OSCARS 2021: Better Days (2019)

The Academy has revised the rules some in recent years – including changing the name – but the biggest sticking point with the Best International Feature category remains the same. The movies that get nominated are only the movies that country submits for consideration. Out of the hundreds of films made every year in any given country, only one will have a shot at winning an Oscar. Daniel Tsang's “Better Days” was based on a popular Chinese young adult novel. It stars a pop star and became a box office phenomenon in its home country. Essentially, it's the country's answer to “A Fault in Their Stars” and other U.S. Y.A. blockbusters. One assumes China submitted the movie because of its popularity, though obviously something about its quality convinced the Academy to nominate it.

Chen Nian is a socially awkward girl at a Chinese high school, who is largely focused on studying for the college entrance exam. When a class mate publicly commits suicide, Nian becomes the main target of bully Wei Lai. While walking home from school, she encounters Xiao Bei, a street kid being beaten. The two share the briefest connection and he offers to protect her. Soon, he's walking Nian to and from school and a romance begins to blossom. After Wei Lai and her gang get expelled, Nian's bullying intensifies. From there, a murder and a police investigation further complicate Nian and Xiao Bei's life together. 

In the first half-hour of its two hour and fifteen minute running time, “Better Days” works as a mildly compelling depiction of high school anxiety. Bullying ruined the life of Chen Nian's classmate. The constant abuse grows more intense, ranging from online harassment to actual physical assault. This is paired with the intense pressure on Nian to get into a good college. Her mom is frequently away from home, with the disreputable job of selling bootleg skincare products. A good exam score is presented as her only way out of the world she's in now. No wonder the girl is practically shaking apart. These twin anxieties occupy every second of her waking life.

This is a compelling place to start a story but, even in these early scenes, “Better Days” shows a tendency towards melodrama. When the deceased girls' parents come to the school, they yell and scream at the teachers. Huge, red-and-white banners promoting the exam are all over the school, constantly in frame. The bullying Nian experiences escalates to violence very quickly. “Better Days” is only getting started at this point. As the film goes on, the threat of a serial rapist floats around the story. (It's never really addressed.) A dead body, and the accompanying murder investigation, appears. There's a foot chase between the cops and a suspect. “Better Days” begins in an understandable emotional area but slowly grows into more and more of an over-sized soap opera as it goes on. 

The seriously overheated plot is, perhaps, typical of the young adult novel. Another commonplace story element in this genre is romance. Chen Nian and Xiao Bei's relationship begins with him pinning her to the wall, which is not very nice. From there, the two's emotions continue to be rather extreme. Their partnership involves a lot of quiet tears running down faces. They have serious conversations about the pressures in their lives. Yet the two never really kiss. They most physical contact they have is when Nian holds onto Xiao as they ride around on his motorcycle. It's hard to get a grip on this romance when it's based on nothing but the most intense emotional interaction possible. Let these teenagers make out or something.

The two stars of “Better Days” are Jackson Yee, as Xiao Bei, and Zhou Dongyu, as Nian. Yee is a pop star and a former member of boy band, the TFBoys. He is definitely too pretty to be playing a street thug. His performance is at least on the same melodramatic level as the script. Dongyu was 27 years old at the times of filming, a bit old to play a high school student though she's petite enough to pass. At the very least, Dongyu gives a pretty strong performance. When she cries, you actually believe her. She can't overcome the ham-fisted emotions of the character but she at least manages to maintain some dignity, some sense of humanity, during the film's most over-the-top moments.

If nothing else, “Better Days” looks pretty good. Daniel Tsang's direction is very slick and stylized, with nicely lit and cleanly presented visual tableaus. The musical score is pretty too, even if it's overflowing with the kind of emotions the movie is built on. Ultimately, I'm kind of baffled why “Better Days” grabbed an Oscar nomination. It's way too fucking long. When the story seemed wrapped up, I realized I still had forty minutes left. I'm absolutely certain there were better movies than this made in China last year. I guess I'm just not seeing whatever Academy voters managed to get out of this one. My tolerance for teenage melodrama is pretty low. Sorry. [5/10]