Better Days
2019 · Directed by Derek Tsang Kwok-Cheung
Original language: Chinese
- drama
- crime
- romance
The story
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.
What it’s like
Cold, rain-washed Hong Kong streets and crowded classrooms under harsh fluorescent light, with a grey-blue palette that tips toward sickly green in the school corridors and warm amber only in brief moments of shelter. Handheld camera stays close to its actors in tight, claustrophobic framing, lingering on faces and small reactions rather than wide establishing shots, and the rhythm is tense and watchful. Sound is sparse: rain, footsteps on wet pavement, a restrained piano and string score that swells in the wrong moments. The vibe is bleak, anxious and quietly tragic, closer to a slow dread than a cathartic cry. Intensity is high: repeated bullying, physical beatings and humiliation are shown directly and sometimes brutally, with a serious crime thread and a sad ending; not gentle, and not suited to anyone looking for comfort. Best for viewers who want a serious, socially observant drama about adolescence, pressure and an unlikely bond, watched alone and with full attention.
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