← Back to results
Better Days
少年的你
2019 135 min China, Hong Kong, United Kingdom 12+
★8.4
Drama, Crime, Romance
Director: Derek Tsang
🎭 Based on
«In His Youth, In Her Beauty»
Trailers
EN
EN
Description
A bullied teenage girl forms an unlikely friendship with a mysterious young man who protects her from her assailants, while she copes with the pressures of her final examinations.
US Gross:
$1.92M
Worldwide:
$225.88M
Starring
Dongyu Zhou
Actor
Jackson Yee
Actor
Fang Yin
Actor
Awards
Asian Film Academy 2020
— Best Debut
Asian Film Academy 2020
— Best Actress
Asian Film Academy 2020
— Best Film Editing
Asian Film Academy 2020
— Best Debut
Asian Film Academy 2020
— Best Supporting Actress
Asian Film Academy 2020
— Best Actress
Key opinion
Better Days is a harrowing yet deeply empathetic drama that explores the brutal realities of school bullying and social indifference in China. Through powerful performances and a grounded aesthetic, the film balances a gritty social critique with a poignant, sacrificial romance.
| Acting | The lead performances, particularly Zhou Dongyu's, deliver raw and physically convincing portrayals of trauma that anchor the film's emotional weight. | |
| Direction | Derek Tsang’s direction effectively grounds the narrative in a gritty, realistic atmosphere that avoids traditional teen melodrama tropes. | |
| Cinematography | The cinematography captures the visceral, claustrophobic reality of provincial slums and the harshness of school life using minimal aesthetic artifice. | |
| Theme | The narrative's central romance is viewed by some as a profound and sacrificial bond, while others interpret the dynamic as a more pragmatic or ambiguous connection. | |
| Theme | The film succeeds in elevating its bullying premise into a wider social critique, though some critics argue its ultimate resolution offers a degree of optimism that simplifies the persistent nature of real-world violence. |