Bully

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!

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?

"I've never had real friends that would stick around and help me." Bullied Student The Weinstein Company fought a winning battle to get Bully classified PG-13 rather than R because of "f" bombs. The documentary about bullying in schools is slow and without insight, a disappointing PG 13. Because two of the boys (11 and 17) commit suicide, no one can deny the impact of bullying on young people, and this documentary has multiple examples, yet Bullying appears not interested in the point of view of the bullies or any possible remedies. The lack of bullying professionals such as sociologists is itself a serious deficiency. Set in a majority of red-neck locales east of Tuttle, Oklahoma, the individual stories concern only whites and blacks, with no Latinos or Asians for instance. Where are the latter two or the educated? Surely it is to be expected that much bullying occurs in lower socio-economic areas, but no class or level of wealth is immune. While a good documentary allows its subjects adequate time to state their cases, the choices of whom to highlight rest squarely with the director and writers. Although Michael Moore is notorious for loading his documentaries and in his narration with his point of view, director/writer Lee Hirsch cannot be accused of the same. Rather, he is so far removed that there is no point of view other than an accepted universal condemnation in ourselves the minute we witness the actions. Sixteen-year old Kelby's story as a lesbian is particularly well presented as she chronicles being purposely hit by a car and her efforts to make a difference in the local minds. Central character twelve-year old Alex, with the nickname "Fish Face," is caught by the camera being abused relentlessly on the bus. Perhaps most pitiable is homely fourteen-year old Ja'Maya, who ends up in juvenile detention for brandishing her mother's gun to stave off her attackers. The Weinstein Company should be applauded for producing a documentary on one of civilization's most pervasive oppressions. I just wish the statement had been writ larger.

I have mixed feelings about this film and it certainly didn't move me to do anything. All the incidents take place in small town communities. The student base is small and any new kid or different kid gets bullied. In larger schools there are abundant students that there are enough kids that don't fit in, that they can form friendships among themselves. In this film, all the kids that are bullied are different. They suffer from name calling and being ostracized. In some cases it is physical. The principal of the one school confronts the bullies and threatens to put a note in their permanent record if they don't stop. Now in my school, that wouldn't stop the bully. Indeed, you would have gotten your butt kicked for snitching. I didn't see anything I didn't see, experience, or even dish out while growing up generations ago. It is a shame that nature has predisposed our species to be like all the other species in separating the weak elements out of the pack. But as I see it bullying is like cancer. It is natural. It is easier to prevent than cure. And too many times things don't work out. But has society become bigger bullies than when I was a kid? Or my grandparents? Or is the fact everyone owns a camera and films aspects of our life we wouldn't normally want filmed? There is no mention of the adolescent brain development which leads to undesirable traits. My heart goes out for these kids, especially Fish Face. Growing up, I would sooner eat poop and get the crap beat out of me than to tell someone it happened. But to capture it on film and then complain to adults? They will all regret they made this stupid film as will everyone else who puts their stupidity on U-Tube for all to see. I would sooner take my chances by giving the bully a swift hard kick to the nads when he didn't expect it. Because of the topic everyone will ooh and aah over how important it is to see this film. The most powerful and disturbing thing about this film are people who find it powerful and disturbing. It interlaces home movies with shot footage. So if you are a kid getting bullied, what you really need to make yourself fit in is to have a camera man, boom man, director and producer follow you around and film you on the school bus. That will rate a shot to the head. I didn't find it informative or moving. I went to school once myself. It is not just a red state Bible Belt issue like the film seems to imply in one episode. It's life. Deal with it. Parental guide: F-bombs (spoken and written at beginning of film) no sex or nudity. If you let you kid see this, it will just give him ideas because that is how kids are.

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.

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.

BULLY (2012) **** A must-see documentary by Lee Hirsch and Cynthia Lowen focusing on the epidemic of bullying in the schools of America which in and of itself can be presumed a pandemic as well in the sense of where anger, hatred and simple narrow-mindedness can manifest from and eventually spread. Five separate mid-Western families are depicted – two attempting to salvage their remaining family in the aftermath of their beloved's suicides confirmed from the relentless attacks they endured to the point of no return – showcase how a blind eye to incredibly frustrating situations (i.e. the closed environs of the school bus as a haven of beatings and humiliations thrust on their prey) are attempted to be dealt with or in the majority simply overlooked and ignored altogether. The one subject, Alex, a shy, sweet and smart adolescent is shown on the first day of school literally trembling (and brilliantly conveyed on the soundtrack of his hindered breathing in knowing what hell will ultimately be unleashed upon him), will have you rooting for him to get through the year and angrily screaming at the screen at the imbecilic school head and her myopic viewpoints that you want to step into the screen and throttle her! At times incredibly sad and tragic, the film is in essence a triumph in how the families stay together to battle this onset of violence and refusing to back down for the sake of their children – and more importantly – other children who have no voice of their own! Thankfully the MPAA JUST re-rated the film as PG-13 (for a few 'F' bombs!) and is a necessity for all parents AND children to see together and begin a dialogue for something that can be avoided/stopped. I urge you all to see this.

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.

Hirsch seems to believe that because his subjects are victims, he can do whatever he likes with the truth. He offers one-sided accounts of the stories and expects (and apparently gets if reviews are anything to go by) universal support for these people. Whilst not doubting that these people have been bullied, it is important to note that Hirsch omitted significant facts about some of the people he filmed. For example, one of the boys who died wrote a suicide note blaming his parents (not to say that he is correct), the very same parents who Hirsch sympathetically follows as they blame the school for the death. The girl who pulls a gun on a busload of students is allowed to be the victim whilst every other voice on that bus is omitted. Hirsch went to a school and filmed anti-bullying policies working so he omitted all that he filmed from the film. The 11 yo who killed himself lived in a house filled with guns but somehow, only the bullies at school are responsible for his death. There are so many voices who are omitted or selectively edited to make this film a shameful piece of exploitation cinema. Worse than all of this is the suggestion that suicide is the only response available to two of the children. Suicide is far too complicated to warrant this kind of emotional reality TV, Michael Moore, commercial current affairs style response.