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Better Days vs. In Her Youth, In Her Beauty
“I’m a man with nothing. No brains, no money, and no future. But when I love someone, I want her to have a happy ending,”1 Bei, the leading actor, talks to Cheng, the leading actress, while the latter is about to give up all hope because of being bullied. The movie, Better Days— was based on the Chinese coming-of-age novel, In His Youth, In Her Beauty. The story deals with a very generic yet important issue, school bullying. Better Days is a beautifully shot film that holds the essence of the novel, and both the film and novel cover the topic of sexual abuses, bullying, and pain. Nevertheless, there are three obvious differences between the book and the movie, which are the characteristics of main characters, the focus of storyline and the end of the story.
[1] Original text in the film:「我這個人什麼都不是，沒腦子，沒錢，也沒有未來，可是我喜歡一個人，我想要給她最好的結局。」
Firstly, the characteristic of main characters is utterly disparate between the novel and film. Take Cheng for example. In the novel, suffering from stuttering, Cheng tends to be more introverted and weaker than others. Despite of these personalities, she is a pure, clever and brave girl. She is the person who tells the police how one of her classmates was bullied to death. However, in the film, Cheng does not suffer from stuttering, and it seems that she becomes tougher and more unyielding. For instance, while one of her classmates was died of committing suicide by jumping from a school building due to bullied, no one dares to get close to the body because they do not want to be the next target. Among those students, Cheng is the only person who covers the victim’s bare body with her coat.
Another difference between the novel and the film is the focus of storyline. In the novel, Bei as well as one of the policemen has a crush on Cheng. Therefore, they are willing to do anything for her. Bei claims that he murders one of the bullies, Wei Lai2, because he thinks Cheng was the killer. As for the policeman, he prepares meals for Cheng and take her to the school almost every day. On the contrary, in the film, there is no romance like this. Bei and Cheng are just like friends, and they are behind each other’s back. In addition, the policeman merely thinks of Cheng as a little girl who needs to be protected. In conclusion, the novel tends to focus on the romance between Bei and Cheng, while the film does not mention it at all.
[2] the meaning of this word in Chinese refer to “future”
All in all, both the novel and the film depict the beauty, innocence, and horror in teenagers. The writer as well as the director captures various related problems that teenagers face each day but are too afraid to discuss. Though the director adapted several parts based on the novel, including the characteristics of main characters, the focus of storyline and the end of the story, they actually tell the same topics in different ways. I believe both the original novel and the adapted film will touch your heart; therefore, if you are searching for something moving, do not miss these masterpieces.
The last and the biggest difference is the end of the story. In the novel, Wei Lai, a bad girl, humiliates Cheng by taking off all her clothes and watches her being raped along the street. Feeling extremely desperate and agonized, Cheng stabs Wei Lai with the knife Bei gives her. In the end, Bei takes the place of Cheng, and he is therefore sentenced with seven-year in prison. In contrast, Cheng goes to college and becomes a teacher. However, in the film, Cheng admits offense for Wei Lai’s death, and she later spends five years in prison.
