Recently, The Daily Free Press reviewed The Hunger Games, a fantastical depiction of child-on-child violence. This week, somewhat ironically, we review Bully, a documentary presented to raise awareness of the physical and emotional abuse prevalent among American adolescents.
The film follows the stories of five families, two of them already grieving the loss of their young boys who have committed suicide. The opening sequence crosscuts home videos of Tyler Long, a happy, energetic child, alongside with footage of his father reminiscing about the dark end that came to his son. Bully is successful because it often ties together the enjoyable home life of these children with the suffocating nature of their experiences in school. Tyler’s suicide is made more real, more upsetting, after seeing a childhood filled with laughter and happiness.
“Kids will be kids,” is a common excuse for the bullying that occurs in schools around the country. This film makes it clear that this is no longer an adequate response for bullying. The actions of these children are beyond childish, even amongst the bullied. Ja’Meya, a 14-year-old girl from Mississippi, is in juvenile detention at the beginning of the film, after pulling a gun on the bus intending to scare her persecutors. The sheriff declares nothing could have possibly warranted her actions – except, perhaps, in a case of life and death.
The sheriff may be right, but bullying often cuts to the core of morality. Bullying can lead to a tragic and premature death of a child. The daily and systematic abuse that Ja’Meya has to endure clearly brought her to a breaking point. Though the manner in which these children act may not be childish, their adolescence is revealed by the volatile and fragile emotional states prevalent throughout the film. In fact, Ja’Meya’s violent reaction against her tormentors is not so different than those imagined by other victims of bullying.
Alex, a 14-year-old in Iowa who is often singled out by his peers for his awkward appearance, constantly says that their abuse is merely a sign of their affection. At one point, however, Alex stares coldly at the screen, proclaiming his desire to be the bully, rather than the bullied. It is a devastating moment. It also makes one think. What is the rationale of these children who are mercilessly beating their fellow classmates?
Unfortunately, perhaps a result of consent issues, the bullies are rarely interviewed on camera. Instead, the blame is mostly focused on the ignorant and incompetent adults often in charge of handling these situations.
In one scene, an administrator is shown as a mediator between two kids who apparently got in a fight. However, it becomes clear that one of the boys has been tormented constantly by the other. Nevertheless, the administrator is adamant that both should “apologize” and shake hands as an act of good will. The bullied victim refuses to acknowledge the other kid’s apology—knowing that without proper punishment, he will simply continue to be a target. The mediator, however, ignorantly claims that the victim’s refusal to shake hands is just as hurtful as what the bully has been doing.
Typical of most advocacy documentaries, Bully encourages everyone to take action. Yet, it is clear that Bully aims to raise the sensitivity of adults with power in the schooling system in order to address the abuse occurring in their schools. Regardless of one’s involvement, however, Bully is a documentary that needs to be seen by all.
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