Following Phil

I was not sure whether this is the type of film shown to a high school health class (for an anti-bullying campaign) or one that was made for general viewing. I looked on the StompOutBullying website and didn't find a mention for the film. But looking at the director's filmography I got the sense that he's an advocate of sorts and wants to inspire others.

Either way the acting and sound editing was pretty terrible. Most of the dialogue had a pitter pater rhythm and was unnatural, especially for the teen actors. Veronica's mother and the school principal were fine and gave some good guidance to the characters. Otherwise the scenes felt like a rushed series of public service announcements.

First off the kid Phil is barely overweight and is completely normal looking. Perhaps he's a bit un athletic but he doesn't deserve any mistreatment and any average student probably wouldn't pay him any mind. Also the edits were lazy- the lockers had no combination locks for instance.

I dig the importance of self worth, anti-bullying and suicide prevention, but this was a lousy way to convey it.