Living in hot topics: Interactions of social media and cinema in Glass Children (Rong Guangrong, 2019) and Better Days (Derek Tsang, 2019)

Abstract Both the commercial and critical hit Better Days (Derek Tsang, 2019) and the independent essay film Glass Children (Rong Guangrong, 2019) engage with the issue of youth suicide, whether through narrative or documentary frameworks. Beyond the films’ shared compassion for vulnerable students and interpellation of viewers as concerned citizens, their depiction of this social issue also offers an opportunity to reflect on cinema’s relationship to social media and online discussion of hot topics. This article analyzes the films, as well as related zimeiti (self-published media) articles, to argue that cinema offers a corrective to the pat dismissals and hollow sympathy of online discussion. While Glass Children asks viewers to reconsider such casual cruelty within the film itself, Better Days’ access to wide release in the People’s Republic of China means it was subject to censorship and required to present an ultimately reassuring message about government action taken to ameliorate issues of bullying and suicide. Yet, when Better Days becomes an online news item in its own right, the normative position of the film text is reopened for further consideration.