Friday, 16 December 2022

VOD: Bully (a.k.a. Pesktop) (dir: Sjoerd de Bont, 2017)

"Makes me look pretty stupid, doesn't it?"

This micro-budget Dutch teen movie oddly transplants the bones of the story of A Christmas Carol into a modern-day high school, with Scrooge being replaced by Danny, a handsome, charismatic but troubled bully who particularly picks on a shy young lesbian student and is afforded glimpses of the past, present and a dark future 'trial' courtesy of a fortune teller.  The story is told in very simplistic broad terms, but the youngish cast appear invested in the material.  The sudden late about-turn and self-realisation redemption arc is triggered in a shockingly-realised moment, but whereas Dickens just about got away with his unconvincing character shift in a sentimental Christmas tale, here it rings very untrue indeed. 
 

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