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The most powerful documentaries are those that speak for themselves. They let their subjects do the talking and lead the film. This is, by far, Bully's greatest strength. This powerful doc. tells the story of several different families who encounter bullying in different ways. We follow a few families dealing with suicides as a result of bullying, one family whose son is dealing with bullying on an everyday basis, and one family whose daughter is in youth behavioral detention from having brought a gun onto a bus. Each story is a different, powerful facet of bullying and the journey is moving and heart breaking. At the center, however, is the main argument that not enough is being done by the adults to prevent bullying.

As stated, the film is told by it's subjects. We witness the bullying that occurs first hand, follow the subjects in their everyday lives, and see first hand the divide between the kids who are bullied and the adults who either do nothing or are unaware of the problem. Other parents deal with the loss of their child through suicide stemmed from bullying and their efforts to change the school systems and law enforcement that ignore the problem. Like any good film, and documentary for that matter, we have our heroic underdogs and our villains. In this case, our heroes are the bullied and our villains are those behind the broken system that allows bullying to continue. One woman in particular displays aptly the real problem and does so with finesse. I will say, by the end of the movie, you'll want to punch her in the face for being such a....well, I can't use that word in this review.

The tragedies in this film are supplemented by a handful of moments that really grab at you. From hearing a man who lost his son use politics as an example to a confrontation in the aforementioned woman's office, the film has a good arc about it. We root for change to happen and for these kids lives to improve, for there to be hope, and there is. Even though the tragedies are rough and even a bit tough to watch at times, we are rewarded with the hope of better days and an improvement. As someone who was a victim of bullying and has known many others to also be victims of bullying, it's refreshing to see that people are standing up all over the world and attempting to do something about it. To say that this film is important is just touching on what it means for this doc to be made.

That isn't to say the film is perfect. Far from it, there's a lot that could have been done. First, the film isn't especially well rounded. We don't get the opposite point of view. Having some of the bullies interviewed would have been a bit interesting I think. It would have also been nice to see some bullies and bullied as adults and what they think. The film also doesn't really look at anything beyond the immediate situation. We don't get any statistical data about bullies or a big variation on the kinds of bullying that occurs. We are simply presented with a few not so unique victims. Perhaps it was simply the filmmakers intention to show us a broken system and those trying to change it, but I would have preferred more variety, however, in the presentation of this problem.

Beyond this, the film is truly great. I can't stress the importance enough of this documentary. With all that goes on in this country these days, it's easy to overlook how important this matter is and how vital it is for the adults involved to put an end to bullying. Especially powerful are the numerous stories of child suicides which reinforce the importance of the issue. I'd even go so far as to say this documentary should be mandated watching for schools. If you have children, find a way for them to see this film. It is one of the most important films of our time.

Written by Markus Robinson, Edited by Nicole I. Ashland

Ever since the Weinstein Company has been petitioning the MPAA to assign "Bully" a "PG-13" rating instead of the dreaded "R", there has been controversy surrounding its distribution. There have since been reports that the Weinstein Company plans to release this documentary as "Unrated" to get around the MPAA stranglehold, which may doom it to the dreaded "limited release" realm of no return and rarely seen. So what is the deal? Why was (until quite recently) "Bully" pulling an "R" rating? Does "Bully" advocate bullying? No. Does it use language that your twelve year son/daughter/sister/brother doesn't hear at school every day of his/her life? And (the one that terrifies the MPAA the most) is there any nudity? NOOOOOO. The biggest controversy of this film, and the main idiotic reason that this film pulled an "R" rating for the longest time, is the fact that audiences will actually see middle school and high school kids visibly getting shoved around, punched, and called awful names. And while the images here will be disturbing to parents and teens alike, they need to be seen by a demographic that is actually living through the controversial themes the movie brings up. The awful truth is that 13 million children are bullied every day. So, for the MPAA to have slapped it with an "R" rating is simply irresponsible. "Bully" is a cut and dry example of subject matter superseding the MPAA's fundamentally rigid beliefs of counting the number of F-bombs in a movie.

Now, here is my review of "Bully":

Like a real time therapy session for anybody who has ever been bullied in school, "The Bully Project" or "Bully" as it has been retitled, may not only be responsible for stirring up more pre-release controversy than any documentary in recent history, but also be one of the timeliest documentaries ever released. What director Lee Hirsch tries to do here, is give audiences and inside look at bullying in today's public schools by actually documenting a few victimized teens (ranging in ages from 12 to 16) as they are in the midst of day to day social bullying. The film begins with the story of a boy named Tyler, who killed himself as a direct result of being constantly ridiculed and physically abused from his peers at school. Hirsch films Tyler's parents as they discuss the dire epidemic that is school bullying today, and then we get to see bullying through the eyes of a child in a heartbreaking reality, as Hirsh introduces audiences to Alex, age 12. Alex is an undersized boy who is subjected to constant ridicule and scorn from his peers. And I'm not just talking about older kids at school calling him names. Hirsch follows Alex as he is seen getting his lunch stolen, physically hit in the back of the head, shoved to the ground and in one case stabbed with a pencil on the bus (as the bus driver does nothing). The tragic mental and physical abuse this child goes through will reduce many audience members to tears instantaneously. For others, the emotional damage this young man goes through on screen will be nothing less than anger inducing. If you had forgotten how bad it was being a teenager when you went to school, Alex will serve as a not so subtle reminder of how brutal some kids have it. And what's worse is Hirsch's depiction of how out of touch the adults are with their children, in conjunction with how seemingly unflinching school administrators act when confronted about bullying in their own schools.

Final Thought: Unfortunately at times the subject matter of "Bully" is better than the film itself, even though Hirsch does daring work. What I mean by that is, that for how hard hitting his subject matter was, the filmmaking (or how the film was put together) could have been better if it would have included every aspect of bullying. In many ways this film only scratches the surface. In saying that, the film does more than serve its purpose. This isn't just a movie about the struggles of fitting in. This is an uncensored look into a bullying epidemic that up until a few years ago had been mostly swept under the rug of American society. So, even though it is doubtful that "Bully" will be the most well made documentary I see all year, it will most definitely be the most important; and one not only every child should see, but entire families should see together.

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--- As a retired law enforcement officer I literally shook with a rage and a fury I haven't felt since I retired while watching this documentary. The problem I saw in these schools was school officials who were more interested in whining about the issue and hoping it would go away on its own rather than becoming pro-active in dealing with it. You start anti-bullying programs in the schools, counseling for victims, a zero tolerance policy and mandatory penalties toward bulling, group sessions with accused kids about what harm they are inflicting, get the PTA involved, require REQUIRE all parents to attend a meeting at the start of school years at which the school's zero tolerance policy and penalties are explained and if they do not attend then their kids do not start school just like vaccination policies. Instead these so called leaders were not really doing much of anything other than trying to defend their zero action response to bullying. --- The documentary makers did a good job in showing the problem and then left the rest up to others. I think they should have maybe spent a bit more time in being a resource about what can be done to deal with the problems rather than just showing it. I also know that I would have been interested to learn a little more about what happened to the kids involved. Though I give credit to the makers for taking a hidden issue and shining the light of day on it.

Greetings again from the darkness. A documentary about a serious topic that desperately needs more attention would typically receive rave reviews from me. Writer/director Lee Hirsch delivers a final product that emotes sympathy, empathy, sorrow and outrage. What's missing? There are no solutions, no action ideas (other than let's do something), and no examples of what might be working in some schools.

We are introduced to, what I hope is, the world's worst Assistant Principal. Maybe her attitude and actions are to represent the poor approach by most teachers and administrators. I am just not sure. We see her mediate a handshake meeting between a bully and his target, and she easily falls for the bully's eagerness to settle, seemingly oblivious to the target's pain. Her meeting with parents is almost comical in the lack of understanding she shows ... preferring to flash photos of her grandchild rather than address the more serious issue.

We visit Iowa, Mississippi, Georgia and Oklahoma to meet kids and parents who have been affected by bullies. We also see the aftermath of suicide caused by the helplessness victims feel from incessant bullying. It's not difficult to categorize the kids we meet as "different". One is physically small, weak and not fully developed after being born more than 3 months premature. Another is a lesbian who hides her pain behind a smile. The "difference" seems to be what teachers, administrators, students and even parents are unable to cope.

Mr. Hirsch is able to capture some upsetting footage onboard a school bus. The mother of the kid being picked on even states that when she rode the bus as a kid, the driver was in control and kids were required to stay seated and keep still. Today, the kids run the show ... at home, at school, and on the bus. Teachers know they will not receive support from parents and likely to be sued for getting involved. It's a vicious cycle that can lead to tragedy.

It would have been interesting to see something other than blue collar families. Is there a class difference in this subject? What about the preferred schools for teachers ... are the results different when the quality of teachers is compared? The film gives the impression that it had a point to make and would do whatever necessary to make that point. That is the Michael Moore school of documentaries. I am by no means saying this isn't a vital and important topic. It definitely is. And it needs to be addressed quickly. I just believe an issues-related filmmaker has a responsibility to tell the whole story.

Bully is a film that needed to be made. I believe at one point in time we were bullied, some of us were bullies, and most of us were been a bystander to bullying. For years, we've seen fictional characters be bullied in many Hollywood productions, that provided audiences with simple, relatable, and moderately effective entertainment. The characters were familiar, the plots were conventional, but we laughed, liked the characters, and wanted them to succeed more often than not. Never have we seen bullying in its rawest form, and capturing that on film is one of the hardest, most emotion-testing things one could do with the art form.

In the documentary, we follow around five people from all across the U.S. who have encountered bullying in some way or shape in their school. In Oklahoma, we meet openly gay Kelby Johnson, a down to earth youth who has been outcast for her sexual orientation. She has a tight bond with her friends, including her girlfriend, but personal feelings of inferiority and the looming thought that she'll never be like everyone else has lead her to try to take her life three times. It is a bit sad her story couldn't have been elaborated more. The subject of gay bullying could've been a documentary on its own.

In Mississippi, teenager Ja'Meya Jackson pulled a loaded gun on a bus full of students, enraged and hurt at the fact that she had been bullied for months and not a single person had taken action. She didn't kill anyone, but her life has changed greatly since the event. In Iowa, we meet Alex Libby, a socially awkward loner, victim to verbal and physical abuse on his school bus for a face resembling a fish. He is a quiet soul, bottling up his rage and hatred for people and coldly tells the camera "sometimes I want to become the bully." The other two children's stories are told through their parents, because they committed suicide for continuing arrogance to the problem. Kirk and Laura Smalley, parents of their late son Ty who took his life at the tender age of eleven, have started an organization called "Stand for the Silent" in hopes that people will speak out for those who aren't. The fifth boy is the deceased Tyler Long, who killed himself at seventeen because of ongoing torment for his weak appearance and uninvolved athletic status.

As a documentary, Bully is a surface-scratcher, going for an expansive view on the issue, rather than a deep, moving one. It manages to pull in a number of different souls who have been victim to harsh, uncalled for treatment, but never seems to explore them to the level of depth that we'd like. We also, never get a look at the other side of the road, from a bully's perspective. Why does one bully? Why does one take pride in hurting other people? And does their homelife really have anything to do with it, or do they just enjoy the pain and torment his victim feels? Bully paints the issue as one with no feasible solution other than to police the grounds carefully and intricately.

Bully has also been garnering a plethora of controversy surrounding the MPAA's decision to stamp the film with an R-rating. Director Lee Hirsch stated by doing that, the film would then be out of reach to children who the movie is directly made for. This is another move by the MPAA, made by completely tuning out the impact a film like this could have, in exchange for sticking to old, worn, outdated policies from an organization far too biased in their decision-making. The film was released for two weeks with an "Unrated" rating, rejecting the MPAA's suggested rating, before the edited cut, the one now in theaters, was released moderately theatrical with a few of f-words subtracted to try and garner more revenue and viewership.

With that being said, the documentary is definitely worthy of recognition and is almost required viewing for not only young children, but parents as well. It gives hope to the unlikely outcasts, which I have always enjoyed seeing, and it provides people with the feeling that things are being done. For one, we are seeing a documentary on the issue and organizations are being created to stop it. Things are getting done, but will the problem be eliminated, is my question. Last year, I watched an ABC Family movie called Cyberbully, about a teen girl who was being harassed and attacked viciously on the web. Throughout the showing, commercials aired stating "stomp the bullying" and "delete the drama," but who really was paying attention? Are bullies going to look at a Television film and thing "what I'm doing is wrong, I should stop?" Most likely no. They will embrace it with a cold shoulder, ignoring its messages and its morals.

I'm optimistic about the response for Bully, but as far as eliminating the degrading act, that would have to mean taking away peoples' feelings of inferiority and superiority to one another. That just can't be done. It's the painful side of the world and human nature. Bully is the first documentary I have had the pleasure of seeing in theaters, and despite noticeable restrictions, it is a brave film with a lot of heart, humanity, and soul. A bold and daring exercise that could change the way documentaries are produced. The MPAA should've debated that before seeking out the rubric for their tired policies.

Starring: Alex Libby, Je'Maya Jackson, Kelby Johnson, Kirk Smalley, Laura Smalley, and Kim Lockwood. Directed by: Lee Hirsch.

Good pictorial of victimized kids in a slice of life film on the results of intense and unrelenting bullying, primarily in school and on school buses. As the film showed very well these kids being bullied, the results of bullying and the bullied kids' commentaries on the frustrations they felt about themselves and others as a result, it is a success. However, on the minus side, it gave no suggestions for solutions or possibilities for control, no statements of judgment regarding incompetence or inadequacy of school officials and parents toward ending the bullying, thus I became less involved as the film progressed, as there was no progress made toward anything other than progressively showcasing the bullied kids and what can result if nothing is done about it.

A few things I saw that were consistent in the bullied boys were that all their fathers were nice, quiet and perhaps weak men who did not take any action themselves toward ending the bullying, but left it up to the mothers. The kids' mothers were shown to be much stronger than their fathers were in their attempts to protect their children. Pro-action by both parents must be undertaken immediately upon being informed of any bullying for best chances of ending the problem.

Only one child, the boy from Iowa, had his back story examined in the least as to possible reasons behind his being bullied. He was born premature at 26 weeks and had unattractive facial features as a result, thus these were the obvious things other kids picked on. Nothing in the other bullied kids' pre-natal pasts were mentioned as possible reasons leading to their being bullied. I perceived this as imbalanced background research, and a failure of the film's intent. Perhaps there was nothing, but perhaps also there may have been drugs in the other parent's pasts, or genetic or mental illnesses, or whatever? Nothing was stated or explained so we were left in the dark to speculate. Kids typically pick on something mentally, physically or behaviorally "different" in those they bully, reasons for any of which should have been shown if known. My grammar school nurse required complete backgrounds of all student's health histories, thus school officials then could not claim ignorance if later bullying resulted. Why has all that changed?

The school officials shown should be immediately terminated for their apathy and unconcern and "what can I do about it?" do-nothing approach to the problem. Also, the school bus scenes showed that adult supervision on board was nonexistent, with rampant rowdy student behavior constant and leading to obvious bullying situations. Wouldn't anyone seeing those scenes, even those moronic and lazy school officials, think something was wrong and needed immediate and serious correction?

Overall, the film was a pretty good slice of life of this serious problem but a pretty bad suggester of possible solutions to it. No in-control schools or good parental examples were shown where bullying was not accepted and was non-existent due to immediate and pro-active parental and school responses to it, as it was in my school. As a result, I give this film a grade of "incomplete", and suggest that it take a make-up test(a sequel covering my above suggestions).

The issue of bullying has started to get seriously discussed in the past few years, mainly due to suicides, often due to anti-gay bullying. "Bully" looks at bullying in general. Much of it consists of interviews with the bullied students and their parents. One of the important points that the documentary makes is that there is that the reaction to bullying is often "boys will be boys". "Bully" makes the point that these things will continue until we as a society say that it's not acceptable for anyone to let this to happen to people, especially in settings where children expect to be safe. Are we ready to say "Enough is enough" and prevent bullying before it starts?

If you are a caretaker of children in anyway I recommend this movie to you. I hope this director may consider doing a movie on corporal punishment in public schools in America. You come away from this movie thinking change could be simple but it is anything but. It takes a lot of support (Money) to create a noticeable change. Many of you may come away thinking, "how could that person be so ignorant". Beware, this movie is painful to watch. I wanted to jump out of my seat many times during this movie wanting to stop the insanity. You may want to write your congress as a place to start. I hope that you see it and I hope that you are educated by it.

After all the resounding hoopla over the ridiculousness of the MPAA wanting to give "Bully" an "R" rating, some may have forgotten exactly what the purpose of this film was. The MPAA apparently has yet to realize it. It is to shine more light on one of the biggest issues in society today.

Um, wait, no, not today. Bullying has always been an issue. Believe me, I know. But thanks to a school system increasingly filled with ignorance and indifference on children's well-being, parents not standing up for anyone but their own kid, the Internet and texting, bullying has gotten a little worse since when I was in high school. And now, it is taking lives.

And still, very little seems to be getting done to help the situation. And that is what makes "Bully," what very well be one of the most important films you could see this year, so relentlessly difficult to watch, infuriating to comprehend and, yes, a little disappointing.

As the film focuses on five kids who have deal with bullying or suffered the dire consequences of it, what makes this film somewhat disappointing is that the most important points it tries to make seem dramatized. Do we seriously witness bullying in action on that bus? If so, how was the camera hidden, or are these kids seriously that stupid as to act like assholes with a film crew around? Are we seriously witnessing a school administrator allowing a camera crew into a meeting with the parents of a bullied kid to hear her say that the kids on this kid's bus are angels? She knows, because she has ridden that bus and they were fine? Can a school administrator seriously be that thick? It's a bit of a tough pill to swallow as one doesn't want to think that people of any age could be this dumb. But...maybe they are.

However, while there are the parts that will make you raise an eyebrow and scratch your head as you question their authenticity, the film will still manage to weigh heavily on your shoulders as you hear the stories of kids who deal with a crippling fear of going to school every day.

This film sheds no light on a solution which will make our kids safer; it simply puts the problem in the spotlight. It spends little time talking to any actual bullies themselves or the parents that seem to let their children be shitheads. But by putting it out there for the world to see....to see the ambivalence of the school system and the lack of concern of parents of non-bullied kids...I know it made me wish I could do something. Anything. And I don't even have kids. But I want to sit down with every bullied kid in the world and not simply tell them it gets better, but to try to help them deal with the hell they are in now. A hell that even my own experience can't seem to compare to.

As my friend Jane pointed out, to stop the problem, people have to start with themselves. And she couldn't be more right. We need to look at ourselves and see who we bully day to day. Figure out why our kids become bullies in the first place. However, we also have to look at why we allow it to happen and parents have to stop accepting their child being a bully or being bullied.. At the same time, schools have to take a major leap in taking responsibility of the situation and stop making excuses. Boys will NOT be boys. Parents, some of you have raised little assholes. Do something about it. If not, the school system should.

When you hear the story of David and Tina Long, whose son took his own life at 17, or Kirk Smalley and his wife, whose son did the same at the age of 11 (yes...11), if your eyes don't well up, you might just be a failure as a human being. But seeing images of a candlelight vigil in honour of those who could not take it anymore, while touching, will not solve the problem. Society is the problem. The films shows that schools certainly do not help, and a change must be made, but the change has to start with people. Parents raising their kids better, and kids being able to speak out and be heard, knowing their voices will not be silenced. Until then, it's time for the administrators to take back control of their schools and the kids in their hallways. Protect them, listen to them, and do not tolerate the growing disrespect kids show for everything and everyone these days.

We need to do something so films like this don't need to be made. In the case of "Bully," despite its imperfections, at least it sheds some emotional light on an issue that we do have the power to take control of.

If this was aimed at appealing to young people who bully others, it won't. It's long, drawn-out and is basically preaching to the choir throughout most of the movie. So much of the "emotion" seems staged and forced, almost to the point of whoring out the people involved.

Basically, this disjointed documentary follows the lives of a handful of families effected by bullying, all in backwoods towns. Never once do they show any factual statistics, nor do they have any experts giving opinions. It's very dry, and feels as dull as the dusty bible-belt towns they're filming in.

If they really wanted to stop the bullying, then they'd:

1. Make the film interesting. It really is not for 90% of the film, unless you find emotional hemorrhaging entertaining.

2. Show hidden camera footage of what these kids really have to go through to burn it in the minds of the viewers. As it stands, you get little clips of kids being mean, but as someone who was bullied as a child quite often, I can tell you that what was shown is a watered down version that pales in comparison to what most kids go through.

3. Give out statistics to show how the problem is significant and effects a large number of people. (it does)

4. Get inside the psyche of not only the bullied, but the bullies themselves. To fix bullies, you first have to find the causes and how to motivate them to stop.

5. Have experts give testimony as to how to solve the problems, and give advice on what works and doesn't work.

As it stands, this film is emotional masturbation for the families victimized by bullying, and that doesn't serve any real purpose other than their own catharsis. If you show this to kids, they'll either roll their eyes or fall asleep. This film, if it was honestly aimed at starting some sort of movement, was a joke.

In a world of competition one less competitor is a victory for the survivor. We know today that it is cooperation that brlngs about development amongst humans and not competition which only brings about degeneration and death. The American society that allows rich men to bully poor men to death is a society of apes, more or less. Actually it's worse than a society of apes. Competition is hailed because, like this film and other occurrences show, it keeps the poor fighting each other for the crumbs from the rich's table and keeps them from cooperating to get rid of the rich bullies. The American way of life is an abomination - get rid of it.

I HOPE AND PRAY this women was fired after this documentary!! She literally does NOTHING to the bullies. During one scene she even pulled the child that was being bullied aside and let the bully go!!! It is disgusting, suspend and expell these children and I guarantee their parents or guardians will then do something about there children bullying others. Get rid of ALL staff that is not disciplining children each and everytime they are bullying a child!!! I swear I hope and pray this principal or assistant was fired!!! That poor baby thought it was okay because you as a school and district failed him!

I agree much with another reviewer and had the same reaction. I wanted it to be a great movie so could recommend it everyone & maybe it would win the Oscar which would shed even more publicity/light on this very important subject. I can't and it probably won't even get nominated. While it had many emotional moments, as a whole it was kind of flat and jumped all over the place without any seeming purpose for the moves that made it difficult to follow. Very disappointed - but kudos for trying and for what was accomplished. To be fair, I do not see many documentaries, usually Michael Moore or nominated films. I guess my expectations were too high.

This is an extraordinary documentary capturing intense and poignant moments. There are no psychologists or school counselors here to explain or elucidate the behaviour of these young children. The victims and events speak aptly, making commentary unnecessary.

It shows the children being bullied and the bullies themselves. The victims are suffering intensely and we can feel their anguish and their powerlessness – the bullies are mean, inflicting all manner of harm to those who will not oppose them. The parents try to cope and are puzzled, flummoxed and heartbroken by these outside events. They try to deal and help their children in their despair. The teachers and the schools are moderately concerned at best and incapable at worst. There is a stunning moment between bully and victim where the principal is pleading with the victim to forgive. Sometimes it just seems like the schools are merely wishing the problem to go away.

We listen to these young children speak articulately; they are well aware of their predicament, their victimization and their loneliness. For some, as the film illustrates, it is already too late. There are several suicides a year in schools across the U.S. (I am also aware that this happens in Canada as well).

I am thankful to the makers of this film for openly bringing to our attention this problem which is so ubiquitous in our schools. It is only in the last few years that it has started to be discussed and viewed as a REAL problem. When I was in school many years ago it was almost a taboo area and was certainly not a subject for serious discussion. It was something one was expected to adjust to and move on.

I am also grateful to those parents who are shown at the end of the film who have started a movement to denounce bullying; it is anti-social behaviour that should not be tolerated. Schools need to have safe areas where all can feel comfortable. The school bus would be a good starting point. Conformity, particularly in sports, needs to be re-examined. Making the parents, the school children and the school administrator and teachers aware of the problem must be a primary goal. This powerful and truthful film must be shown to all who work in schools.

If your child is being viciously bullied, take him or her out of school and homeschool. Yes-- it can be done. There are free programs that will give them education, even free YouTube videos. No societal norm is worth this mental abuse. Nothing. They will be safer at home alone than with these bullies at school, especially if the school administration is as dumb as rocks like the Assistant Principal in this film. In college these victims will do much better as bullies often don't get away with these threats at college level. And forget college even -- just keep your child alive ! Protect your child at all costs. No one else will --so don't expect it. Be mad at the school, at the bullies, fine. But they are not going to protect your precious child. The parents of these bullies are 100% responsible for raising these cruel kids, and they don't give a damn about your kid.

Went to Bully, largely because there was nothing else playing that represented escapist fare, which I usually opt for. I am a therapist and mother of three and I certainly hear enough about Bullying to make me a steadfast believer that it is not only happening, but happening to MOST kids, regardless of who and what you are, you will be a target. I hear about it everyday and the central theme is-educators not only don't do anything about it-but heres the origin- the teachers are modeling it. They pick on certain kids, harass and joke about kids and even engage in screaming and name-calling, at least here in Fairfax County, Virginia. I think this is where it starts, as well as at home. Kids do NOT do these behaviors naturally. In small groups when it is structured to create emotional safety, kids work together well and are VERY tolerant of differences. It is when schools make everything a competition (and it is DOG eat DOG in our schools), and parents (lots of tiger moms and dads) do nothing but encourage kids to compete with other kids regardless of the price (some kids at our school are suicidal). This could be fixed but it requires a societal shift, electing Barack Obama is a great first step in this regard. Loved the movie, loved Alex-I want to know how he is doing?

Since this documentary about various kids of various ages getting verbally or/and physically abused is now exclusively at the cinema that my movie theatre-working friend is employed at, I felt I had to watch it to see if it's as compelling as I heard it was. Well, it starts off with the revelation of a parent telling of his 17-year-old son who became isolated growing up before things were so bad he eventually committed suicide. We then follow other teens in various parts of the country suffering though their own hardships in trying to survive frequent tauntings. So the first hour was pretty compelling enough but then while many parents and school faculty express indignantly of the abuses, it seems hardly anything really gets done to stop it other then public assemblies on how awful bullying is. I'm not even sure if this movie is enough to stop anyone who hates anyone different from them from doing those tormenting. Still, Bully gets an A for making an effort to even address the serious problems arising whenever someone constantly feels worthless around people who do nothing but harass him/her.

I left the theater thinking that although "Bully" tackles a very serious problem among young people in our society, it didn't tackle it as completely as it could and should have. The film did a good job of identifying the problem of schoolyard bullying and bring it to national attention, but at no point did it offer any suggestions about how the problem might be solved, and at no point did it show examples of the many school districts that are actively working to solve the problem. In that sense, "Bully" is a prime example of what's wrong with our society in general - it's very good at identifying problems, pointing fingers and assigning blame, but it's not at all good at proposing solutions.

There is also a not so subtle political message - the film implies that bullying only occurs in Republican "Red" states such as Georgia, Oklahoma, Iowa and Mississippi. No examples of bullying are shown in San Francisco, New York or New England, although bullying undoubtedly occurs in those areas as well (as the Phoebe Prince incident in Massachusetts proves).

In short, to use a cliché, the film "asks more questions than it answers" and is therefore not likely to bring about any real change.