Hell's Actor

"Where can I watch Culture and Collapse?" Ingrid asked.

She sprinkled black pepper over her eggs.

The group of six had come to a cozy diner for lunch.

It was full of people enjoying the festival. Their discussions about the earlier screening had livened up the place.

The lovely establishment was heavily influenced by American influence, courtesy of the soldiers stationed in West Berlin during the Cold War.

The entire street was lined with restaurants influenced by the American, British, and French cultures.

While glancing out the glass window, Ingrid cut into the yoke with her knife and let it run over the spice.

"I want to watch it."

"You can't," Marrie answered, cutting her sausage into little pieces. "I tried to look for it recently."

Unsure, Ingrid eyed Gabriel and Hikaru. "What do you mean?"

Hikaru pointed his fork at her. "It's considered lost media."

"What's that?"

"Music, films, video games, novels, and any other content that has perished. Serenes, the film, is no longer accessible."

"They tried, you know," Gabriel added. "They made efforts to preserve it, but somehow still lost the last remaining tape."

"Incompetence," scoffed Marrie. "Had I known this would happen, I would've stolen it myself."

Ingrid was intrigued.

"Can't you tell me what it was about? I know you said I need to watch it, but I can't watch it now."

Hikaru put down his knife and wiped his lips on the tissue paper. His gaze was stuck to the white ceiling.

"First of all, you need to understand that by the standards of that time, Culture and Collapse had a very realistic set."

Gabriel added two cubes of sugar to his coffee and stirred it.

"It was filmed in the style of a no-commentary documentary, sort of."

"There weren't any impressive cuts or anything," Marrie said. "There weren't many deviations in the shots."

"It kept wide shots to a minimum, but close-ups were common. The camerawork was… It was—"

"It's the only media that made me think that the cameraman is a part of the film," Marrie interjected.

Hikaru spared her a disgruntled glance. He didn't like her interruptions.

"You could feel the thoughts of the cameraman. Like, for example, sometimes the shot would linger a second or two too long on a mundane, otherwise common object. It was these little things and lack of music that really got certain emotions across."

Marrie rubbed her arms, feeling the cold on her skin. "It really brought out the sick intrigue and chilling excitement of the cameraman."

"Of course, it was a different time, and Gene Conti wasn't even known in the directorial circles. He must not have had any money for a proper crew, and in such cases, directors often like to be behind the camera themselves."

Gabriel took a sip of his coffee. "It saves money."

"That's why even though the camerawork and the direction aren't particularly fancy, it is considered a unique style. No one has been able to replicate it successfully."

Marrie arrogantly raised a brow. "They try, and they fail."

"Very little is known about the film. And anyone who has ever claimed to be a part of the crew has turned out to be a liar. Even the lead actor remains unnamed and unknown. We still don't know who he is."

"His acting comes across as very detailed and detached from the norms of everyday life. It suited the set and the camerawork perfectly."

"Right?" Gabriel turned Marrie. "The change was so detailed and gradual… How is someone like that still not found?"

"Do you think he's still alive?"

"Who knows? We know so little about its production…"

Marrie turned to Ingrid and lowered her voice. "They say that was the only film Gene Conti ever made. It was his first film, yet he killed himself. That's why it's also called the Devil's Picture."

"Aptly named."

"Okayyyyyy." Ingrid cautiously glanced at her three film buff friends. "But what's the film about?"

They had answered every question she hadn't asked, but not the one she had actually articulated.

The table fell silent.

Ingrid could hear the hearty laughs from the other tables. They were discussing the beautiful actress from the earlier movie.

Hikaru leaned in, his voice a whisper.

"Did we not talk about that, Marrie?"

"I don't think we did."

Richard, who had been awfully quiet so far, shook his head.

A minute later, an embarrassed Marrie began explaining.

"Serenes, or Culture and Collapse, depicted an actor stuck in Hell, the change he goes through, and the deterioration of his character."

Hikaru cleared his throat. "Culture refers to the awful conditions of Hell that are presented as the norm, and Collapse refers to the dissolution of the protagonist's personality as he tries to adapt to Hell."

"It's a commentary on how the elements around us shape us as individuals."

"It's a reflection of how society forces us to propagate its legacy of awful practices."

Hikaru and Marrie continued singing the praises of the film.

"The title is intentionally misleading," Gabriel said, ignoring his two friends. "It makes you think that it's a documentary based on reality, about something mundane and boring."

Ingrid didn't understand most of what was being said, yet she regretted that she would never get to see this brilliant film.

***

"It took longer than I thought."

Lucifer, Satan, and Kara were driving on the streets of Berlin, having just arrived.

'Whose fault is it?' Kara thought.

"Whose fault is it?"

It was Lucifer who had voiced her thoughts. For a moment, Kara went stiff.

'Can he—you read my mind?'

But that didn't seem to be the case.

"Had you not insisted on spelling 'Help' with the bodies of the police officers, we would have been here hours ago," Lucifer continued.

"Then, what should we have spelled?" Satan asked in a huff.

"Nothing, you idiot."

"Nothing?" He twirled his cane. "We didn't have enough bodies to spell 'Nothing.'"

"We should have avoided displaying them." Lucifer shook his head, completely ignoring his fellow Hellion. "Now, they will come disturb our movie plans."

"Oh, it'll be fine." Satan turned to Kara. "Right, girl?"

Kara unwittingly nodded.

"See? Even she understands." He laughed. "By the way, try anything funny, and you'll be responsible for the death of everyone in the vicinity."

Again, Kara nodded.