'BULLY'

'BULLY' (PG-13) (3 STARS)

Written by Cynthia Lowen and Lee Hirsch
Directed by Lee Hirsch

The important new documentary "Bully" will strike a cord with many as it did me. It is a flawed movie and I think a more deeply felt exploration was needed in certain spots but the movie will get the desired emotions out of you. The movie deals with a few kids that are being bullied for different reasons. There is Alex who is an awkward but very caring 12 year old boy who is really skinny and is called "Fish Face" by certain kids. There is also Kirby who is a teenage lesbian who gets picked on not only by kids but also by teachers. "Bully" doesn't concentrate on the actual bullies and the movie had been criticized for it but I dunno. Do we really want these insensitive, dumb bastards to get screen time?

The movie doesn't go deep enough with Kirby but it does with Alex and I see why for his story choked me up. There is also a look at a kid who killed himself as many bully victims have in this society. We see the pain from the boy's family and we feel anger because his death could have been prevented. 12 year old Alex gets a lot of abuse on the school bus and he is afraid to call out his tormentors to authorities and the bus driver also sticks her head you know where. Alex gets choked, slapped and gets things thrown at him but he won't even tell his parents.

I felt sadness and anger with what happens to Alex. He is a sweet kid and there is a great moment where his mother says that Alex would be a good and loyal friend to these bullies if they were more open and sensitive. He is a sweet kid and what happens to him made me cringe. The anger comes from the cluelessness of the Vice Principal and other school authorities. We see the Vice Principal in early scenes walking the school hallways oblivious to what is really going on. In a scene that made me want to scream at the screen the Vice Principal invites Alex's family in for a conference. The way she handles the situation with the family and Alex is completely scatterbrained and ineffective. I will try to be nice here but this Vice Principal is an idiot.

I was bullied in school until my later years in high school and I can identify with some of the pain. Most of us have been bullied when we were kids and still do at work and some social situations. I grew up very shy and quiet and kids assumed I was dumb. Though I can't imagine what Alex goes through because I was bigger and could rip other kid's heads off if I wanted to. Alex is very skinny and small with unconventional looks and the bullies just are sadistic to him for no reason. Why do these bullies do what they do? I think it is them being insecure about themselves for some of the bullies are shall I say overweight and ugly. I wish the movie would have explored why they do what they do and that is a flaw but it doesn't mean the bullies need screen time.

I am glad that the awareness of this bullying is coming out. I do believe when I grew up it was there just as bad but it was more accepted as a way of life. Now kids are killing themselves and these pricks that bully are thinking they can get away with this. The pain can be unbearable and these kid victims need a voice and someone like a counsellor or teacher or some authority figure to hear them and help. I am sure there are people like that there to help and not just clueless simpletons like the Vice Principal in this movie. I was encouraged in the end to see the boy who killed himself's father start up a campaign using other kids to spread the word and getting it out to people.

"Bully" could have given us more and it is too short but I choked up a lot and felt angry, the movie is effective enough. I think there are other things out there that are more impactful like Larry Clark's powerful fictional movie "Bully". Like I mentioned before I would have liked to see the movie delve more into why these bullies feel they can pick on kids they don't think are like them. There is a classic and brilliant recent episode of "South Park" where a character named Butters gets bullied by an unlikely source. That episode striked a real cord when Butters gives a speech to his bully that perfectly explains why bullies do what they do and I wish this movie would have used something like that.