'Better Days' follows Chen Nian, a young girl during her final days of high school. With mounting pressure from the establishment to perform well in the college entrance exams, Chen Nian has to cope with the stress of finishing high-school and with being bullied. The story opens with showing Chen Nian studying at school, all children busy revising for the impending exams. Suddenly, an incident causes all to gather in the school-yard, where it is revealed that a girl has jumped to her death. Chen Nian proceeds to approach and cover her remains. It is revealed that Chen Nian is also being bullied by a group of girls in the school, a plight from which she cannot escape. Her absent mother is rarely home, due to hiding from creditors, and she is largely by herself.
Walking home one night she is pulled into a street fight, where a group of guys is beating up Xiao Bei. Nian is forced to kiss Xiao Bei for the amusement of the gang. Afterwards the two meet again, and Xiao Bei fixes Nian's phone that was damaged during the fight. Shortly after the two find joy in each others company and Nian asks Xiao Bei to protect her. With the exams approaching and pressure mounting, Nian is accosted by her bullies, spearheaded by Wei Lai, after she had reported them to the police prior and had them expelled from school. During the attack Xiao Bei is in police custody as part of a line-up and fails to protect Nian. After the incident, all seems to go on as before until Wei Lai's body is discovered as part of clearing up a landslide. Being identified as the main culprit to bullying, Nian becomes the main suspect and is interrogated by the police. At the same time Xiao Bei is shown being taken into custody, all signs seemingly pointing to him as the one responsible for Wei Lai's death.
Soon after we discover that in fear of being reported, Wei Lai had talked to Chen Nian, offering her money in exchange for her silence. After offering not to report her, demanding to never see her again, Chen Nian leaves, only for Wei Lai to keep talking to her, prompting her to push Wei Lai down a flight of stairs, to her death. After the incident, Nian tells Xiao Bei what happened, for him to then offer to protect her, with the two of them conspiring to shift the blame on Xiao Bei, arranging for alibis and staging him as the murdered.
After the exams pass and Chen Nian receives her results, she is confronted by the detective that was in charge if her case, Zheng Ye. Zheng Ye gets Chen Nian to admit to the conspiracy and the two teenagers are imprisoned. After some years pass, Chen Nian is shown as a teacher. Seeing a distressed student in her class, she walks her home, with Xiao Bei close behind them. After the credits roll, a message is shown about the action that has been taken to crack down on bullying at schools by the various government departments in China.
'Better Days' is a heartfelt and touching story about the immense pressure to succeed in school and to progress to a good college paired with the awful reality of bullying. Through Chen Nian we get to see the fear and pain that a student who is being picked on can experience. The story starts out with Chen Nian being picked as a target for bullying after the suicide of Hu Xiaodie, showing us the initial point at which her torment begins. As the film progresses, her attackers become more vicious and brutal, beating her more violently. After Chen Nian reports what has happened, the bullies are expelled that makes them more vicious in attacking Chen Nian. The most cruel incident occurs when Wei Lai and her crew beat and strip Chen Nian, whilst filming the incident. The clear depiction of Chen Nian's humiliation speaks volumes towards the real life misery that can be caused by bullies whose behaviour is allowed to run rampant and whose actions are not held to account.
The main message of the feature focuses on the sheer cruelty that comes along with bullying and that can lead to disastrous consequences, both scarring the victims emotionally and leading to physical harm and even death. However, 'Better Days' forms a complete story by balancing the poignancy of the anti-bullying message with exploring the inner worlds of both Chen Nian and Xiao Bei.
Chen Nian is a quiet and smart schoolgirl, that, like all other students, has a singular point of interest and concern - doing well on the college entrance exams. Her personality and focus allow her to get on with her studies and to remain calm during this tumultuous time. She also manages to take care of herself as her father is not present, and her mother is absent for most of the time. After the girls at school begin to pick on her, it seems that she should not be able to go on, with her schoolwork or otherwise. However, the chance meeting with Xiao Bei allows her to ask someone to look after her, giving her something that she appears not to have had in a long time - a sense of security.
Xiao Bei is a savvy teen, a thug that tries to get by as best he can, without resorting to dealing drugs or robbing people. He is presented as a rough punk that initially wants to repay Chen Nian for her damaged phone. Over time the two grow closer and open up to each other about feelings of isolation and loneliness. Through listening to each other, the pair find comfort in each other, as they feel appreciated and seen in what they are, with bearing their deepest emotions to each other.
The conclusion of the film shows us that in a moment of fear and anger Chen Nian, who is well established as a pure and smart individual, loses her temper and pushed Wei Lai, causing her to fall to her death. The sequence to follow initially seems hard to come to terms with, as Chen Nian is shown conspiring and agreeing with Xiao Bei to cover up what happened, and allow him to take the fall for her. Ultimately, Chen Nian cannot allow herself to let Xian Bei suffer for what she has done, and both of them receive their punishments accordingly. The events, such as they are, eventually seem entirely understandable, as even though Chen Nian is a smart and innocent girl, it is shown that every person has their limits, and there is a point at which even the more rational individuals can be pushed over the edge. 'Better Days' is excellent in showcasing that no individual can be a singular thing or of a single mindset all the time. Even though Chen Nian is presented as bright and studious, and straightforward in her needs and wants, never acting adversely towards anyone or anything, her patience is stretched thin when the vapid and over-familiar attitude of Wei Lai pushes her over the edge, as Wei Lai's behaviour suggests the ease with which she is ready to move on form her past wrongdoings towards Chen Nian.
Zhou Dongyu portrays Chen Nian, and delivers a quiet and reserved performance, accentuated by deeply heartfelt moments in showing the negative impact that bullying and constant harassment can have on a person. Her quiet demeanour allows the viewer to sympathise with Chen Nian, as Zhou Dongyu portrays the girl as a sweet and caring person, unable to do bad towards anyone. Dongyu successfully conveys the weight of of the pain that she is experiencing and allows the audience to feel that same negativity bear down on them.
Jackson Lee portrays Xiao Bei, the strong side of the teenage duo, delivering a tough street-wise thug that serves as protector and support for Chen Nian. Through the course of the film, Jackson Lee masterfully delivers in showing Xiao Bei slowly reveal his more sensitive side, opening up about his childhood and expressing compassion and love for Chen Nian. Together, Lee and Dongyu create an honest and touching portrayal of young love, displaying trust and deeply felt emotion towards each other.
The film is based on the novel 'In His Youth, In Her Beauty' by Jiu Yuex, adapted to the screen by Lam Wing Sum, Li Yuan and Xu Yimeng and directed by Kwok Cheung Tsang. The group of creators has managed to deliver both a touching story of love and abandonment, whilst professing a very important message about bullying. The film is paced well, taking its time to visually establish who Chen Nian is and what her circumstances are like. 'Better Days' benefits from revealing a lot about its players through muted and quiet looks and expressions, conveying their feelings in a nuanced manner, allowing the viewer to appreciate the quiet nature of both the characters and the film in general when it comes to expressing deep emotions. The film is powerful in delivering its message, benefiting from a well written script, strong performances from Zhou Dongyu and Jackson Lee, and a show-don't-tell approach to its story.
Score: 4/4
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