My final two films of this year’s fest were all about youth.
The first asked the question: how do you stop bullying?
Bully is an amazing documentary, examining the lives and deaths of several teenagers across the United States. The documentary makers started by obtaining access to one school district that prided itself on its anti-bullying stance. While the High School programme proved successful (much to the expressed disappointment of the film maker, who attended the screening, though I am sure he didn’t mean it quite like it came across), the documentary maker found more “success’ at a Middle School also in the region, and exposed the cruelties that kids can inflict on one another and the powerlessness of schools to do anything about it, even despite the best of intentions.
Indeed, while the physical and verbal abuse of and by the kids is hard to watch, the most troubling thing to view is the reaction of adults. Some show a complete lack of understanding about how bullying works, resorting to cliché and expecting it to prove effective, while others point to the stopping of a specific type of physical abuse as if it indicated an end to all abuse by that person. The sheer inanity of some of the adult responses to the children was enough to make the audience laugh and cry in equal measure.
And then, of course, most heart-breaking, is the reaction of parents to learning of the abuse of their children, especially when they turn to their kids and ask, almost in the same breath, “Why didn’t you tell me?” and “Why don’t you stand up for yourself?”. Of course, some parents don’t get the chance to ask those questions: the suicides of two boys after suffering bullying is also explored.
I don’t want to go too deeply into the case studies presented, as the film powerfully shows the different ways people can be bullied and the coping mechanisms they take to deal with them. What the film does not really offer are any solutions for individuals caught in a bully’s web, as the voices of teachers, police and others are not called upon to discuss the issue in depth, their role kept as small parts of the lives of the bullied, as was the intent of the film makers. However, it does offer some hope in a growing movement fighting bullying in schools, and in documenting the lives of some incredibly strong young individuals.
Verdict 4 (of 5): Bully is an incredibly thought provoking and moving documentary that was so controversial that the film makers had to fight to get the film off an R rating (due to harsh language) so it could be seen by the people who could use it most (ironically, slaughter-fest Hunger Games got a PG). But fight the documentary makers did, and it was well worth it. Not an easy film to watch by a long shot, but a real eye opener in the ways in which all adults can turn a blind eye. 9 slushies out of 10.
My final film of my 2012 festival fare was On The Road, a movie based on the book by Jack Kerouac. It was shown at the gorgeous Roxy Cinema and, perhaps unsurprisingly, was shown to a packed house. Perhaps more surprising was when members of the audience began to leave half way through.
Not that many did, but from my vantage point, I could see them depart and not return. Given the book is famous for its beatnik origins and… immoral morality, it did surprise me that people would be shocked by what was presented. But then, the film dwells almost exclusively on the nude scenes, the lead characters out of clothing more often than not, with the road less travelled being the actual road. I was a bit worried when I saw Kristen Stewart was in the cast, but she mainly gets to act with her breasts, the true female acting honours going to the ever awesome Kirsten Dunst. The male leads are adequate, with Garrett Hedlund playing the roguish, sex-mad Dean Moriarty with a huge amount of charm, and there are also plenty of guest stars making the odd appearance.
And I think it was this obsession with the more tawdry aspects of the novel that is perhaps the most disappointing. Relationships and the highs and lows of travelling across the US are lost amongst the almost constant getting in and out of clothing, and at two hours long, the film does tend to dwell a lot in the bedroom.
Verdict 5 (of 5): I was hoping that the film version of On The Road would be a bit more accessible for me than the book, but in the end, while it was pretty to look at (if you didn’t mind looking at pretty people mostly undressed), it felt… well, not a whole lot. 5 routes out of 10.
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