Bully (2012)

Synopsis

Bully follows children in different schools across the United States for the 2009-2010 school year and documents what they deal with on a daily basis. The children come from various socio-economic backgrounds but all face the similar problem of being bullied for one reason or another. The locations include Georgia, Oklahoma, Iowa, Texas, and Mississippi. The film also focuses on two families who had children commit suicide as a result of bullying. Director Lee Hirsch, having been bullied himself as a child, wanted to make this film to create an awareness of how serious bullying is and that it needs to be stopped.

The children the film follows for the school year are:

Alex - A 12 year old boy going to school in Sioux City, Iowa, he is constantly bullied though he is reluctant to tell anyone about it.

Kelby - A 16 year old girl living in a small town of Tuttle, Oklahoma, where she is bullied for being gay.

Ja'Meya - A 14 year old girl from Yazoo County, Mississippi who takes drastic measures to try and stop kids from bullying her.

Controversy

Bully was submitted to the MPAA and received an R rating due to language as six f-words were used. Upon a failed appeal to have the film brought down to a PG-13 rating so it could be viewed by children without their parent's attendance or in schools, Harvey Weinstein went public with the news the MPAA would refuse to change their ruling. Several stories ran about this and it created a divide among those who feel language should not prevent the targeted audience from viewing the film without parental supervision and those that felt Weinstein should have known he would receive the rating and he should just remove the language and receive a lower PG-13 rating. Upon another failed appeal, Weinstein decided to release the film unrated on March 30, 2012. Since most theater chains would not carry unrated films, only five theaters in New York and Los Angeles would show the film. However, AMC Theaters posted permission slips on their website and, if a parent signed the slip, they would allow children under 17 to view the film. Weinstein finally decided to remove three of the f-words and submitted the film again to the MPAA and he received a PG-13 rating. He then announced the film would be released nationwide on April 13, 2012.