I admit it. I kind of thought the recent anti-bullying movement was a bit ridiculous. I thought that people were going a little overboard. I mean, hey – I went to school. Everyone gets teased for something. And then you graduate and get over it.
Yesterday, I was looking to see what movies were playing in my town, and I saw the movie Bully was listed. I watched the trailer, and I think my heart kind of stopped for a minute. The trailer alone made me want to cry.
My sister happened to call me a few seconds after that, and we made plans to see the movie today.
It’s been a long time since a movie has affected me this way. I am sad and angry and I admit – I was wrong.
The film, which is directed by Lee Hirsch, tells the story of five children and their families during the 2010 school year. The story that affected me the most was that of Alex Libby, a then 13 year old boy who attended East Middle School in Sioux City, Iowa.
Alex’s life was filmed quite extensively – at school, at the bus stop, on the bus, and at home. I have never seen anyone bullied to the extent that this young man was bullied. The term “bullied” is basically putting it lightly. He was tortured. The other children at his school continually put him down, called him names, physically beat him, stabbed him with pencils, strangled him, sat on him, and more.
His parents knew he was being bullied, but I don’t think they were much help. Both of his parents were shown asking him how his day was, and when he kept quiet, the mother just told him to “give her the full story” next time. His father, on the other hand told him he needed to put an end to it so his little sister didn’t suffer the next year, when she went to middle school.
His sister was shown calling him a loser and told him she was being teased at school simply because she was his sister and the kids at her school thought he was “creepy.”
After the filmmakers showed footage of the bus incidents to his parents and school administrators, the parents went up to the school, and vice-principal Kim Lockwood said that she had been on the bus and the kids “were as good as gold.”
Um, did she see the damn footage? Because Alex was clearly getting beat up.
Speaking of Kim Lockwood, she needs to get fired. She was seen throughout the film as an ineffective and useless administrator. I won’t even go into all the idiotic things she said and did – just go see the movie and see for yourself.
In addition to Alex, the film follows two other students – as well as two families of children who have committed suicide, 11 year old Ty Smalley and 17 year old Tyler Long. And I will tell you, that really hit home.
I have a 12 year old nephew. I cannot imagine the thought of losing him, of never seeing him again. But those parents have to face that everyday – all because some other kids were so cruel to their children that their children saw no other alternative.
I will say that on a positive note, Alex Libby’s life has changed for the better. You can see a video update of what his life is like now by clicking here.
The movie is currently playing in 100 cities nationwide. If it’s playing in a city near you, please go see it.
Become a Facebook fan of Bully here and follow filmmaker Lee Hirsch on Twitter here.
I could slap kim lockwood in her dumb face! I hope she is no longer in that position. Alex’s parents also keep blaming him. This is a good documentary but extremely frustrating.