​​

Better Days is a film based on the novel “In His Youth, In Her Beauty” by Jiu- Yuexi, directed by Derek Tsang, starring Zhou-Dongyu and Jackson Yee. The film mainly describes school bullying. Nowadays, school bullying has become a social problem attracting close public attention. 

A campus suicide accident shortly before the national college entrance examination changed the fate of two people. One was Chen-Nian (Zhou-Dongyu), a teenage girl, one of the top students at school, introverted, but bullied by her classmates. The other was a street gang named Liu-Beishan (Jackson Yee) played a protective role of Chen-Nian. Chen-Nian wanted to get rid of all distractions including the bullying she was experiencing and dreamed for better days to come after the national college entrance examination with her efforts. However, the bully group never let her. One evening on her way home she called the police when she saw Liu-Beishan being beaten by other street gangs. Then after several events he started to protect her. Two lonely bully fighters with similar fate got together. 

I like two sentences in the move: Please remember to look up at the sky, even if you have to live in the gutter; you protect the world, I will protect you and you go forward, I will back you up. While the bully became horrible and cruel to Chen-Nian, unfortunately she unexpectedly killed the nasty leader gangster girl when she was once again bullying her. In order to protect Chen-Nian, Liu-Beishan decided to cover for her by pretending to be the murderer. Therefore, Chen-Nian managed to take the exam and achieved 632 scores but Liu-Beishan was sentenced to death. The policeman in the film found flaws of their story and reminded Chen-Nian of telling the truth. Finally, Chen-Nian confessed and got 4 years in jail punishment instead of a death penalty considered her bullied experience. Liu-Beishan was also punished by covering up a crime and falsifying evidence. The film showed the audience a happy ending: Chen-Nian became a schoolteacher protecting the bullied and Liu-Beishan was backing her up. But without the bully, their fate should be different.

Soon after, the film was shortlisted for the Academy Award for International Picture. Jackson Yee, the main character, won several awards. He is my idol, and he inspires me to study hard.

I hope each of us can be kind to the people around us and fight against school bullying. I also hope everyone can live a peaceful life: they are able to try to realize their dreams, love bravely, laugh loudly and cry freely.

​​​​