Where to Watch:
8.5/10
FilmFascination Rating
After every movie I watch I have a decision to make with myself. Should this movie be added to the ‘Great Movies’ list? Does it deserve it? I had a small dilemma when I saw this one. Then I just let myself close my eyes and allowed myself to feel. I could feel my heart beating faster than usual, a physical strain I don’t often feel after watching a movie and my eyes just dried from the mild tears running down my cheeks. What is effective moviemaking after all? In a sense, it is about sending emotions through the screen. It is about making the viewer and forcing him to go through things he might have never felt in his life. That made me realize the efforts that must have gone into doing this. Capturing and sending emotions has always been tricky. It goes on a personal level. But I am confident enough that whoever watches this movie will feel what I felt. It is that strong.
‘Better Days’ is about Chen Nein, a high school student who gets bullied in her school. Life isn’t easy for her. The bullying shown in the movie and how it grows makes it so effective that it sends chills that will make you fear the streets she has to go through. The claustrophobic close-up camera and the reporter camera shots make this effective. I had a gulp down my throat every time she was alone. And even besides bullying, her mother has been caught in some fraud she committed that makes her away from Chen almost all the time. And we are never really told about her father, which is fine because we don’t even want to know what happened to him. She already has a lot on her plate.
All she wants is to study- wait a minute – did I talk about the fucking rat race that goes among the students that this movie shows? The pressure and strain a student has to go through during college admissions is everywhere. But it has never been shown better than this movie. I had to go through it not so long ago(but after seeing all this, I think my pressures were much lighter). There is a scene where students are lined up and they take chants-‘Don’t disappoint your parents.’ What is disappointing is that all that is shown isn’t just made up. It has all been happening in our society for a while now! The extreme pressure, the passerby’s just watching when bullying is happening and even suicides because of this.
Chen Nein never seems to have an escape. When the bullies aren’t in school, they’ll catch her outside. After getting disappointed when the police can’t do much about whatever is going on Chen finds a petty street thug, Xiao Bei, in the streets who after a few turns of events begins to protect her.
There is something really impressive that Better Days does. In all the heavy and sensitive emotions that it raises in the bullying, it somehow protects the innocence of the love between Chen and Xiao. That is all because of Zhou Dongyu (Chen Nein) and Jackson Yee (Xiao Bei). I am really not familiar with their work and it was my first time watching them on the screen. I haven’t seen such a touching performance in a while. Both of them are unbelievably good in the film. The details in their expression (or perhaps they just got all of them naturally) are phenomenal. Their performances play a huge role in why this movie is able to do what it does. The relationship between them isn’t the usual go-to one. Their love isn’t the kind where you kiss or say ‘I love you’ and that sets the definition of the relationship. Their love is where you purely care for the other person. Chen goes through so much in the film that you just want to protect her. And when someone really does it, it gives you a relief that you wouldn’t understand even if I try to explain it.
There are things in the plot that made me make small expressions of disagreement. But when it quite smartly hints (it does not state it in any way, it made me think that way) that it is based on a true story, I was ready to accept everything. So perhaps all that is shown that might feel like it was made for the film is I guess quite possible practically. At least, I had my mind changed till the end. But above everything, the movie is an act to stand against bullying. It captures everything so maturely that it deserves attention.
Join the FilmFascination Club!
All the updates right in your Inbox! (We will never spam you with junk mails)
You will get a message on the top of the form once your subscription is successful.