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Bully2011 | 99 min | PG-13 | 1.85:1
It’s easy to be caught up in the mournful atmosphere of “Bully.” A documentary on the ravages of violence and humiliation in schools across America, the effort is dutifully impassioned and direct with its tales of unimaginable grief. However, pieces are missing in this call to arms, which jumps at the chance to film grief-stricken people is extreme close-up while a larger portrait of the problem is ignored, save for a handful of provocative, strangely unanswered moments. Certainly, this a picture worthy of study by both kids and adults, with director Lee Hirsch making a strong play for a grassroots revolution. The feature’s hope for hallway harmony is commendable. 
Alex is a 12-year-old from Sioux City, Iowa, facing a daily barrage of bullying from his fellow classmates. Born premature, Alex carries a slightly underdeveloped way about him that makes him a target for unrelenting punishment, darkening the boy’s personality. Kelby is a 16-year-old lesbian from Tuttle, Oklahoma, immediately ostracized by her school and hometown when she announced her sexuality. Ja’Meya is 14 years of age and locked in a juvenile detention center for pulling a gun on her bullies. David and Tina Long are the parents of 17-year-old Tyler, who took his own life after daily harassment drove him to an unthinkable solution. And Kirk and Laura Smalley are also battling grief after the loss of their 11-year-old son, Ty, who also killed himself to avoid further torment at school. “Bully” endeavors to weave together five perspectives on bullying, focused exclusively on the victim. Alex is the unofficial lead of the picture, embodying exactly what Hirsch is looking to examine with his daily torment at school and on the bus, where classmates take turns assaulting and taunting the child in plain view of the camera. It’s a horrifying situation, sure to trigger tears and rage in most audience members. “Bully” seeks to sustain that reaction for 90 minutes of screen time, highlighting these stories as examples of everyday mistreatment, watching the subjects struggle to process their troubles in a meaningful way. As expected, individuals like Alex aren’t as articulate as one would like, often closing up to loved ones out of fear and confusion, leaving “Bully” with its greatest message on the need to vocalize distress. 
To examine these stories of heartbreak and devastation is excruciating, especially with the parents of the two boys who turned to drastic measures to end their pain. Their loss is eternal, compounded with utter confusion as to why they didn’t see the signs of depression sooner. All they have left is hope their stories will reach out to other families in need, along with kids on a dark path toward bullying. Again, it’s a necessary point of hope and community, finding a natural place in Hirsch’s galvanizing film. What’s missing here is a bully perspective, pointing the cameras at those who choose to make life miserable for others. We see the torment clear as day in a few scenes, with these vicious kids openly choking, stabbing, and cursing out their victims. However, Hirsch never interviews the bullies or their parents, taking necessary steps to drill to the root of the problem. The perspective remains with the victim alone, losing the dimension of the examination, absent a critical voice in these violent tendencies. More muted than completely ignored, school officials (and bus drivers) are sufficiently vilified for their lackadaisical interests in the welfare of their students. It’s a terrifying situation and one that deserved a closer inspection than merely a few scattered scenes of principals blowing off parental concerns for reasons that are never made clear. Laziness? Liability? “Bully” doesn’t have much to offer the larger portrait of administration indifference, which appears to be a vital step in the reduction of harassment at its point of delivery. 
Perhaps most crippling to the power of change contained within “Bully” is its wildly unsteady HD cinematography, which elects a style of constantly shifting focus to capture these stories. It’s intolerable at times, creating a purposeful blur to most of the movie, calling attention to itself with an unstable visual quake. Hirsch also zooms in far too close to his interviewees in a misguided quest for intimacy, making tight shots a game of counting pores. “Bully” can be genuinely unpleasant to watch at times (beyond the subject matter), contributing to the growing feeling of dissatisfaction with the end product. The climax of “Bully” is devoted to websites and plans of action, finding the parents establishing groups devoted to the eradication of bullying, hoping their message will carry across the land. With the help of this documentary, it will. Still, there’s a more penetrating, informative story here that needs to be told on a larger scale one day. “Bully” is merely a healthy start to a heartfelt discussion. Director: Lee Hirsch » See full cast & crew |
 
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