Zhen Chen visits Korea when his Korean-Chinese father asks to see his wife once again before he dies. When he finds his mother, she is not what he expected. Working in a bar and living with some hoodlum, Chen cannot understand his mother’s choice in men and occupation, and returns to China hurt and disappointed. But when he starts reading a notebook she gave him, learns about her past and the tiny age difference between them, the mystery between mother and son emerges: Wha...more

Zhen Chen visits Korea when his Korean-Chinese father asks to see his wife once again before he dies. When he finds his mother, she is not what he expected. Working in a bar and living with some hoodlum, Chen cannot understand his mother’s choice in men and occupation, and returns to China hurt and disappointed. But when he starts reading a notebook she gave him, learns about her past and the tiny age difference between them, the mystery between mother and son emerges: What made her leave husband and son for Korea? Chen learns that his mother is a North Korean refugee who was sold as a bride to a Chinese-Korean man, beginning a life of tragedy. And herein lies the paradox of the title. Were there ever any beautiful days? We follow Zhen Chen as he learns of the pain his mother had to endure in order to survive. The film might seem to be an exhibition of the trials and sacrifices of North Korean refugees, but it rather focus on sympathy and understanding for the victim. At the end of the film, we have hope beautiful days will begin for her, in the birth of a new family connected by humanity rather than blood.less