The documentary “Bully,” which opened in limited release on March 30, has been in the news a great deal recently, not for its message but for a dispute over ratings. Hyped as an incredibly influential film, the documentary follows the lives of five children who are severely bullied at school. It tries to demonstrate the difficulties these children and their parents face in stopping this bullying from occurring.
The film was originally given an R rating for inappropriate language. The filmmakers and supporters heavily criticized this rating. They claimed that it would prevent the people from seeing it who needed it most: both the kids who are being bullied and those who are bullies. Due to repeated efforts to change the rating and a final re-editing of the film, the R rating has been replaced with PG-13.
The film is an example of our country’s slow shift from the “kids will be kids” mindset to realizing the real problem of bulling in schools. Unfortunately, this shift was heavily influenced by the tragic suicides of a number of youth in recent years due to bullying. The aim of the documentary is to raise awareness of the problem in order to change it.
Parents often struggle with how to handle bullying in their child’s schools. Whether your child is being bullied or is the bully, these situations can be tricky to deal with both at home and with school administrators. Taking your child to see the film “Bully” could be a great way to show them the potential consequences of their actions or let them know how many people truly are there to support them if they are being harassed.
Here is a link to a theater showing the film “Bully” in the Denver area or check out the trailer!
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