Bully takes an unexpected look at schoolyard bullies by presenting the stories of the victims rather than taking an all-encompassing look at the problem. While it doesn’t hold back when it comes to working the emotional speed bag, it begins to run out of steam when it fails to present and explore all sides of the issue.
Opening with the story of a 17-year-old kid in Georgia that took his own life after being harrassed in school it’s quite clear the next 95 minutes or so are going to be quite sad. We listen to the stories from a 12-year-old in Iowa, a 16-year-old lesbian in Oklahoma, a 14-year-old in Mississippi and the family of a second child, this one 11-years-old, who also took his own life by hanging himself in his closet. The idea alone, of an 11-year-old killing him or herself, is enough to cause great sadness, but where I found Bully lacking is in presenting evidence as to what brought these children to make these decisions, the stories of the bullies themselves and the parents of said bullies.
In trying to figure out who exactly this documentary is meant for I guess I can see parents, school administrators and faculty and law enforcement officials taking some benefit in watching, but when it comes to school-age children I’m not sure it would affect much change. If a schoolyard bully were to watch this film there is little for them to see that would make them necessarily think they were one of the bullies being discussed. Alternatively, a kid being bullied would need to watch the film with his/her aggressor and say to him or her, “That! That is what you are doing to me! And it makes me want to kill myself!” Chances of that happening are slim to none.
Lessons of how not to deal with the problem are clearly evident such as an instance featuring an ignorant vice principal who essentially blames a young boy for not accepting the apology of a bully who had just shoved his head into a wall and in the past has threatened to stab him. The woman looks at him stone cold and honest and says, “But he apologized.” A collective grown rose out of my viewing audience as we looked on in bewilderment.
Later in the film the same vice principal is seen in a meeting with the parents of the film’s central figure, Alex, who to this point is the film’s lone example of evidenced bullying as he’s seen being punched, strangled and ridiculed in most every way. What was happening to Alex is brought to the parents’ attention by the filmmakers and when the parents attempt to ask the vice principal for help she deflects and turns their attention to pictures of her newly born grandchild. It’s infuriating on many levels as I believe both the parents and the administration take part in the blame.
By taking this approach and presenting only the victims’ stories, only one side of the problem is being heard and, in my opinion, the largest problem is being overlooked — the home life of the bullies themselves. While it’s unlikely parents would be willing to be seen in a documentary, defending their child after he just punched and strangled a defenseless classmate on the school bus, that is the story that needs to be heard and the problem that needs to be addressed. You can’t bring about change without having everyone at the table, which is even made evident in the film itself.
During a town meeting a representative of one school district being called into question fails to show up while members of the town voice their concerns, including a heartfelt speech from a friend of one of the children that took his own life. As they listen on, the authorities are dumbfounded and unsure of what to do or even where to look as it would be impossible not to feel something, but when those charged with the care of the children don’t even care enough to show up and aren’t made to take responsibility where does the fault lie then?
If anything, Bully opens things up for conversation and gets people talking, but it’s going to have to jump through several hoops to find traction nationwide. The fact the stories told primarily focus on states in the middle of the country will lose major metropolitan audiences who are unable to connect with the lives of the people whose stories are being told and the fact a large chunk is still left unexplored left me walking out of the film feeling as if I had just been opened to a world of sadness without any real solution or cause of action. The parents in the film are certainly fighting to make a change, but until everyone is brought to the table and asked to take responsibility it’s going to be hard to get much done.
