This afternoon I saw the documentary Bully.
The movie has attracted the most attention so far for its fight against the "R" rating that the MPAA gave it for foul language. Its creators believe that banning middle and high school children (who would be able to go with a PG-13 rating) is defeating the purpose. After seeing it, I have to agree.
Following a handful of students in different Midwestern and Southern towns, we are shown case after case of kids who were picked on to the point of no return; either they committed suicide, snapped and retaliated in a violent way, or have become completely numb to the events of daily life. One victim, Alex, who barely acts like a victim and hides his abuse from his parents, tells his mother he's not sure if he feels anything anymore.
What has happened to our society?
What's more frustrating than the lack of anger from the victims and their parents (they all just seem endlessly sad instead of furious) is the political way the school administrators and teachers 'handle' the problem. Isn't denial the first sign of addiction? It's like these folks are addicted to incompetence.
Put simply, they do very little to protect the victims, and you can't help but wonder if the cameras weren't rolling if they'd do anything at all.
And that's another scary detail—even with the full knowledge that there were cameras rolling, many of the bullies continued to verbally and physically attack the outcasts. But really, why should they worry? There's traditionally no accountability until a victim shows up with a gun.
The film fails to show any probable solutions to bullying—perhaps this is its greatest flaw—and instead focuses on sympathizing with the victims.
What I'd really like to see is another film that profiles schools and community organizations that have mobilized to conquer this problem with favorable results. Something that the rest of the country could model themselves after and implement to ignite change.
God knows we need it.
~~~
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Saturday, October 09, 2010
Waiting for Superman
Today I saw the documentary Waiting for Superman, directed by Davis Guggenheim.
American public schools are in trouble and each day leaders like Geoffrey Canada and Michelle Rhee do their best to fight against a broken system that refuses to right its wrongs.
In this film we meet those reformers, along with a small sample of underprivileged children from across the nation who all have one thing in common: a desire to learn.
One girl's mom cleans hospitals while dad stays at home searching for a job; another boy's grandmother has stepped in to raise him because her son (his father) died from drug use. These aren't easy times for anyone.
But the children wake up each day, wash their face and head to school because they're determined to make a better life than the one they were born into. They all come from families who recognize the importance of education and for that reason we come to find out they're all entered into separate lotteries to try to gain acceptance into better schools.
The numbers are dismal: the US ranks near the bottom of the list for developed countries in nearly every subject. The cost of keeping a prisoner incarcerated for four years turns out to be more than the cost of an exceptional private education. Why can't our country do the math?
Waiting for Superman turns out to be more of a wake up call than a call for action (many of the situations seem hopeless from what they've shown us), and it has already succeeded in angering a large portion of the good public school teachers who feel they are getting a bum rap.
The presentation of the issues was engaging and well done, but proposed solutions for how to solve the problem would've been more powerful.
~~~
American public schools are in trouble and each day leaders like Geoffrey Canada and Michelle Rhee do their best to fight against a broken system that refuses to right its wrongs.
In this film we meet those reformers, along with a small sample of underprivileged children from across the nation who all have one thing in common: a desire to learn.
One girl's mom cleans hospitals while dad stays at home searching for a job; another boy's grandmother has stepped in to raise him because her son (his father) died from drug use. These aren't easy times for anyone.
But the children wake up each day, wash their face and head to school because they're determined to make a better life than the one they were born into. They all come from families who recognize the importance of education and for that reason we come to find out they're all entered into separate lotteries to try to gain acceptance into better schools.
The numbers are dismal: the US ranks near the bottom of the list for developed countries in nearly every subject. The cost of keeping a prisoner incarcerated for four years turns out to be more than the cost of an exceptional private education. Why can't our country do the math?
Waiting for Superman turns out to be more of a wake up call than a call for action (many of the situations seem hopeless from what they've shown us), and it has already succeeded in angering a large portion of the good public school teachers who feel they are getting a bum rap.
The presentation of the issues was engaging and well done, but proposed solutions for how to solve the problem would've been more powerful.
~~~
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Notes on a Scandal
Yesterday I saw the thriller Notes on a Scandal, starring Dame Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett.
I was left with mixed emotions.
The story centers around Sheba (Blanchett), who has spent ten years caring for her family—specifically her son with Down's Syndrome—and finds herself ready to branch out and start a career. As a result, she becomes a somewhat scattered art teacher at a high school. A veteran instructor, Barbara (Dench), who lacks companions of her own, quickly befriends Sheba and keeps a detailed diary of their friendship.
As the story progresses, Sheba gets caught having an affair with one of her students by Barbara, who then blackmails Sheba for attention in return for her secrecy.
Dench is apparently a lesbian who is attracted to the younger teacher with a questionable past that only unfolds near the end of the film.
The pace of the movie is great—everything happens quickly and believably, as it would in real-life. The performances are flawless (even the supporting cast is great) and the ending is fine.
The main problems I had with it were the dialogue (wait until you see Sheba scream "Here I am!" in one of the key scenes near the end) and the intrusive score, which often drowned out the cheesy dialogue. Oh wait—maybe the score was good after all.
Anyway—I'd be lying if I didn't say I was entertained during this one. It's a fun, if not predictable ride.
And with Mirren and Winslet all but confirmed for Oscar nods, Dench just may make the Best Actress race a three-way Battle of the Brits with her performance here.
I was left with mixed emotions.
The story centers around Sheba (Blanchett), who has spent ten years caring for her family—specifically her son with Down's Syndrome—and finds herself ready to branch out and start a career. As a result, she becomes a somewhat scattered art teacher at a high school. A veteran instructor, Barbara (Dench), who lacks companions of her own, quickly befriends Sheba and keeps a detailed diary of their friendship.
As the story progresses, Sheba gets caught having an affair with one of her students by Barbara, who then blackmails Sheba for attention in return for her secrecy.
Dench is apparently a lesbian who is attracted to the younger teacher with a questionable past that only unfolds near the end of the film.
The pace of the movie is great—everything happens quickly and believably, as it would in real-life. The performances are flawless (even the supporting cast is great) and the ending is fine.
The main problems I had with it were the dialogue (wait until you see Sheba scream "Here I am!" in one of the key scenes near the end) and the intrusive score, which often drowned out the cheesy dialogue. Oh wait—maybe the score was good after all.
Anyway—I'd be lying if I didn't say I was entertained during this one. It's a fun, if not predictable ride.
And with Mirren and Winslet all but confirmed for Oscar nods, Dench just may make the Best Actress race a three-way Battle of the Brits with her performance here.
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