Review of Bully (2010) by Elisa L — 27 Apr 2008

Bully is not a feel-good film. None of the people are likeable, and it is based on a true story. While some of the film's sequences seem almost exploitational in their presentation, it only adds to the experience as a whole. Bully is real, and real isn't always pretty. I will say that I did find it interesting that the film goes farther in terms of graphic nudity and sex than it does in the murder sequence - yet another interesting observation on the puritanical nature of our society, I suppose.

At any rate, Bully is not a film for everyone. It's an unpleasant viewing experience that remains captivating primarily because Clark has made it all look so real and because the murder plot is like a train wreck - it's so bad that you can't help but watch it anyway. If this weren't a true story, people would complain that the characters were too dumb to be real - that they were real people only makes it all the more disturbing.