After eight years as an extra, Chen Xiaolou is swept into the Movie Obsession System by a round of applause. His role from the start: a silent corpse. In a wildly altered version of a Stephen Chow classic, everyone who memorizes their lines dies. The only ones who survive are those who truly understand acting. He doesn't rely on a protagonist's halo, but on the rough-and-ready craft of an extra who fills gaps and picks up scenes: fighting for one line that can't be cut for every minor character who gets edited out.
