Better Days (2019)

A bullied teenage girl forms an unlikely friendship with a mysterious young man who protects her from her assailants, all while she copes with the pressures of her final examinations.

Director:

Derek Tsang (as Kwok Cheung Tsang)

Writers:

Yuexi Jiu (novel), Wing-Sum Lam (screenplay)

Stars:

Dongyu Zhou, Jackson Yee, Fang Yin

21 wins & 46 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Dongyu Zhou	...	Chen Nian
Jackson Yee	...	Xiao Bei
Fang Yin	...	Zheng Yi
Jue Huang	...	Lao Yang
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lüyun Heliao
Ran Liu
Junlin Luo
Yue Wu	...	Zhou Lei
Yujuan Wu
Xinyi Zhang
Yao Zhang	...	Li Xiang
Yifan Zhang	...	Hu Xiaodie
Runnan Zhao	...	Da Kang
Ye Zhou	...	Wei Lai

Storyline

When it is time for the Chinese gaokao, the entire country comes to a standstill. For nearly ten million high school students, this two-day national college entrance exam will determine where and if they get to study. It is not uncommon for the fates of entire families to hinge on the results. Like so many others, Nian has been focused on preparing for the exam, at the exclusion of everything else and is all alone. A classmate has committed suicide and she has become the target of relentless bullying. Meanwhile, fate brings her together with small-time criminal Bei and the two of them seal a pact.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Romance

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Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was selected to have its world premiere at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival, held from 7 to 17 February 2019, where it was to be played as part of the Generation 14plus program. However, it was announced shortly before the start of the festival, on 4 February 2019, that all four screenings had to be canceled. No particular reason was given, so it is possible that the full movie was not ready in time.

The cancellation allowed the festival to instead program additional screenings of "37 Seconds (2019)", "Reconstructing Utøya (2018)" and two award-winners from that year's the Generation 14plus program.

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Soundtracks

Fly
Music by Ellen Joyce Loo
Lyrics by Ellen Joyce Loo & Tsing-Fong Wu
Performed by Yoyo Sham

User Reviews

Dark & heart wrenching with an important message

This movie was hard to watch. Incredibly sad to see what some people go through. Though it is quite dark & harrowing to watch, it may be a good idea to be shown in all high schools.

Details

Official Sites:

Magnum Films [Australia] Well Go USA Entertainment [United States]

Country:

China

Language:

Mandarin English

Release Date:

25 October 2019 (China)

Also Known As:

Better Days

Filming Locations:

Chongqing, China

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$989,536, 10 November 2019

Gross USA:

$1,921,657

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$225,320,294

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shooting Pictures, He Nan Dian Ying Dian Shi Zhi Zuo Ji Tuan, China Wit Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

135 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Atmos D-Cinema 48kHz 5.1 (Dolby Surround 5.1)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1