When We Were Bullies

[DanaK]

Quote

WHEN WE WERE BULLIES begins with a mind-boggling coincidence from 25 years ago, which ultimately leads filmmaker Jay Rosenblatt to track down his fifth grade class to see what they remember from a bullying incident that occurred 50 years ago. Weaving together a collage of archival material, found footage, stop-motion animation and interviews with classmates and a teacher from the time, the film is a highly personal look back at a Brooklyn schoolyard incident that had been obscured by the elusive nature of memory but had resonated for decades. In a playful yet poignant reflection, Rosenblatt begins to understand his complicity, his sense of shame and the shared nature of such incidents and their aftermath.

The documentary debuts WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30 (9:00-9:35 p.m. ET/PT) on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max.

 

[chediavolo]

Interesting. Anyone watch this? I didn’t like it since they never really spoke to Richard about it . It just seemed so self-serving on the part of the filmmaker. As if he were trying to absolve himself

[Caseysgirl]

I appreciate that he didn’t hound “Dick” after the initial contact. I imagine being reminded of this incident could be painful no matter how well your life turned out.I remember contacting the sister of a girl who had been terribly bullied all through school for a 50 th terunion & was told angrily “ she is DEAD to your class”.  Didn’t pursue it any farther.

Edited April 1, 2022 by Caseysgirl

[Guest]

On 3/31/2022 at 8:38 PM, Caseysgirl said:

I appreciate that he didn’t hound “Dick” after the initial contact. I imagine being reminded of this incident could be painful no matter how well your life turned out.I remember contacting the sister of a girl who had been terribly bullied all through school for a 50 th terunion & was told angrily “ she is DEAD to your class”.  Didn’t pursue it any farther.

I would appreciate it more if he chose to not move forward out of respect for the victim of the incident. Your bully being nominated for an Oscar and the story being released on HBO would have to be painful. 

On 3/31/2022 at 1:14 PM, chediavolo said:

Interesting. Anyone watch this? I didn’t like it since they never really spoke to Richard about it . It just seemed so self-serving on the part of the filmmaker. As if he were trying to absolve himself

This is how I feel. This kind of story can’t be told without the input of the actual victim. Otherwise your just victimizing them again.