After all the resounding hoopla over the ridiculousness of the MPAA wanting to give "Bully" an "R" rating, some may have forgotten exactly what the purpose of this film was. The MPAA apparently has yet to realize it. It is to shine more light on one of the biggest issues in society today.
Um, wait, no, not today. Bullying has always been an issue. Believe me, I know. But thanks to a school system increasingly filled with ignorance and indifference on children's well-being, parents not standing up for anyone but their own kid, the Internet and texting, bullying has gotten a little worse since when I was in high school. And now, it is taking lives.
And still, very little seems to be getting done to help the situation. And that is what makes "Bully," what very well be one of the most important films you could see this year, so relentlessly difficult to watch, infuriating to comprehend and, yes, a little disappointing.
As the film focuses on five kids who have deal with bullying or suffered the dire consequences of it, what makes this film somewhat disappointing is that the most important points it tries to make seem dramatized. Do we seriously witness bullying in action on that bus? If so, how was the camera hidden, or are these kids seriously that stupid as to act like assholes with a film crew around? Are we seriously witnessing a school administrator allowing a camera crew into a meeting with the parents of a bullied kid to hear her say that the kids on this kid's bus are angels? She knows, because she has ridden that bus and they were fine? Can a school administrator seriously be that thick? It's a bit of a tough pill to swallow as one doesn't want to think that people of any age could be this dumb. But...maybe they are.
However, while there are the parts that will make you raise an eyebrow and scratch your head as you question their authenticity, the film will still manage to weigh heavily on your shoulders as you hear the stories of kids who deal with a crippling fear of going to school every day.
This film sheds no light on a solution which will make our kids safer; it simply puts the problem in the spotlight. It spends little time talking to any actual bullies themselves or the parents that seem to let their children be shitheads. But by putting it out there for the world to see....to see the ambivalence of the school system and the lack of concern of parents of non-bullied kids...I know it made me wish I could do something. Anything. And I don't even have kids. But I want to sit down with every bullied kid in the world and not simply tell them it gets better, but to try to help them deal with the hell they are in now. A hell that even my own experience can't seem to compare to.
As my friend Jane pointed out, to stop the problem, people have to start with themselves. And she couldn't be more right. We need to look at ourselves and see who we bully day to day. Figure out why our kids become bullies in the first place. However, we also have to look at why we allow it to happen and parents have to stop accepting their child being a bully or being bullied.. At the same time, schools have to take a major leap in taking responsibility of the situation and stop making excuses. Boys will NOT be boys. Parents, some of you have raised little assholes. Do something about it. If not, the school system should.
When you hear the story of David and Tina Long, whose son took his own life at 17, or Kirk Smalley and his wife, whose son did the same at the age of 11 (yes...11), if your eyes don't well up, you might just be a failure as a human being. But seeing images of a candlelight vigil in honour of those who could not take it anymore, while touching, will not solve the problem. Society is the problem. The films shows that schools certainly do not help, and a change must be made, but the change has to start with people. Parents raising their kids better, and kids being able to speak out and be heard, knowing their voices will not be silenced. Until then, it's time for the administrators to take back control of their schools and the kids in their hallways. Protect them, listen to them, and do not tolerate the growing disrespect kids show for everything and everyone these days.
We need to do something so films like this don't need to be made. In the case of "Bully," despite its imperfections, at least it sheds some emotional light on an issue that we do have the power to take control of.
Um, wait, no, not today. Bullying has always been an issue. Believe me, I know. But thanks to a school system increasingly filled with ignorance and indifference on children's well-being, parents not standing up for anyone but their own kid, the Internet and texting, bullying has gotten a little worse since when I was in high school. And now, it is taking lives.
And still, very little seems to be getting done to help the situation. And that is what makes "Bully," what very well be one of the most important films you could see this year, so relentlessly difficult to watch, infuriating to comprehend and, yes, a little disappointing.
As the film focuses on five kids who have deal with bullying or suffered the dire consequences of it, what makes this film somewhat disappointing is that the most important points it tries to make seem dramatized. Do we seriously witness bullying in action on that bus? If so, how was the camera hidden, or are these kids seriously that stupid as to act like assholes with a film crew around? Are we seriously witnessing a school administrator allowing a camera crew into a meeting with the parents of a bullied kid to hear her say that the kids on this kid's bus are angels? She knows, because she has ridden that bus and they were fine? Can a school administrator seriously be that thick? It's a bit of a tough pill to swallow as one doesn't want to think that people of any age could be this dumb. But...maybe they are.
However, while there are the parts that will make you raise an eyebrow and scratch your head as you question their authenticity, the film will still manage to weigh heavily on your shoulders as you hear the stories of kids who deal with a crippling fear of going to school every day.
This film sheds no light on a solution which will make our kids safer; it simply puts the problem in the spotlight. It spends little time talking to any actual bullies themselves or the parents that seem to let their children be shitheads. But by putting it out there for the world to see....to see the ambivalence of the school system and the lack of concern of parents of non-bullied kids...I know it made me wish I could do something. Anything. And I don't even have kids. But I want to sit down with every bullied kid in the world and not simply tell them it gets better, but to try to help them deal with the hell they are in now. A hell that even my own experience can't seem to compare to.
As my friend Jane pointed out, to stop the problem, people have to start with themselves. And she couldn't be more right. We need to look at ourselves and see who we bully day to day. Figure out why our kids become bullies in the first place. However, we also have to look at why we allow it to happen and parents have to stop accepting their child being a bully or being bullied.. At the same time, schools have to take a major leap in taking responsibility of the situation and stop making excuses. Boys will NOT be boys. Parents, some of you have raised little assholes. Do something about it. If not, the school system should.
When you hear the story of David and Tina Long, whose son took his own life at 17, or Kirk Smalley and his wife, whose son did the same at the age of 11 (yes...11), if your eyes don't well up, you might just be a failure as a human being. But seeing images of a candlelight vigil in honour of those who could not take it anymore, while touching, will not solve the problem. Society is the problem. The films shows that schools certainly do not help, and a change must be made, but the change has to start with people. Parents raising their kids better, and kids being able to speak out and be heard, knowing their voices will not be silenced. Until then, it's time for the administrators to take back control of their schools and the kids in their hallways. Protect them, listen to them, and do not tolerate the growing disrespect kids show for everything and everyone these days.
We need to do something so films like this don't need to be made. In the case of "Bully," despite its imperfections, at least it sheds some emotional light on an issue that we do have the power to take control of.