Watch Bully

The 2011 documentary Bully offers a searing portrait of the lived experiences of targets of school bullying, delving into the psychological impact of this widespread scourge upon young victims. Directed by Lee Hirsch, the film follows several children and their families in different parts of the country as they openly discuss their struggles with sustained and vicious bullying.

At the center of the film is Alex Libby, an awkward teenager from Iowa who becomes a target of physical and verbal abuse by his classmates from the moment he steps onto the school bus. His parents, with whom he has a distant relationship, struggle to comprehend the intensity of their son's distress and are largely dismissive of his complaints.

Kelby Johnson, another teenager from Oklahoma, faces a different kind of discrimination - she is the only open member of the LGBT community in her conservative small town, and her defiance against the strict gender conventions of her community makes her a target of harassment from both her peers and adults.

The film also features the stories of the families of Tyler Long and Ty Smalley, two victims of bullying who took their own lives after experiencing repeated abuse at the hands of their harassers.

Bully is a deeply emotional portrait of the widespread nature of bullying and how it permeates every aspect of young people's lives. The documentary highlights the pointlessness of bullying - there is little gain in attacking somebody weaker or different than you, and no individual wills the pain that bullying inflicts onto them. At the same time, the film shows the immense bravery it takes to assert oneself and speak up against such pervasive violence.

The film also reveals the enormous complications that arise when adults try to intervene, as parents and educators struggle to confront bullies and shield their children from further harm. From the school bus to the classroom to the playground, bullying is simply everywhere that children are.

The documentary takes an unflinching and often wrenching look at the physical and psychological harm that bullying creates, including debilitating anxiety and depression, increased incidents of self-harm and suicidal ideation among victims. Bullying is a complex social problem that is often overlooked, but its effects linger long after the physical violence has stopped.

Interspersed with footage from schools and homes across the country, the documentary provides a sobering commentary on American culture's veneration of violence as a way of solving problems, and the pervasive streak of cruelty in youth culture. The soundtrack features songs from bands like The Gaslight Anthem, Alexisonfire, and Rise Against, all of which underline the film's central message of standing in solidarity with victims.

Overall, Bully is a must-see documentary that raises haunting questions about the nature of cruelty and the struggle for empathy in contemporary American youth culture. It is a powerful testimony to the need for awareness, sensitivity, and vigilance on behalf of parents, educators, and peers alike against the insidious damage that bullying wreaks upon young people's lives.

Bully is a 2011 documentary with a runtime of 1 hour and 30 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.3 and a MetaScore of 74.