PHOTOS VIDEOS Meet Alex Libby from ‘Bully’

On Friday the film Bully will hit theaters on a limited release. The documentary about the bullying epidemic in America has already generated a lot of controversy over its R rating by the MPAA because of real life adult language used in the film, often by those who are doing the bullying.

Director Lee Hirsch and The Weinstein Company, who picked up the film after its showing at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival, fought the rating because in essence it would keep many of the documentary’s intended audience from being able to see it.

They eventually lost out and have decided to release Bully unrated which means it’s up to cinema owners on whether or not to allow younger audiences to see the film. AMC, a giant in the industry, announced anyone under the age of 17 can attend with either a guardian or a signed permission slip.

One of the people featured in the film is Alex Libby from the town of Sioux City, Iowa.

From the film’s official website:

For 12-year-old Alex of Sioux City, Iowa, the slurs, curses and threats begin before he even boards the school bus. A sweet-natured kid just starting middle school and wanting more than anything to fit in, Alex assures his worried parents that the kids who taunt and hit him are only “messing with him.” But bullying has trailed Alex through life like a shadow, and as his seventh grade year unfolds, the bullying only escalates.

Here is the official trailer for the film. You can see Alex in a disturbing scene where he’s physically harmed by other students on his bus ride:

Alex and his family sat down with Anderson Cooper to discuss the film and the young man’s life. Here are some of the highlights:

Alex discusses how he tried to cope with the bullies:

“Well I just took it as the joke they were trying to pull on me. I mean,  I basically just hoped that they wouldn’t do anything to me every day.”

Alex discusses becoming emotionally numb:

“It literally came up to that point, they bullied me so much I just didn’t feel it anymore. You see me most of the time just smiling… because I don’t want to show them my true feelings.”

Alex’s mom talks about finally seeing her son being bullied:

“I grounded him, kept taking all his things away because he kept missing the bus and we were on the verge of punishment at work for taking him to school and picking him up. When we were shown the footage there were a million feelings. We were embarrassed, we were horrified, we were angry with ourselves, angry with the school.”

Alex’s father and his reactions to what was happening to his son:

“I was irate. I was mortified because you send your kid on the bus to school thinking they’re safe.”

In a review by Marshall Fine for The Huffington Post he says:

Lee Hirsch’s Bully can’t help but move you. It’s an important and powerful film, one that should be required viewing for kids of any age — and their parents.

There’s something about Alex’s smile that reflects a beautiful humanity. It’s my hope that this film can help keep that spirit alive in so many out there who suffer at the hands of bullying. As the film tragically points out, for some youth that light goes out forever because of what they’ve been forced to endure.

There are a number of great resources associated with the film as it seeks to do something about the problem it focuses its camera lens on. If you’re looking to get involved or would just like to find out more about the film I encourage you to head to the official website here.

Here is one more photo of Alex with his mom, Jackie, and dad, Philip, from Bully’s premiere courtesy Jody Cortes / WENN.com.

Hirsch recently said of Libby, “Alex is not being bullied anymore. He’s got this shine. He’s confident, he’s got girls chasing after him.” Keep smiling man, it gets better.