This review may contain spoilers
I recorded this movie in my heart.
This movie is made in such a way that if it has not even happened to you or you have not been wronged, you will notice the damage that has been done to this girl and you will feel it. At one point, an officer said that maybe it is not like this for us, but they are teenagers, and yes, it means Everything is honest and loyal, a huge love has been shown in the boy's face, he wanted the girl to experience things or dreams that he didn't have, even his heart wanted to die and let her live, and it would be nice to have such people in our lives now. They don't exist or they are few. I wish movies weren't just for watching and forgetting, and we could change our behavior. I recorded this movie in my heart.Was this review helpful to you?
My favorite movie by far
There are few films that have left such a mark on me as this one. First, through its colors, the incredible use of space and framing within sets that enclose both the spectators and the actors in moments of tension, and then open up (sometimes so much that you feel omniscient) in moments of common beauty. This is cinematography in its most beautiful form. Of course, both the actors are divine. This is a film that haunts you—just a single image lost on Instagram, and you immediately know what it’s about, all the feelings it evoked in you that evening. But it’s not a film that tells you everything; you need to feel it, sense the undertones.Was this review helpful to you?
A sentimental story
Better Days is a story about a shy girl who hardly speaks and has a reserved personality. One day, her friend dies, and from that moment, her life changes completely. Along the way, she meets a boy who has been beaten by goons. She tries to help him, and from then onwards, they start meeting quite often. She becomes attached to him wholeheartedly.He sacrifices a lot for her, and later, he takes the blame for something that was directed at him. The drama is very sentimental because the main leads’ characters face many hardships. After experiencing all these difficulties, they become inseparable.
The last few scenes made me cry, and I was genuinely touched by the story. However, I didn’t like the ending part
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Important Issue
I love the focus being on bullying since this is a global wide issue for school age children and an issue that can persist into adulthood especially in the workplace.Great movie! Strongly written and executed story. The bond between the pair was beautiful, very unconventional, but deep and long lasting. I was glad to see the outcome was still desirable for the two. Also, the acting was great here. I was easily able to connect with their stories as they poured their hearts and souls out to each other. My only complaints were one major plot hole that made me wonder how was the girl able to get close enough to be murdered and I wish they showed more of their later years as we only got a glimpse.
Otherwise, this is a highly recommended watch.
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This review may contain spoilers
Master piece, everyone should watch about the impact of bullying
I came across this film through a social media recommendation without really knowing what to expect, and I'm glad I gave it a chance. It tackles a very tough subject but manages to present it in a way that feels surprisingly hopeful.As the film portrayed, bullies are never happy and when the person that they bullied is no more, they move on to the next person. What struck me the most was how everyone in the class was aware of the bullying and its victims, yet no one ever stepped up or spoke out—everyone just suffered in silence.
I really appreciated the storyline between the female lead (FL) and male lead (ML). Both characters had difficult childhoods, marked by neglect and abandonment from their parents, which gave their relationship a depth rooted in shared pain and growth. It's definitely a film I'd watch again.
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tens all across the board
This film focuses on school bullying, social pressure, and the intense expectations placed on students. It combines coming-of-age, romance, and crime drama elements in a way that’s emotional and heavy. Better Days is a sharply observed, emotionally honest film that uses intimate cinematography and restrained storytelling to pull you straight into its characters’ world. The visuals are raw without being showy, capturing small moments of fear, pressure, and connection with a realism that sticks. It is an incredible film that everyone should watch at least once and it’s so good that I’ll never be able to watch it again.Was this review helpful to you?
good dark romance story with realistic visuals
Better Days -9/10 -cmovieits dark romance story between bullied girl and small time thug.
Whole movie got quite dirty dark vibe... I liked how actors looks unkempt and quite average looking.
This movie got :Parasite[movie]: like feel though story is very different.
Ending of movie makes it looks like its based on real case, but its based on novel, which I may read later on[its jsut how good this story was+ novel aint long].
plot - FL is student in her last year of high school preparing for exams. One day she gets to see suicide site of one of her fellow student quittance. Police starts to investigate and ask her questions which makes her next target for bullying. One day FL meets ML which is being beaten up by gang and tries help him. Its how FL and ML meets.
genre - romance, bullying, school
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You can feel the pain through her eyes.
The movie portrays the cruelty of bullying and its impact on the victims.After watching the movie, you wonder why or how the kids can be so cruel, how it is possible it is still happening nowdays.
The acting is just incredible, and you can feel the pain through the main female's eyes. I love the relationship she has with ML and how he is always there to protect her.
I am happy to see they got a happy ending after everything they've been through, although it may not reflect real-life scenarios. It gives you a sense of hope.
This movie will leave a lasting impression on you.
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This review may contain spoilers
Poetic Justice, No Tears for the Cruel
A heavy and honest film that exposes bullies as capable of real cruelty, showing how they feel no remorse even after their first victim dies.It raises a brutal question: why is a bully’s death treated as more tragic than the life they already destroyed?
The system excuses bullying but punishes retaliation, overlooking the original violence while condemning the response, as if justice only matters when victims take it into their own hands.
A bully dying through the same violence she once inflicted is disturbingly poetic, a pure case of you get what you give, and I have zero sympathy for anyone who intentionally harms others in any form.
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A show I can watch again and again
This is one of the best movies I have ever watched..... We always wait for better days to come. Some get it early for some it comes late..... But if the right person is beside you, everyday is your day❤️...... I enjoyed the movie so much. Sometimes I cried, sometimes I giggled watching them fall for each other..... I loved Bai's little smiles when he looked at Chen Nian😍..... Every characters did their job very well...... If I have nothing to do, then I wil just watch this drama so that I can remember such a good movie exists..Was this review helpful to you?
Not the best portrayal of bullying, but perhaps the most sincere one
It was a very touching movie. I have to say that it was simple in narrative. There were not any wildly unexpected moments. The message of the movie somewhat confused itself, but it was clear that this was not your typical portrayal of bullying in cinema.In this movie, the role of emotional anchor was at the forefront. The honest, innocent, pure connection between two people. There was no exploitation of the love, sexuality or the dramatics. The portrayal of connection was dispersed everywhere, in every second of this movie, and so real and so flawed -- that it worked perfectly.
As for the acting, the side characters were average because no one’s story was particularly developed. But both leads did a phenomenal job. Absolutely convincing and punching performances that save the script. Every and any success of this movie goes to the two leads. I could see this movie being less interesting or captivating, genuinely lost, under different cast.
All that did induce the waterfall from my eyes on multiple occasions (I cannot deal well with injustice). It was a pure, emotional movie, with easily digestible story.
Satisfying ending. A good watch.
A recommend.
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They found in each other their only hope
The film opens with an emotionally very hard scene: a student’s suicide, and from the start, the viewer understands that it will be difficult. BETTER DAYS has taken it upon itself to speak out against school harassment in all its pain and to talk about young people in difficult family situations. Two very hard subjects that are treated throughout the story without a pinch and with a poignant realism.Carried by incredible actors, the viewer drinks the story and cries with the characters throughout the two hours... They managed to find a perfect balance between showing the violence as it is, and still preserving the viewer (which I liked very much because I am not able to accept this kind of scene without turning away).
Throughout the two hours, the film is dedicated to denouncing the Chinese school system as a whole. Indeed, it puts a monumental pressure on its young people who have no other hope of finding a job and succeeding in life than entering the best universities in the country. We also discover all the rites of passage of a high school student who, for westerners like us, seem so outsized. It is incredible, for example, that the examinations to enter universities are considered a real national event mobilizing the police... If you are interested, there are many reports on the subject (I had seen one about South Korea in particular) that you can find on youtube or elsewhere on the net.
In short, all this to say that the pressure on students must be released on something... or someone. And this leads to serious abuses such as school harassment where a whole class will be (actively or passively) on one or more comrades. And you can imagine, this will be the case of our poor heroine.
I loved romance passionately... There are several scenes that have remained etched in my memory for their beauty or intensity. A powerful romance between two teenagers who found in each other their only hope.
The story revolves around three endearing, touching and realistic characters.
CHEN NIAN (Zhou Dong Yu) is a very introverted character who has locked himself in a sort of silence and who, out of fear and selfishness, chooses to let one of his comrades be harassed, hoping that he will not be in his shoes. He is an imperfect character who touches us with his humanity, his despair and his fierce struggle to get out of a disastrous family situation and the absence of his indebted mother.
XIAO BEI (Jackson Yi) is a street boy who no longer believes in anything and gives his life no meaning. Without a family, he had to learn to manage on his own and his days are punctuated by fights, small trafficking of all kinds and great solitude and precariousness. When he goes to meet CHEN NIAN, he will suddenly find a meaning to his existence and will base all his hopes on it... Even if it means sacrificing yourself for success.
Finally, the third character I wanted to talk about is this policeman, ZHENG YI (Yin Fang), a young man who starts in the profession and believes in justice. His ideals will soon be upset when he discovers with horror that he fails to protect our teenager and it is a character who touched me very much for all his efforts.
Frankly, everything was so perfect in BETTER DAYS... The direction is excellent and supports the drama of the film, the actors are extremely good in their roles, the adapted story of a novel (itself inspired by a true story) is moving... In short this film made me cry, made me smile also sometimes and above all moved me a lot throughout.
I can only advise you this huge crush!
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