Originally posted the DMI Review on 4/21/13
A Problem in Need of a Solution
Before having written anything, I knew this would be a relatively short review. Not because Bully is a bad film, nor because it doesn't have anything to say, but rather because it's a fairly straight-forward endeavor. The documentary follows the lives of students facing bullying in public schools in the United States, while also visiting two families who've experienced the recent loss of a child due to bully-induced suicide. Suffice it to say, this film is not the kind of charming experience we might expect from Ken Burns, but rather an emotional punch to the gut that reveals what it's like to be a little different in the modern public school system.
We all may have wondered before if a little harsh teasing or joking among friends has gone too far, but the kind of ridicule and pain on display in Bully goes far beyond the momentary lapse of judgement, as we see and hear stories of kids like Alex (pictured above) who are endlessly picked on and physically hurt. Cracking jokes at friend's expense on a level playing field is one thing, but when an older kid tells Alex on the morning bus that, "I'm not your fucking buddy," and proceeds to explain how he'll kill him, we as the audience know that there is something terribly wrong in our schools. I was fortunate enough to grow up in an environment where negativity of this magnitude was never present, so it was initially shocking for me to witness the intensity of the bullying on display in the film, although I was hardly surprised when a middle-American family discusses how they have been shunned in their hometown when one of their children came out as gay (to the enormous credit of the family, they seemed fully supportive).
Why then, if the film brings to light such horrors of U.S. public schools, do I think this documentary is a bit less than revolutionary? Well, despite my surprise with regard to the severity of the bullying, I was quite sadly not surprised by how often it occurred, especially as the victimized kids were in what appeared to be somewhat rural communities, let alone public schools in those communities. Bully has no real message beyond the fact that bullying exists and that we can stop it by banding together to eradicate it from our schools, a thought that, like the film, is quite powerful but not without previous awareness. My reaction to the film is tempered by my own knowledge of bullying, and I am therefore not the target audience for whom this film can truly make a difference.
Everyone and anyone who either works in a school or attends one should see Bully, to at least to gain a greater appreciation for the problem at hand, if not to further work to eradicate it. The communities for whom this film should be required viewing are those that are akin to the towns on display here, where there is a need for a more nuanced and focused understanding of bullying. They need to realize that something can be done, and should be done, lest they wish to find yet another young member of their populace dead at his or her own hands. Bully is the unique documentary that does not aim to tell a story we don't know, but rather to remind us that since we do know about it, attention must be paid. It's a wonderful thing that there is an audience for this film that can truly be changed by what it has to say, but it's also altogether disappointing that this needs to be seen by anyone. Bully may not change your life, but hopefully it will change the lives of the people who desperately need it. 9/10