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

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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