7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A bullied teenage girl forms an unlikely friendship with a mysterious young man who protects her from her assailants, all while she copes with the pressures of her final examinations.
Starring: Dongyu Zhou, Jackson Yee, Jue Huang, Ye Zhou, Yue Wu (II)Foreign | 100% |
Drama | 11% |
Romance | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Mandarin: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Mandarin: Dolby Digital 2.0
English, Mandarin (Traditional)
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
It may not be all that surprising, given recent global events that have spotlighted the People’s Republic of China’s unwillingness to “allow” negative reports about itself, at least within its own borders, that the nation actually evidently attempted to keep Better Days from being screened not just in its native country but kind of amazingly also at such venerable venues as the Berlin Film Festival. That may have been because Better Days is not one of the “rah rah” jingoistic historical epics that have become regular fodder from Chinese filmmakers, but is instead a rather intimate, often introspective piece, that “dares” to bring up touchy subjects like bullying and suicide within the ranks of Chinese students. It's perhaps instructive to contrast Better Days with another Asian film that has at least some of the same plot mechanics involving bullying, the interesting Korean outing The King of Pigs. As I mentioned in our The King of Pigs Blu-ray review, in both The King of Pigs and his later film The Fake, Korean filmmaker Sang-ho Yeon may have chosen to offer animated films since he's dealing with any number of troubling issues (not necessarily limited only to bullying) which probably would have been even more troubling had they been offered in a live action setting. Proof of that thesis may indeed reside in Better Days, since it doesn't shirk from detailing the trauma that bullying behavior can cause.
Better Days is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Well Go USA with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. The IMDb lists the ever popular Arri Alexa as having been utilized, with everything finished at a 2K DI. While the supposed "realism" of this film means that it doesn't have any of the CGI splendor that tends to accompany some of the Asian film market's fantasy laden vehicles, this is a consistently sharp and appealing looking presentation that offers abundant detail and fine detail levels, while also preserving a (for the most part) natural looking palette. The students' bright blue uniforms pop with considerable immediacy, and a glut of close-ups offer really nice levels of fine detail. There are a few "arty" moments, including some dappled light sequences in a car and a montage, where lighting conditions and skewed camera angles don't totally support the same levels of detail seen in the bulk of the presentation. A few of the very darkest moments have minor deficits in shadow definition, but this is by and large a very appealing looking transfer.
Better Days features an effective DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track in the original Mandarin, with optional English subtitles (it looks from the IMDb listing that this actually had Dolby Atmos in some of its theatrical exhibitions, though I'm frankly not sure what any "vertical" elements might have added to the presentation). This is a consistently immersive track, albeit on the subtle side at times. The noisy scenes with a bunch of unruly kids, as well as some other elements like roaring motorcycles, provide good opportunities for things like panning effects or discrete channelization. A rather nicely done score featuring piano and strings by Varqa Buehrer also wafts through the side and rear channels winningly. Dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly throughout this problem free track.
- Jackson Yee (1080i; 3:32)
- Zhou Dongyu (1080i; 2:43)
Better Days is an emotionally roiling piece, and it will almost certainly strike a chord with anyone who has ever been on the receiving end of bullying themselves. I'm not sure the film's decision to go off into almost a "procedural" angle in its latter half is completely effective, but even in the second part of the film, there are some surprises. Dongyu Zhou is quite impressive in a role that requires her to be distraught quite a bit of the time. Technical merits are solid, and Better Days comes Recommended.
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