Amy S. Weber, director of Annabelle & Bear, helms A Girl Like Her, a story of the repercussions of unchecked bullying in high school.
A Girl Like Her stars Lexi Ainsworth (General Hospital) as Jessica, Jimmy Bennet (Star Trek, Orphan) as her best friend Brian, and Hunter King (The Young and the Restless) as Avery, the popular sophomore in school who at once was friends with Jessica.
The film opens with Jessica making the decision to commit suicide by taking a large number of prescription pills. The audience shares Jessica’s experience as she is wearing a hidden camera in a pin on her shirt given to her by Brian to document the bullying she has been receiving from Avery at school. Jessica’s attempt is unsuccessful and she ends up in a coma, word of which quickly travels around her school. News of Jessica’s suicide attempt is juxtaposed with what should be a celebration of her high school being ranked as one of the top ten in the nation (and the only public school on that list). A film crew arrives at her school to document the ceremonious day but attention quickly turns to Jessica, her suicide attempt, and the connection with Avery’s apparent harassment.
A Girl Like Her takes an unexpected route in the examination of bullying by making Avery the subject for much of the second act. She is the popular girl with a dedicated clique of friends but the source of her problems are at home with a domineering mother, a enjoyable performance by real life high school teacher Christy Engle, who tends to make life unpleasant for all in the household. The source of Avery’s learned behavior is thus revealed but at no point is this source of negativity addressed. It’s a great observation for Avery’s character but never incorporated story wise in to the plot.
The film has brief moments of teachers commenting on their lack of policy when it comes to bullying and a quick scene of a heated school board meeting where the board takes a “hands tied” approach to tackling bullying due to funding but overall the movie does not take advantage of this opportunity to illustrate the institutional shortcomings that allow bullying to thrive in an environment that should otherwise be viewed as safe and nurturing.
Performances by the cast all feel genuine due to the fact that the script had no written dialogue thus allowing the actors to connect with their characters in a more organic way, however, all characters besides Avery are presented as one dimensional. Even Jessica’s best friend Brian, reeling in pain at the uncertainty of Jessica’s health while she is in the hospital, only has one note to hit through out the entire film, but Jimmy Bennet hits that note well.
Overall, A Girl Like Her is an audacious and noble attempt to tell one story of the serious effects of bullying but in that also lies its weakness. The one story it chooses is not specific and therefore lacks originality, save for the documentary style, and does not take advantage of the many opportunities to address how bullying continues to persist in today’s schools through failings of the school system and through the problems many students face at home. Despite this, the film is absolutely admirable and sure to spark insightful dialogue about the issue among teen students and parents alike.
A Girl Like Her is in theaters now through limited release.
