Bully

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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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.

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.

--- 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.

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?