Bully

The subject matter and choices are well done. The pacing is off as to keep this from being compelling.

There's something unsettling knowing that these horrible acts are happening in front of a camera, with a camera operator standing behind it, and nothing is done to intervene. That's the conceit of 'Bully'. It never really address what having a camera present affects. Do the bullies act even worse because they're showing off? Do the teachers turn a blind eye to seem innocent? You never really know, but what you do know is the treatment of these kids seems unrelenting. Very interesting to watch.

An important subject explored with as little insight as possible. Instead of analyzing the issue from multiple perspectives, Hirsch reduces his focus, simplifies the problem and leaves us with little to ponder. The film is essentially just ninety minutes of children being helplessly bullied. I did, however, think the grieving father spoke very well and thought a documentary about that family's grief would've been far more compelling and heartbreaking than this.

Let's watch some kids get bullied by uncompassionate monsters for 90 minutes.

Some of the cases of bullying (past and present) were quite upsetting. I felt really frustrated with some of the parents and especially the teachers. They just don't get it sometimes. I did wonder how 'real' it was though. I mean, these kids, both bullies and victims, must have been aware of the cameras. That must automatically change their behaviour somehow. Anyway, I'm glad I saw it, but it's far from a groundbreaking or amazing documentary.

This would have been much more effective with hidden cameras. I have a feeling the camera eggs some kids on. Either way, justification to never have children. Fuck these shitty kids and their shitty parents.

Why did we have to watch this every year in school, it did nothing.

I felt awful for the kids, but when you see a 14yo saying "It came down to the point that *I* had to go myself and stand up for myself for them to leave me alone" as if this was an absurd *last* resort, you gotta wonder. I feel it's misguided to focus on eradicating meanness instead of encouraging kids to stand up for themselves and not take it so hard to the point of annihilation. It's not a good idea to reinforce these kids' helplessness.

Sometimes hard to watch, but a movie that parents and educators need to watch to understand what is going on for the children of the nation these days.

Tear jerking but still, the documentary doesn't have a voice. It just puts things out there, which is good for bringing up the subject. Even though it was very emotional and engaging, something was missing. And some of the parents were really really weird..

There are some moments where you really wonder how these people exist without having devil horns on them, but it just doesn't bring anything to the table. They never really follow the bullies' stories in any way and use the victim to really carry the film. It could have told us more, but it just didn't have enough information to keep us interested.

I have a pretty horrific memory so I like each documentary I view to teach me just one thing. I don't think this one taught me a thing.

You wanna give all the kids (specially Alex) a big hug and kick the shit out of all the ass holes... Very much a documentary which speaks to your emotional bone, but if you can see beyond that, Bully is poorly build and only discusses one question instead of exploring the many aspects of bullying.

Bullying is a problem, sure. But this documentary, as much as I respect it's stance, didn't bring anything new to the subject.

An overly simplistic view of a complex issue. The insight into the causes and solutions to bullying here are incomplete and underdeveloped. It seems the filmmakers have a good idea but they don't capture the reality of bullying nearly as in depth as they should have. And I often questioned the genuineness of the actions of the people, especially the kids, given they knew they were being filmed. I was also driven absolutely crazy by the constant lens focus shifting, a strange artistic choice.

It's heartrending to see the way bullying has shattered the lives of these kids and families, but it feels like Bully ultimately doesn't provide any real insight into the issue. But then, throughout the whole thing I get the feeling that the primary target of this film is children, and that the "bullying is bad" message that is obvious to more thoughtful adults might be more immediately forceful to kids who may lack the awareness to understand the impact bullying can have.

Some of it is significantly engaging/poignant/memorable, but most of it gets pretty old, pretty quickly. Alex Libby's story line is particularly difficult to watch, and I mean that in a good way. Mark, if you ever read this, you're a total fag for crying ;)

Its easy to show a film about a subject, its much more difficult to provide insight and give the viewer something new. Its hard to fault Hirsch's film for doing the former, but Bully really is just a couple stories, without a voice, on an immensely complex and difficulty issue. Your heart breaks for these kids, but it would do the same if I read about them in the paper.