It is possible to read a person quite thoroughly in a short time. We give ourselves away through details – facial expressions, grimaces, tone, gaze, energy, demeanor, posture, a single word, the way words are combined… At least, I have an inner reader for details that has helped me a lot in life. I can spot red flags with lightning speed, but I most enjoy seeing white ones.
You can read a person in a short time. Kevin Costner’s reaction to a seven-minute standing ovation at Cannes following the premiere of the first part of his new film, Horizon: An American Saga lasts about nine seconds. Enough. So much can be concluded from it! First, one can see his humility, his lack of arrogance. Then, one can see his wondering, Is this really happening to me? Have my efforts truly borne fruit? Yes, they have! Then one can spot not disbelief, but a healthy reality check that it’s all possible because he put in the effort. You can see gratitude, sensitivity, sacrifice. You can see how much he has given, how he feels both comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time, experiencing both shame and pride. This is not the pride of a man who will selfishly draw himself in front of his work, or, God forbid, someone else’s, or even a depiction of some spiritual being. “Me, me, me,” say those people who draw themselves everywhere and at every opportunity. Kevin does not impose himself, even though he knows what he has achieved. Costner does not parade; he is simple, yet so magnificent in his humanity and unassuming worth… His tears are for the success of his new endeavor, he cries because the likely years-long effort to make a new film has come to fruition and garnered such a reaction… But he does not wave a single flag, arrogance does not scream from him… He cries as a human and as a giant.
I am deeply moved by his tears of joy, pride, and shyness. And by his turning to the audience, as if to say, Is this real? It is real or Thank you or I gave my all to this project; it means so much to me that it resonates in your souls. Oh, the raising and lowering of his eyebrows, the lifting and dropping of his gaze, almost sacred humility, and modesty in the bare truth.
Oh, how his eyes convey messages!
I am deeply touched.
I have not followed his reactions until now and had no impression of him as a person, but I did of have of him as an actor and director.
I have followed him since the movie Revenge, where he dazzles with his smooth beauty and charisma, and The Untouchables, where his acting is legendary among legends. And then comes a turning point, Dances with Wolves, a film that connects various memories in me – the shock after watching Soldier Blue, the immense love for the book Winnetou (and other works by Karl May), my father’s adoration of Native Americans and his stories about the last Apache testament and the letter from a Native American chief to the American president, the stories Larry Angier told me about Nevada, and the vast landscapes I saw in Virginia in 2010.
And in all these memories, there he is, Kevin Costner, in his epic dances with wolves.
I have watched many key cult films he subsequently created (often as actor, director, and producer) and his new one, his passion, as far as I can see, I hope to follow with special attention.
I believe it was both hard and easy for him now at Cannes; I believe it was both comfortable and uncomfortable. It was certainly star-studded. And I want to thank him because the reactions of his wonderful essence (visible in just nine seconds) have stirred my soul. I am happy for him as if for myself.
And joy is the answer to all questions.
Ana Atanasković / Samo voli
ANA ATANASKOVIĆ 