The most surprising Taiwanese movie of the year! Not for the director’s age, but the angle he took, and the way he thought…If There is a Reason to Study is a performance art, a visual practice, and the epitome of 2016.

Amazing work… Twistful, deep, yet simply explained… Bold and thrilling throughout the story, astonishingly extracted a concise conclusion. …Best work among all recent films addressing the education and testing culture in Taiwan. Talented and sincere.

…Like a monk who has been disciplined for thousands of years, the director sees through everything…

[F]ascinated by his one-man crusade and selected the film for its subject matter as well as the young director’s rarely seen courage and perseverance.

Delivering the voice of children, it reminds adults that children are not born to refuse exams, instead they have a deeper expectation for education…

[D]azzling…their records shed light on the profound education problems in both Taiwan and the Chinese-speaking world… …[The film] shows the audience not only the problems the people featured, but also the greater problems of the system.

If There is a Reason to Study celebrates the efforts of hardworking students as they prepare for the exams. It is endearing and also thought-provoking about what went wrong with the education system.

…The issues raised in this film will no doubt resonate well with the youths of Hong Kong today.