We’ve all seen movies that contain bullying, especially high school bullying. Most of them contain a popular girl that picks on the less popular kids. A Girl Like Her is not your typical high school bullying movie.
A Girl Like Her is a fictional documentary about a girl named Jessica Burns, who is severely bullied by her former friend, Avery Keller. From beginning to end, this movie takes you deep inside the reality of bullying and suicide.
The movie starts out with Jessica attempting suicide by trying to overdose on prescription drugs. After the news reaches her high school, rumors circulate that Avery is the reason Jessica made the attempt. 6 months prior to this, Jessica’s best friend, Brian, designed a hidden camera that Jessica wore in order to record footage of Avery bullying her. Later on in the movie, a documentary crew comes to the school and asks Avery if they can film a documentary about her to get a glimpse into what it’s like to be a “popular girl.” She agrees in order to maintain the image as the most popular girl in school.
As Avery films her daily life, we get glimpses into what her home life is like. She does not get along well with her parents, especially her mom, her parents fight all the time, and her older brother is battling depression. From that, you learn that Avery torments Jessica because she is not happy at home and, most importantly, with herself.
Later in the movie, the documentary crew finds out that Brian has secret footage of Avery bullying Jessica, and they ask Avery if she would be willing to watch it, and she agrees. While watching it, Avery breaks down and realizes the profound effects her bullying had on Jessica, and how her own pain caused her to take it out on Jessica.
The difference between A Girl Like Her and other movies about bullying is it shows you both sides to bullying; the bully and the person being bullied. More often than not, movies about bullying only contain the perspective of the person being bullied. This movie allows you to understand the reason for the bullying through the bullier’s eyes.
Suicide is also extremely important in this movie. After Jessica attempts suicide, we are shown her family’s reaction. Their pain and sorrow is heartbreaking, but it shows the true side of how a family feels when their loved one thought suicide was the answer.
A Girl Like Her raises the topic of mental health in teens. It shows how vital it is to have programs in school that raise awareness about bullying and suicide. This movie could be a valuable tool in getting teens to understand why bullying might occur. It could also start the discussion about how important it is to seek help through counseling.
