BIG SCREEN: Bully Revieux (Rated PG-13)

What is it now, rated PG-13? R? Unrated? All this hullaballoo over the ratings of Bully is such a shame, as it seems to have confused the heck out of conscientious parents who are torn between teaching their kids a valuable social lesson and exposing them to potentially harmful content. Well, I’m here to tell you – if my son were about 10 years old, I would absolutely take him to see this. I think by then, he could handle a little nasty language, but more importantly, he would be able to properly process the horrors of bullying without having nightmares about enduring similar scenarios portrayed in the movie. Those two issues make the movie a bit too harsh for my 6-year-old, but shouldn't pose any risk for tweens and teens.

So, the movie. It’s a documentary that follows a handful of parents and kids who either are or have endured vicious bullying. They show the reaction (or lack thereof) of school administrators and local officials, and they show, in a brutally honest fashion, the impact of these kids’ torment. This includes isolation, incarceration, and even suicide.

I made it about ¾ of the way through the movie before I completely lost it. It was devastating to watch kids endure emotional torture, but it was the parents and best friend of an 11-year-old boy who had just recently committed bullying-induced suicide that rendered my digging of fingernails into my palms useless against the onslaught of raw emotion.

What impressed me most was when the filmmakers decided, in the middle of production, to show the footage to one of their subject’s parents, as the bullying was escalating into physical attacks. The resulting reactions from his parents and the school officials are incredibly poignant and they illuminate other dimensions of the problem. Adding to the integrity of the film is the fact that it’s backed by The Bully Project, a campaign that’s designed to bring together partner organizations that share a commitment to ending bullying and ultimately transforming society. The website is loaded with information and resources.

Bully is painful, but it’s powerful and important. See it. Show it to your kids. And let the discussions begin.