Derek Tsang’s incredible Better Days strongly highlights the curse of bullying in schools. This curse is not limited only to China, but prevalent all over the world. This film violently but honestly shows the sufferings of young minds. The protagonist in the film Chen Nian (Zhou Dongyu) is brutally targeted and attacked by three school bullies, still, she remains focused on her studies and excels in the undergraduate entrance examination Gaokao. A small-time gangster Xiao Bei (Jackson Yee) comes to her rescue and falls in love with her. Derek Tsang’s multidimensional film Better Days highlights multiple facets of a story like suicide, bullying, violence, poverty, morality, gratitude, sacrifice, educational system, human resilience, and overall a sensuous teen love story.
In a Chinese school, infamous bullies Wei Lai (Zhou Ye) and her friends push another student Hu Xiaodie to commit suicide jumping off the school building. Hu Xiaodie was a close friend of another fellow student Chen Nian. She steps forward and covers the deceased with her coat. This sparks anger at the school bullies who set Chen Nian the next target. While walking on the street, Chen Nian witnesses a gangster fight wherein a small-time gangster Xiao Bei is being beaten by a rival group. Chen Nian attempts to call the police but gets caught and attacked. The criminals force her to kiss Xiao Bei in order to humiliate her.
Wei Lai and her friends start bullying and attacking Chen Nian, as she was a close pal of Hu Xiaodie. One day, the bullies attack Chen Nian and when she retaliates, they push her down the stairs. Detectives Zheng Ye (Yin Fang) and Lao Yang are assigned to investigate Xiaodie’s death. Chen Nian is summoned as a witness and she reveals Wei Lai and her friends as the culprits. The bullies start attacking Chen Nian stronger with caged rats and knives. Somehow, she manages to flee and reaches out to Xiao Bei to provide her security and shelter. Chen Nian keeps focusing on her studies and Xiao Bei starts following her to and from the school. They start spending a lot of time together and getting to know each other.
One day, Xiao Bei is picked up by the police to be in an identification line-up, and he is stuck there overnight. In his absence, the bullies catch Chen Nian, cut her hair, beat and strip her, and film the entire incident. When Xiao Bei returns home, he sees a wounded Chen Nian taping her assignment papers sitting on the floor with torn clothes and her hair cut. He shaves her head as well as his. On the first day of the Gaokao exam, Wei Lai’s dead body is discovered from a landslide. Chen Nian is arrested as a prime suspect of the murder. The next day, She is taken to the exam hall with a police escort. While returning to the lock-up, Xiao Bei snatches her and tells her that he wants to take the blame for accidentally killing Wei Lai so that she can be saved, as she is a meritorious student and has a bright future ahead. Chen Nian reluctantly agrees to the plan, and the police catch him.
The killing of Wei Lai is shown in a flashback. Wei Lai keeps pleading to Chen Nian not to report the filming incident to Police. Chen Nian’s anger crosses the limit and she pushes her down the stairs. Her head is badly hit on the stairs and she dies on the spot. Back to the present day, both Chen Nian and Xiao Bei deny the fact that they knew each other before. Both stick to the fact that the only time they met was when Xiao Bei attacked her. The detective Zheng Ye meets Chen Nian in her house and informs her that Xiao Bei lied that he is a minor, and he has been sentenced to death for Wei Lai’s murder. She breaks down and admits her crime.
The detective admits lying to Chen Nian so that she admits her crime and both of them get lighter sentences. Both Chen Nian and Xiao Bei meet at the prison and agree to take lighter sentences. In the final scene, a few years later, Chen Nian is seen teaching in a school, which connects the first scene. She takes care of a distressed student, walks with her, and Xiao Bei follows them. Before the credit rolls, the actions by the Chinese Government to stop bullying are shown on the screen. Everyone is requested to protect children with safety and security.
Derek Tsang’s Better Days is not only based on school bullying but also touches upon multiple important issues in modern China as well as across the world. The film largely highlights China’s educational system. The students get extremely pressurized because of the college entrance examination Gaokao. If a student performs poorly in the exam, then his future will be bleak. However, the filmmaker does not blame the Chinese educational system and has a different point of view that is right and important. This exam is the only time when students, irrespective of their financial standards, get a fair opportunity to compete and succeed. So, this film showcases both sides of the examination.
Better Days shows the struggle of the poor students. Chen Nian’s mother is debt-ridden and can’t make both ends meet. She even can’t come home because of the continuous pressure from the creditors. Chen Nian fights for survival completely alone. When the basic purpose of existence is in trouble, a lonely poor student dreams for better days. In spite of endless tortures and deadly attacks, she remains focused on her studies. Amidst suffering and darkness, this film shows hopes and ambitions for a brighter future. This film also shows how two persons can be a part of each other’s life. The relationship does not stop because of the background. Irrespective of societal differences, love can blossom. Even though Chen Nian is a bright student, she cares for Xiao Bei, who is a gangster. Their relationship flies high, and they gradually fell in love and become part of each other’s life. In spite of being innocent, Xiao Bei wants to take the full sentence to save Chen Nian. Overall, this film is about teen sacrifice.
As a filmmaker, Derek Tsang has woven a very dynamic and multidimensional film. The screenplay is adapted from the Chinese young adult novel In His Youth, In Her Beauty written by Jiu Yuexi. Though it is multilayered, romantic, and emotional, it sometimes gets stretched and lost while touching upon multiple issues. The cinematography by Yu Jing-pin is magnificent and filled with bright colors and lighting. The editing by Zhang Yibo is dynamic and fast-paced with multiple montages. Both Zhou Dongyu and Jackson Yee delivered brilliant and strong performances. It is very difficult to make out that Zhou, who plays a school student, was twenty-six years old and Jackson Yee, who plays a small-time gangster, was only eighteen years old at the time of filming. Better Days was nominated for Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards.
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