Article By: Dan Clark

The topic of Bullying has become quite a hot button issue in the last few years. We as a nation and as species have seen the horrific effects bullying can cause. With such an onslaught of tragedy the world has conducted a ceaseless debate and examination into what could possibly be done to counteract such a hostile concern.  Lee Hirsch latest documentary Bully takes on that task by examining the lives of the children and families that have been affected by bullying. It paints a comprehensive picture of the victims by showing a wide range of those who have been negatively impacted by it. Although Bully does succeed at putting a face on this universal dilemma, it falters at providing any type of insightful context on the issue. While it will no doubt elicit an emotional response with its depiction of the absolute cruelty of human nature, that response is wasted due to a lack of true focus. The ultimate purpose is so broad and unfiltered the message nearly gets lost. Even though the film isn’t completely successful there is no denying it serves an important purpose for our society. It’s just an example of when a purpose is greater than the final product.

By no means is Bully a failed film, it is simply a flawed one. In fact it thrives at presenting how devastated bullying can be on its victims. It illustrates the large scope of this dilemma by depicting a cross section of people who have had their lives ruined because of bullying. We see a young teenage boy going through his school year under the constant threat of violence, parents attempting to understand why their child took his own life to escape from constant torment, a young girl who became a target when her community learned of her sexual orientation, and many other stories of tragedy and heart break.

Having such a diverse group did paint the picture that bullying does not discriminate.  Every race, religion, and gender has felt its effects. Director Lee Hirsch captured a variety of moments that demonstrate the tragedy involved. Watching a young kid who is not even old enough to watch a PG-13 movie trying to cope with the loss of his best friend surely makes you weep on the inside. There are moments of outright frustration like when grieving parents receive no answers to the question of why nothing was done to stop the bullying of their child. By framing the topic with these real life catastrophes it provides the personal connection needed to allow the subject matter to take hold.  You are left mystified by the complete lack social responsibility.

Despite that fact the overall film feels hallow. These personal and poignant moments are not placed into any type of contextual argument or cause. Sure you will clearly see that bullying is wrong, but the vast majority of audiences are bringing in that background knowledge already. Watching fifteen minutes of a Glee episode could garner a similar effect. There is no little to no amount of data or statistics analysis to showcase the range of this problem. Is it really worse today than it was twenty years ago, or are simply dealing with a stagnant issue that is hot at the moment? That question among many others are not answered or even asked.   We see bullying happening, but the question of “Why?” is never addressed. Why are certain kids are targeted so frequently, and most importantly why do people choose to bully? Again it left that stone unturned and was content with presenting the issue on the narrowest of structures.

It is also odd that the titular role of this documentary goes unexamined. Yes it is powerful to see a child stressed to the fullest extent of human emotion, but what is just as powerful is seeing the reasoning behind that torment. We all form our own hypothesis of why a person would choose to bully, but seeing that hypothesis  challenged would have given the film a strong framework. However, the documentary never interviews nor speaks to any actual bullies or former bullies.  Without that perspective it feels like only one half of the coin is being scrutinized. There is also no desire to determine who the ultimate culprit is to this problem.  It haphazardly points a crooked finger at education institutions, but never to great effect. It does show an incompetent Vice Principal who is clearly more part of the problem than the solution. Her demeanor and lack of awareness will make you question your own sanity, but again without adding more context it ends up being nothing more than an example of an inefficient employee, and not a condemnation of our educational system.

Bully is clearly full of good intentions that could literally better the society we live in. This film will and should be shown in classrooms in homes across the nation so the world can get a firsthand account of the disastrous consequences of bullying. Nevertheless good intentions can only take you so far. The ultimate question to a cause film is what is learn and what will be the impact that follows. Raising awareness is only effective if it is followed by action. Otherwise you are just shouting in a crowded room. Bully never answers the “What’s Next?” question. Perhaps the filmmakers are living that question up to us, and rightfully so as a film can only go so far, but this does not nearly go far enough.

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