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How can parents and schools convince young people to come forward when they are a victim of bullying even when kids feel no one can help?
How do you convince a young person that cutting themselves or suicide is not a solution to bullying?
How do we recognize and stop the despair caused by bullying and relational aggression before it emotionally damages and claims our children?
These are the tough questions asked by a new film titled “RATS & BULLIES”. I had the great fortune to see a rough cut of this film during an audience testing in Orange County, California. The Filmmakers, Cassidy R. McMillan and Ray Buffer, have clearly poured their hearts and souls into the creation of this gem. In this true-story / documentary, the audience retraces the steps of a 14 year-old girl named Dawn-Marie Wesley, and her decision to end her own life by hanging herself from the rafters in her bedroom with the family dog’s leash. This part of the story takes place during the first 1/3 of the film in a gut-wrenching countdown to the suicide, showing the events which led her to do so.
The remainder of the movie focuses on the precedent setting trials that followed in which the three teen girls named in Dawn-Marie’s suicide note were held accountable for the threats they hurled at Dawn-Marie only minutes before her suicide; the Sentencing Circle held on Native Canadian Sto:Lo grounds since both Dawn-Marie and one of her bullies were Native; the launch of a parent supported anti-bullying activism group called PAVE; the emotional aftermath and lasting effects that rippled through the lives of Dawn Marie’s mother, father, brother, best friend, and one of the bullies herself.
The story unfolds through probing, seamless and poignant interviews with members of Dawn-Marie’s family, one of the female bullies, legal professionals, the female Judge who presided over the initial landmark court case, a mother whose son was the victim of bullying, a journalist who covered the trials, a government official and others. Most remarkable is the underlying theme of forgiveness, despite grief and anger. Just when you begin to despise one of the bullies, some remarkable scene or comment makes you feel compassion towards the girl who feels remorse in her role of causing the suicide of a former friend.
This deeply empathetic film is made even more immersing through its light use of narration, while the Filmmakers guide you through the story as if you are with them on the journey. The interview subjects speak with such a strong narrative voice that one truly can get caught up in the storytelling and identify with the emotions.
I was particularly touched by the emphasis on how the suicide of Dawn-Marie forever changed for the worse, the lives of everyone who knew her. Hopefully this film will not only demonstrate to bullies the consequences of their behavior but also show a teenager who might be considering suicide as an escape, the irreparable harm his or her suicide would have to the survivors.
Hopefully, this could dissuade this type of plea for help. Kids will see that as a victim of bullying, a teen can and must demand help from others, in order to make things change. It will also show kids whose friends bully others that they should not stand by while these bullying acts take place, but rather try to stop them. It’s my opinion that kids who see the film will feel that it’s far better to be a “rat” and to report the bullying they are targets of, than to have their families suffer the loss of losing them forever.
I hope everyone will have an opportunity to see this beautifully crafted film, which tells a powerful and tragic story. The superb soundtrack and limber editing keeps the story flowing to a perfect conclusion. Do whatever you can to track down and view this important and valuable film.
BLAMO.net Rating of Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
