Redbox Review: "Bully"

This week I decided to do something a little differently and watch a documentary—but don’t let that scare you away. "Bully" is a documentary about real life people and their stories, struggles, pains and pasts with the issue of bullying.

"Bully" discusses the issue of bullying in the American school system. The movie follows stories of kids in public schools of Iowa, Georgia, Texas, Mississippi and Oklahoma. Two of the kids, Ty Smalley and Tyler Long, lost their lives to suicide. Seeing their families mourn the losses of their sons was absolutely heartbreaking for me.

We also see stories from Kelby Johnson, Je’Maya Jackson and Alex Libby. Kelby is bullied at school because she’s a lesbian. Je’Maya brought a gun on the bus to try and scare her bullies. Alex is constantly picked on, teased and hit especially on the bus ride home. It was startling to me to see how little the school administration did to help these students.

Ty Smalley’s father, Kirk Smalley, started an organization after he lost his son to suicide, dedicated to keep his son’s voice alive. Stand for the Silent is a non-profit organization that works to keep the conversation about bullying alive and to educate people on becoming advocates for the cause so that this kind of tragedy doesn’t happen to anyone else. Stand for the Silent encourages every victim of bullying remember the phrase: “I am somebody.”

This documentary was heartbreaking, but I was consumed by it for its entirety. I think it’s something everyone should see because it was an eye-opening experience for me. After I finished watching I asked myself, “what can I do to help?”

If you feel the same way after watching, you can check out  thebullymovement.com to take a pledge to stand up against bullying. This website will also give you other ways to get involved and help out. You can host a screening, donate funds for change, or share your own story about bullying.

This article is part of Samantha Latting's weekly entertainment column, "Redbox Review," which provides reviews about movies available at Redbox.

By: Samantha Latting | Image: Source