1 in 4 teachers sees nothing wrong with bullying and will only intervene 4% of the time.
These stats are horrifying. Bully is moving, heartbreaking film that has a message of hope. This film offers up the idea that change is possible, one person at a time. It also shows you up close what it’s like for children who are bullied, with scenes of actual bullying that are often difficult to watch. Bully should be required viewing for anyone who has been affected by bullying, been a bully, or seen bullying. Which is everyone.
From the moment the movie started, I knew that this was going to be a different way of looking at this problem. To the strains of Wheatus’ “Teenage Dirtbag” (sung by Scala & Kolacny Brothers, and sounding like a beautiful high school choir), kids get on the bus bit by bit, and we get to see how they interact with each other. As the film progresses there are revealing bits of actual bullying (I’m dying to know about the cameras and sound equipment they used to capture those moments) as well as scenes where school administrators interact with bullies and the bullied. That’s where the kerfuffle about the rating of this film comes in. But hey, since the swearing and abuse comes from kids in the film, it’s pretty obvious that young minds won’t be blown away by it. I overheard worse at my elementary school back in the day. Bully is now rated PG-13, but if you have a young child and worry about the rating? I still urge you to see this film, and then discuss it with him or her.
Bully isn’t a film that jumps down your throat. This is a film that lays out it’s information and lets it sink in. And it’s powerful stuff. There are many different voices in this film, from kids who are bullied, former bullies, adults in the school system, and parents.
* A boy, who lost his best friend after that friend took his life due to bullying, admits that he himself was a bully in elementary school.
* A beautiful teenage girl in Oklahoma who comes out as a lesbian, only to be told “faggots aren’t welcome here”.
* The boy who says “they push me so far that I want to become the bully.”
* A teenage girl who wins awards and trophies, but was jailed for her attempt to stop being bullied.
* A parent who tries to make a difference after his son killed himself because of bullying.
* The sister of a bullied child who says everyone in her school thinks her brother is “creepy”.
* The assistant principal who says “tell me how to fix this”…but never seems to do anything meaningful when presented with one opportunity after the other. (Her comment to parents of a bullied child — when she rides the bus with these kids they’re “just as good as gold” — makes me wonder if she’s deluded or simply indifferent.)
The most affecting scene for me was when the documentary crew attends a citizens committee meeting to address the problem of bullying. The parents of children in the schools are horrified and want action…the members of the school administration have nothing but trivial platitudes.
That this film succeeds at sending out the message that bullying is a danger to children everywhere can’t be denied. But I can’t help but wonder if the audience that could take the most away from this message, the bullies themselves, would ever sit down to watch. There are no voices of bullies in this movie, nor are there interviews with the parents of bullies. Maybe because they were afraid of being ridiculed once the movie came out. Like your momma always said, bullies (and their parents) are nothing but cowards when it comes down to it.
This is a simple film with a powerful message. Let’s hope it finds it’s intended audience.
I also applaud USA Network’s “I Won’t Stand For” campaign on their “Characters Unite” Web page, which was shown just before this film.
Don’t stand for bullying. Be the change you want to see in the world.
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