A crashed economy. Wars in the Middle East. Presidential campaigns. There’s a lot that can distract us from some of the most important and personal problems communities across the country face.
But Bully, the new documentary from director Lee Hirsch (Amandla!), doesn’t allow the problem to be ignored any longer. The film introduces us to five families, all plagued by bullying in different ways. The Long and Smalley families each had a child who committed suicide after being bullied. Ja’Maya Jackson reminds us that victims of bullying can hurt others too; she took a loaded gun onto a school bus when the bullying became too much for her. We also meet Kelby Johnson, a lesbian high school student who has experienced discrimination from not only her peers, but from teachers as well. And lastly there’s Alex Libby, the student whose public humiliations were actually captured on camera by the documentary crew.
Each story is heartbreaking and will undoubtedly raise awareness of the problem of bullying in all who see it. We don’t just watch the kids being bullied, but we follow them home in their shame, we take in the whitewashed walls of a juvenile detention facility, we want to reach out with the parents trying to connect, we become bitterly angry at the ignorance of school administrators, we cry with the families and friends of those who have committed suicide.
But Bully, the new documentary from director Lee Hirsch (Amandla!), doesn’t allow the problem to be ignored any longer. The film introduces us to five families, all plagued by bullying in different ways. The Long and Smalley families each had a child who committed suicide after being bullied. Ja’Maya Jackson reminds us that victims of bullying can hurt others too; she took a loaded gun onto a school bus when the bullying became too much for her. We also meet Kelby Johnson, a lesbian high school student who has experienced discrimination from not only her peers, but from teachers as well. And lastly there’s Alex Libby, the student whose public humiliations were actually captured on camera by the documentary crew.
Each story is heartbreaking and will undoubtedly raise awareness of the problem of bullying in all who see it. We don’t just watch the kids being bullied, but we follow them home in their shame, we take in the whitewashed walls of a juvenile detention facility, we want to reach out with the parents trying to connect, we become bitterly angry at the ignorance of school administrators, we cry with the families and friends of those who have committed suicide.
The film utterly shames any of us who have been bullies or have seen or known about bullying happening and done nothing. Bully opens our eyes to the far-reaching and drastic effects it can have on the victims. And that’s the point of Bully; to make our eyes water and our blood boil. It makes us yearn for a solution to a problem which has the potential to devastate our children.
Yet, that is where Bully stops, at raising awareness that the problem exists only. The film never explores why bullies treat others the way they do. Not a single bully, or even former bully, is featured in the movie. It never suggests or looks for a solution. By the end, Bully feels like only half of a film; a very interesting and important film, but incomplete.
To quote Screen It! reviewer, Jim Judy, “The pic is important for many to see. But it ends up being akin to a medical film that shows the effects of an infection, but offers nothing in terms of explaining why it occurs or ways to treat it.”
The Weinstein Company fought hard for the film to achieve a PG-13 rating so that middle and high school students could be allowed to see it. However, it’s doesn’t quite deserve the “Bully-should-be-mandatory-viewing-for-all-teenagers” hype it’s been getting. Of course it will help students sympathize with the victims, and that’s important, but it offers no direction for kids or adults beyond that. The tagline on the film's posters say "It's time to take a stand." What does taking a stand look like? Bully offers us little clues.
And South Park made a good point last week too. “If it needs to be seen by everybody,” Kyle asks, “then why don’t you put it out on the internet for free?” South Park isn’t exactly a perfect model of morality, but it’s a decent question to ask.
All that being said, overall Bully is truly a touching film with the potential to really raise awareness about bullying. It is certainly a movie that many people, particularly students, would benefit from watching.
The Final Word: Wait to rent it.
Yet, that is where Bully stops, at raising awareness that the problem exists only. The film never explores why bullies treat others the way they do. Not a single bully, or even former bully, is featured in the movie. It never suggests or looks for a solution. By the end, Bully feels like only half of a film; a very interesting and important film, but incomplete.
To quote Screen It! reviewer, Jim Judy, “The pic is important for many to see. But it ends up being akin to a medical film that shows the effects of an infection, but offers nothing in terms of explaining why it occurs or ways to treat it.”
The Weinstein Company fought hard for the film to achieve a PG-13 rating so that middle and high school students could be allowed to see it. However, it’s doesn’t quite deserve the “Bully-should-be-mandatory-viewing-for-all-teenagers” hype it’s been getting. Of course it will help students sympathize with the victims, and that’s important, but it offers no direction for kids or adults beyond that. The tagline on the film's posters say "It's time to take a stand." What does taking a stand look like? Bully offers us little clues.
And South Park made a good point last week too. “If it needs to be seen by everybody,” Kyle asks, “then why don’t you put it out on the internet for free?” South Park isn’t exactly a perfect model of morality, but it’s a decent question to ask.
All that being said, overall Bully is truly a touching film with the potential to really raise awareness about bullying. It is certainly a movie that many people, particularly students, would benefit from watching.
The Final Word: Wait to rent it.
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