulder, earning her a small noise of protest. “You could’ve led with that, you know.”

“And miss a chance to lament how great you are? Never.”

“Come on,” she grins, tugging on his hand to lead him out the door. Her heart flutters in her chest. “We’re going to be late to our own party.”

She still misses a step when she spots Marco across the room, barely three feet over the threshold of the venue. It’s hard not to notice him – a few inches shy of Matt with cropped dark hair – the way he moves, larger than life with confidence to spare, commands a certain presence about him. People cheer as they walk in, hand-in-arm, tipping drinks towards them. Carmen smiles out of habit, but then Marco laughs at something Teja said, his face scrunching up just so and Carmen is struck so acutely with déjà vu that she immediately glances back at Matt beside her.

He’s grinning madly, hand already raised high in the air. “Hey, dad!”

“There’s the man of the hour!” Marco’s face lights up when he sees him. He weaves his way through the crowd, opening his arms wide to pull his son into a hug. “It’s good to see you!”

Matt rolls his eyes, as if it’d offset how happy he looks. “You saw me a few days ago, at dinner.”

“That doesn’t change anything,” he waves a hand dismissively, which freezes mid-air when he finally sees Carmen. She smiles, gives a little wave, hopes desperately that he won’t find a timid wave from his son’s girlfriend weird. His hand drops so suddenly that she’s convinced she’s done something wrong before he makes towards her like he was going to hug her as well, but pulls back at the last second. There’s a moment when none of them knows what’s going on when Marco finally decides to envelop her hand with both of his own, beaming. “It is an absolute honour to meet you, Carmen.”

“You too,” she lets out some of the tension in her shoulders. “Matt’s told me a lot about you.”

“Oh, is that so?” He narrows his eyes overdramatically, but Carmen can see him shifting his weight between his feet. “All good things, I hope?”

“That, or he’s a better actor than I thought.” She nudges Matt playfully in the side.

“What can I say? The method works.”

“’The method,’” Marco curls his fingers into air quotes, the corners of his lips quirking upwards. “You used to always use that excuse when you were younger whenever I caught you doing something you weren’t supposed to be doing.”

“Breaking windows isn’t a part of method acting?”

“Wish I knew that excuse back when I was in middle school,” Carmen says.

They laugh, and Matt gives Carmen’s hand a reassuring squeeze. As if on cue, there’s a loud CRASH somewhere to the far end of the room, followed shortly by whoops of excitement from someone that sounds suspiciously like Crash. Heads turn like clockwork, and Carmen tiptoes in her heels to try and get a better view.

“I should go check that out.” Matt kisses her temple, only to pull back and see two pleading looks for him to stay. He pretends not to notice either of them. “Be back in a sec.”

Why would you do this, is what Carmen glares into the back of Matt’s head as he walks away. She turns back to Marco, who clears his throat. “So, you and Mateo are…?”

It takes everything in her to keep her expression, well, normal, as her heart starts pounding in her chest.

“Together, yeah.” She smiles easily at the notion, though she was sort of hoping for an ease into this conversation rather than diving head-first. “I’m a lucky girl.”

“With your talent? No, my son is the lucky one,” he grins broadly, shoving his hands into his pockets. “I, naturally, watched Tender Nothings because of family obligations, and you impressed me through and through.”

“You flatter me.” Carmen’s face grows hot. She’ll never get used to the praise no matter who’s speaking it. Marco gapes once, twice, then turns towards his son.

“Mateo!” His father barks, Matt jerking in response. With his wide eyes and a rod-straight back, Carmen is momentarily enraptured by the image of Matt in the same position – just a decade or so younger – and stifles a giggle. “Clearly, you haven’t been complimenting Carmen enough; she thinks I’m flattering her!”

“That can be arranged.” He strides back over to them, looping an arm around her waist at the same time that he presses his lips to her cheek. It makes her feel warm all over and she smiles, just for him. Matt has a grin on his face, but not the heroic, cocky ones from his action movies. Instead, his eyes are twinkling under the warm lighting, gaze softening just by looking at her.

“You should have seen him while you guys were filming – all Carmen-this, Carmen-that,” Marco goes on. Matt pulls back to start frantically gesturing for him to stop. “I said ‘son, are you filming a movie or simply spending the whole day with her?’”

Matt awkwardly laughs, making a cutting motion with his hand. “That’s what happened, all right. That’s it.”

“One day, he called me up and said ‘I think I’m going to marry her, dad.’”

“In all fairness!” Matt says, a little too loudly, a little too fast. If Carmen’s face is even half as red as his is, then they’re both screwed. “That was after the thirty-six-hour shoot in Vancouver, when it rained, like, seven different times.”

His dad shrugs, unfazed. “Never let anyone else define your relationship, but,” he takes a step towards his son. “Don’t let a good thing slip between your fingers.”

Matt makes a small noise at the back of his throat. Marco laughs, clapping his shoulder.

“But onto new things! If you’ll excuse me, I have to go say hello to Thomas,” he pulls a petrified Matt into a hug, then does the same for Carmen. “I’ll catch up with you before the night is done. Until then,” Marco inclines his head, then makes his way to where Hunt is idly chatting with Teja.

A beat passes.

“Sorry about him, I didn’t realize he’d, uh,” Matt scratches the back of his neck. Realization dawns on Carmen and she lets her forehead slump on his shoulder, an arm immediately moving to wrap around her.

“Was he actually nervous or was he screwing with us?”

He groans. “You grow up watching a man act, you’d think you’d be able to tell by now.”

“If it’s of any consolation,” she fiddles with his collar, her voice lowering so much that he almost doesn’t hear her next sentence. “I wouldn’t object to marrying you.”

Carmen’s face is painfully hot now and she fixes her eyes on his chest, unable to stop the smile from creeping onto her face.

“Oh. Oh.” She can hear him beam before he grabs her hand, giddy. “Well, then. I guess I’ll keep that in mind.”

Matt leans down to kiss her and she lets out a little laugh at how enthusiastic it is. When he pulls back, his whole face is lit up; Carmen can’t help but kiss him again.

“While I would love to do this all night,” she punctuates her words with another press of her lips, “I think we have a movie to wrap up.”

“Oh, right. Yeah. The party. Absolutely.” He offers her his arm and her hand slips easily into the crook of his elbow. “After you.”

Their friends find them easily soon afterwards, congratulations spilling out of their lips. They run through toasts, the playful jabs. Carmen finds Marco’s gaze in the crowd and grins.

She can’t wait to speak to him again.

#playchoices #red carpet diaries #matt rodriguez #matt rodriguez x mc #matt x mc #playchoices fanfic #choices stories you play #choices #rcd #carmen song #my writing

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