Film about school bullying, Better Days, moves cinema-goers to tears in China, and becomes box office hit after censors finally allowed it to be screened

Hong Kong director Derek Tsang’s film, twice pulled before eventually going on general release, strikes a chord in China, where many kids are bullied at school

Public-service announcements shown before and after the film; one details the launch of a government anti-bullying campaign in primary and middle schools

A harrowing drama about school bullying has struck a strong personal chord with Chinese cinema audiences and soared to the top of the box office charts, after authorities belatedly gave it the go-ahead.

Better Days shines a spotlight on what state-run newspaper China Daily called “a nationwide problem which has existed for years” but is rarely broached in Chinese films.

A real-life case went viral this month about a seven-year-old girl who needed hospital treatment

after a group of fellow pupils forced scraps of paper into her eyes

.

Better Days has grossed at least 1.4 billion yuan (US$200 million) in the nearly three weeks since its release, according to the China Movie Data Information Network.

Source: Film about school bullying, Better Days, moves cinema-goers to tears in China, and becomes box office hit after censors finally allowed it to be screened | South China Morning Post