This year, I was lucky enough to be granted a seat in Mr. Langlois’ Documentary and Film elective. The class watches documentaries of varying genres, and follows up each one with a question and answer based discussion.\

Recently, we watched a documentary titled Bully. Bully highlights the realities of both kids whom struggle with real life bullying, and families whose lives have been permanently changed thanks to the extent that bullying pushes some adolescent’s boundaries.

For three days, the majority of the class sat in tears. The film moved many of my classmates, including myself, in ways I never thought a documentary could do. It’s raw, explicit nature sends a firm message on the effects that bullying can have on the minds of not only the characters of the film, but those around us, in our own school as well.

A film such as this one trumps the fictitious, over-dramatized movies that are often shown to teenagers in an attempt to warn against bullying. Bully, amidst all of it’s sadness, sends a message to bystanders and bullies alike that no other film can compare too. For this reason, I think schools, middle and high, should take into consideration the idea of showing more realistic films to their students rather than ones that can easily be turned into a joke.

“I think that often times the reality of bullying is something that can kind of be pushed aside by a lot of students who don’t experience it personally,” said Mr. Langlois when asked about the importance of Bully specifically, ”…hearing is different than witnessing, and Bully does a fantastic job at getting to know the victims of bullying and shows people who watch the film how real it is and how much of an effect it has.”

Whether you walk through life everyday and experience bullying, witness it, or believe it doesn’t exist in your surroundings; Bully will open your eyes. I cannot adequately express the importance of this film, but once you watch it I can guarantee that you will look at the world in a different light than before.