It's the beginning of a new month, and we all know what that means—new Netflix movies have been added! If you're looking for a good cry, here is one to try out: "A Girl Like Her."
This movie is nothing like its predecessors about bullying, such as the 2011 movie "Cyberbully." "A Girl Like Her" takes us into the point of view of the victim, the victim's family, the bully and the bully's family.
This fictional movie is shot as a documentary of the life of 16-year-old Jessica Burns (Lexi Ainsworth) who, along with her friend Brian (Jimmy Bennett), begins filming as she is bullied relentlessly by popular girl Avery Keller (Hunter King).
Unlike the bullying movies before it, "A Girl Like Her" had me sympathizing with the bully and the victim. It gives an inside look at why we attack others, and how we appear to be feeling versus how we truly feel.
It showed the complexity of friendship in high school. It showed how Brian, Jessica's best friend, felt guilty over the harassment she went through daily but, because of a promise, did nothing to stop it. And, even the most popular girl in the school, Avery, had no real friends.
The movie, covering everything from feeling alone, hating one's self, being unable to be one's self, contemplating suicide and escape from pain, hits us all in the feels.
Get out the box of tissues. You'll need them for this realistic drama.
