Reviewers from sites like The Asian Cinema Critic and Decider highlight several layers of "deep content":

Some critics found it "disconnected," "largely about nothing," and criticized its slow pace and treatment of female characters. The film is currently available for streaming on Netflix . Watch Classmates Minus | Netflix Official Site Watch Classmates Minus | Netflix Official Site. Classmates Minus (2020)

Through the characters' jobs, the film critiques Taiwanese political corruption, class disparities, and the "mundane struggles of ordinary people".

A temp worker and "tragic oaf" who encounters his high school crush, the "school beauty," only to find she is now a sex worker.

Praised for its "vibrant color palette" (an upgrade from the B&W of his first film), unique "3-in-1 coffee" ensemble acting, and profound ruminations on life's "chaos".

A paper craftsman with a severe stutter who builds elaborate paper houses for the dead—homes that the living often cannot afford. Thematic Deep Dive