When We Were Bullies

source: When We Were Bullies

And mine is one of them. This film was manipulative and dishonest. Much like bullies themselves. It is revealing that the director did not choose to actually talk with anyone about schoolyard bullying. Avoidance of responsibility and consequences color this project throughout.

I agree with the other low rated reviews, the documentary was very surface level/shallow, boring. It seemed like the only purpose of the movie was to make the director feel better about being a bully/easy money grab. There is literally no substance at all and when it got to the letter I was over the whole movie. The director should of just left it at I was a bully and so were some other kids cuz that's the only information you get for the whole documentary. Plus they teased Richard the whole movie and didn't even do an interview with him when he was the main character. The annoying thing is the movie had potential, he could of delved deeper, he could of centered around Richard but instead he centered around the other classmates who had a vague recollection of what happened ... so you never hear the full story except from one guy who started it. It's a waste of time. I don't know how it was Oscar nominated, and no I was never bullied or a bully.

This thoughtful short doc asks the question why a group of normal grade school kids turned into a mob that bullied a peer. Many here are upset that the victim does not get his say. The filmmaker did contact the victim and he did not want to participate. That was the victim's right and is certainly understandable. If the filmmaker had pressed him to participate that would have been harassment- or further bullying. The filmmaker explores what is behind this mob rule. This is NOT a look at one-on-one bullying- which in my view has a whole different mindset. How the filmmaker met a fellow classmate, (decades later) who was part of the mob that horrible day is an amazing and magical look at chance. It was a "Wow!" moment for me. The filmmaker also looks at the why within himself. What happened to him in that year (he was 10) should not happen to any child. I can see how that young boy felt angry, sad, and confused by his loss, and how that made him vulnerable to being part of that mob. I might have some nostalgic bias here. I am about the same age of the filmmaker and grew up steps from his Brooklyn neighborhood. I do not know the filmmaker though. To be able to look back and reflect on the "bad" in you (and all of us) is a sign of growth, honesty, and maturity. Highly recommended!

Pompous, self- serving, insensitive TRASH. I kept on hoping that something great would come of this film, but it fell flat. Not impressed. I think that he had the brilliant idea of making this movie whilst riding on the back of a unicorn. Totally delusional.

The narrative/agenda of this "film" is to piggy back on a very real, current, and serious problem of Bullying. I would like to point out clear manipulation I noticed from the director Director: "I got this letter for a 50th reunion for my Elementary school.." Translation: "I'll host a 50th reunion party at a swanky NYC hotel with an open bar so I can get the interviews I need.." Director: "I got a call from "Richard" who heard I made a film about him, he is a big shot in TV production now and said he can handle anything. I sent the film to him. That was 16 years ago and still haven't heard back,. I am choosing to not use his name or face out of respect" Translation: "I got in touch with the victim, found out he is super successful. He said he vaguely remembers me and gave me permission to use his name in the new film. He thinks showing that victims can triumph over bully's will be beneficial for current youths grappling with this problem in their everyday life" Director: " I made this film to talk about bullying from a unique perspective " Translation: " I wanted to make a film about a broadly sensitive topic and pander to the audience. This will surely get me an Oscar nomination"

Self serving, self congratulatory trash. The worst kind of human trauma exploitation. Could this man not have at least read a book about the lasting effects of child abuse? "I guess I'm not as sensitive as I thought..." You have no idea.

There are many missed opportunities here. Bullies have been a part of the school system since we started this failed experiment in government run education. This movie could have done a lot to explore that failure but instead is a narcissistic journey for one bully to justify his behavior. Blech.

The ending was crap It was a way to avoid having to confront the victim and potentially face the reality that his bullying did actually leave a lasting impact The film maker only shallowly exams what happened & tries to hand wave it away even though he does clearly have a lot of shame over his behavior Film kept my attention the whole time and I thought it raised a lot of good & interesting questions. But just hand waves everything away rather than making a point on anything Would not watch again.

I do believe that this film was made well, as in the style and the tempo. But I have SERIOUS issues with this. First, the narrating is too bland and monotone. But the real problem is that this is a film that the.filmmaker is using to absolve his guilt, and then brings in others to help him with that ambition. But, like he even admitted, did anyone even consider Dick's feelings? It's just tacky. Pretty sure we've all been bullied a time or two in life, and I'm sure that none of us walked away glad about it. I know I have, and I haven't forgotten any of it. And I've been on the bullying side of things as well, and that too is in my memory of shame. This a-hole is metaphorically pumping out his chest at the idea that Dick may forgive him and the rest of the gang. This is such a pompous act. The trauma that Dick felt in the moment didn't just go away. They ostracized this boy for what? And was it proven that he was actually the Richard who was talking? What if the other Richard/Richie was lying? And is it that serious to sit after school for a few minutes or so? Yeah, these are kids and a minute feels like an hour, but who raised these demons? And where is the teacher's responsibility in this? SHE called the boy out by NAME, and she gets to walk away and not even remember the incident? Do a documentary on her selfish butt. She should have been reprimanded, the gang of thugs should have been reprimanded, and Dick should have been able to exact his revenge. I had to watch the entire film because I wanted there to be some resolution for Dick. But Jay couldn't even get that part right. Screw that, just because Dick was successful doesn't mean he wasn't traumatized. And what would have happened if Jay had found Dick to be desolate and unsuccessful as an adult? Would he still have interviewed the classmates? Would he have been ashamed or proud? Would any of them have attempted redemption? Start a GoFundMe? What if Dick had taken his own life, which happens far too often in these situations? This is pretty narcissistic, selfish, inconsiderate, and everything else you can think of. Watch it if you wish, but this dude does not deserve accolades for this horrible film. I'll go cry now. Edit: I came back to add a few more bits. It was appalling to hear Jay sound more disappointed that a few classmates died before he could film them, than he was about the actual bullying. (What???) It wasn't cute when they pointed out the spot where it all took place. I get it, reminiscing and trying to make sense of it, possibly because they couldn't believe they were capable of anything horrible. But at 60+ years of age, they should all know better than to treat it as if they simply brushed by Dick instead of punching and kicking him. Also: To the reviewer who wrote: "I see a lot of dishonest one star reviews obviously fueled by anger and resentment. Most likely victims of bullying themselves. With respect, you guys missed the point of the documentary." Come on dude, you are simply being a bully by writing that. OF COURSE people have been victims of bullying, why is that so hard to comprehend or believe? But to call them/us "dishonest" is a form of bullying. Thanks for being an insensitive moron.