Bully
An intimate American documentary confronts school bullying through the lives of children, families, and communities struggling to make an ignored crisis visible.
Overview
A poignant exploration of the harsh realities faced by millions of children every year.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- harrowing
- compassionate
- urgent
- educational screening
- discussion group
What critics said
Critics broadly found the documentary hard-hitting, gracefully filmed, empathetic, and effective at delivering an essential anti-bullying message, while noting that it offers limited solutions.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film follows students, families, and other people touched by bullying across the school year, using their experiences to frame the wider crisis.
The documentary highlights schools and districts that treat bullying as a problem to be swept aside while children continue to miss school out of fear.
Its interviews and intimate observational footage are organized around making bullying visible and encouraging collective responsibility.
The film closely explores the lives of young people and families from the beginning to the end of a school year.
Films like Bully, and why
The Children Next Door
character-driven documentary treatment of institutional neglect and youth vulnerability
An Inconvenient Truth
social-issue documentary combining intimate testimony with advocacy and a call for public awareness
Hoop Dreams
empathetic nonfiction examination of young people navigating hostile social environments and adult responsibility
Movie Details
- Director
- Lee Hirsch
- Release Date
- 2011-04-23
- Runtime
- 92 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (166)
Cast
- Kirk Smalley
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Bully about?
- An intimate American documentary confronts school bullying through the lives of children, families, and communities struggling to make an ignored crisis visible.
- What is Bully like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Bully as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Bully violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Bully as mild.
- What did critics think of Bully?
- Critics broadly found the documentary hard-hitting, gracefully filmed, empathetic, and effective at delivering an essential anti-bullying message, while noting that it offers limited solutions.
- Which films are like Bully?
- Films with a similar feel include The Children Next Door, An Inconvenient Truth, and Hoop Dreams.
- How long is Bully?
- Bully runs 92 minutes.
- Where can I watch Bully?
- In United States, Bully streams on Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel.
