BULLY is a cinematic, character-driven documentary directed and written by Lee Hirsch. At the core are those with huge stakes in this issue whose stories each represent a different facet of America’s bullying crisis. BULLY documents the responses of teachers and administrators to aggressive behaviors that defy “kids will be kids” clichés, and it captures a growing movement among parents and youths to change how bullying is handled in schools, in communities and in society as a whole.
Lee Hirsch examines five cases of youths who endure vicious persecution at the hands of their peers. Ja'meya, 14, winds up in reform school after pulling a gun on the youths who tormented her for years. Cameras record the abuse suffered by 14-year-old Alex as he's beaten and teased on the bus. Kelby, 16, is ostracized and worse after she comes out as lesbian. Most tragic of all, two boys, one 17 and one…show more content… I can not even begin to explain the feelings this movie sparked, I’ll start by saying I cried more than half of the movie. Kim Lockwood, an assistant principal, is approached by a student who says to her “Jose slammed my head into a wall.” Assistant Principal Lockwood looks at the student and says “I don’t see a hole,” and sends him back to class. Is this not against the law? Wow. To harmonize she suggests they shake hands and Cole chooses not to, and he gets scorned for it. When questioned about the situation Cole says “he tells me he’s going to stab me and shoot me with a gun,” then again the principal says “but you didn’t shake his hand.” As if shaking the bully’s hand is going to make everything magically better between them both. Cole was basically told by the administration at his school to grow up and deal with it, the bully instead got praised because he was the “bigger” person and shook Cole’s hand. Ridiculous. Teachers should definitely be more aware and serve as mediators in situations like