thegreatape As a parent this was tough to watch, seeing how alone kids really are once they step out of the front door and are in the care of others. It was frightening to see the indifference and/or lack of any training that teachers have in this area.This meant that it pretty much made for a frustrating watch, seeing kids who should be protected, and parents who wanted to bring about changes, going up against a system that is conditioned to sweep it under the carpet.It is an important enough issue for this film to be essential watching for kids and parents alike.My only issue was that I would have liked to have heard a little from the other side. I appreciate that this was a documentary about the victims but it would have been nice to see some kind of engagement with the people who are the cause of the issues for these kids.

bha099 I was bullied myself as a kid. It affected me then, and the scars aren't completely gone. They probably never will be. That being said, those scars are small, and the bullying kids I knew back then has turned into good persons as adults. They are sorry for what they did, and I've forgiven them. Still, I will always remember it to some degree.I'm starting this review by recounting those experiences of mine to put in perspective how horrible the things the kids in this documentary experience are. Because my experiences are NOTHING compared to this. Deep down I knew that bullying can get as bad they do here, but it was a real shocker seeing with my own eyes. It's heartbreaking.We meet Alex, 13 years old. His appearance is affected by the fact that he was born very prematurely, and as all bully victims know; standing out always makes you a target. The kids bully him physically and mentally to the point where he just shuts himself off emotionally. The worst part, however, is the adults. The scene where the father tells him to stand up for himself, that he makes himself a target by not retaliating?! What the f-ck is that?! Children are NEVER to blame at all for being bullied! Is he supposed to stand up to the whole school himself? No, sir, you need to change your attitude if you want to help your own son. The responsibility lies with the adults, and with the adults alone. Of course, there is also the employees at school...they see it, but they do little or nothing at all. It just won't do.Then there's the girl with the gun...what is wrong with your laws, America? You don't hold 14-year old children legally responsible for their actions! Children don't get the privileges of adulthood (such as driving, the right to vote) so they shouldn't get the burdens either. What angered me the most though was that STUPID sheriff trivializing bullying. It's as clear as day that he doesn't understand that psychological wounds go much deeper than physical ones. If the American society could understand that guns don't make already civilized areas safer the whole story could have been avoided. Those views and laws on firearms were sensible in the Wild West, (where you actually needed guns for security) they are not anymore.Kelby...she's so strong! That town astounds me, I didn't think whole societies centered around 19th century-viewpoints still existed in the western world. An attitude change is needed, here are some points that WILL get results. 1. Kids will not be kids. If you know your pedagogy well, you can raise kids who won't be bullies. Children are a reflection of their parents or guardians. 2. Bully victims are never to blame for any aspect of what has happened to them, don't give them that impression. Don't worsen their situation. Take whatever actions needed to stop it yourself and deliver nothing but comfort. It is your responsibility as an adult. 3. Spread these messages.About me: I've worked with children for seven years in kindergartens. I've done several pedagogy classes (I am in fact doing one this very semester) on my way to becoming a high school teacher. This is my field of expertise.

C.H Newell I was bullied at a young age, and like one of the young boys in this film I fought back- after that nobody ever picked on me again. However, it doesn't always work like that. Not when the kids being bullied are often significantly smaller or weaker than those who bully them. It's like the discussion of rape that often goes on in society- we shouldn't be focusing on what the victims can do to prevent it, we should be focusing on how to change the attitudes of those who victimize others.Bully is a pretty great documentary. It's harrowing at times. Not only did I feel for the kids in this film because I myself went through much of the same and worse, it was just genuinely awful to see kids being so mean and hateful to one another. It's shocking to see how such nice kids like Alex, though strange in his own ways like many of us are, can be treated so callously and cruelly by other kids his age. Watching Alex on the bus really got to me and broke my heart.Though the most emotional moments come from the family of a very young boy who killed himself due to being bullied. It wrenches the heart to watch them try and come to terms with what happened. Then seeing school officials, police officers, who just do not get what is happening juxtaposed with the family left behind in the tragic wake of their young boy's suicide, it's absolutely appalling. My heart goes out to them and anyone else who have lost a child because of bullying.You can't paint all teachers, principals (et cetera) with the same brush, but the fact is many of them don't understand, or they refuse to give in to the idea that there are some really terrible young kids in schools who are the worst kind of bullies. Often, yes, the bullies are picking up bad habits from their own parents, but like the mother of the young boy who killed himself said- it doesn't matter who their parents are, how those parents raise the child, every child should be protected at school regardless. You can't just blame it on the parents, the schools need to be taken to task as well. One terribly frustrating moment has a boy named Cole, I believe, being questioned by his principal, who seems to think because the boy won't shake hands with his bully then he is the same as the kid victimizing him. It's shocking to see how misunderstood bullying is by some of the people supposedly put in place to protect the children and shepherd them safely through the system. They can pass the buck as much as they want, but there are many teachers, principals, school workers in any capacity, who protect the children in their schools, and everyone should be doing the same if they work in the education system.I give this a 9 out of 10 only because I feel, like some reviewers, the filmmakers could have included some more hidden camera footage to strengthen the emotional reactions, although there was certainly enough to trigger outrage and disgust. There are many more heinous acts of bullying going on that are not shown/represented in this documentary; many things you wouldn't believe kids could do to one another. I know a documentary like this is not meant to shock, but I do believe there needs to be full, open truth, and though the filmmakers did a great job at bringing the issue of bullying to light, they could really have went even harder at people by including more explicit footage. This is not a bad thing though, all the same. There were many awful things to see and hear in Bully.Highly recommended. The crackdown on bullying in schools, anywhere, everywhere, needs to continue, and we can't allow more young people to get into a place where they feel there are no options left available to them except death. For any 11-year old child to think of suicide is terrifying, heart breaking, and very, very disparaging for future youth.

Syl How I totally related to the bullied victims in the film, this documentary is a powerful testament about the good that can come from film making. This documentary follows bullied teens and pre-teens who are bullied to death. There are plenty of ways to be victimized in the school system. I would have loved to have been an English teacher in a school and made every effort to curb bullying or prevent such behavior. Unfortunately, bullying doesn't end at high school graduation. It's worse now with the Internet. In my day, the bullies couldn't get me at home unless by phone. Still bullying has always been around. Finally, it is now getting attention. There are too many suicides from bullying. If I can send you one message, it does get better. I only wished that I fought back.