2011 television film directed by Charles Binamé
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Cyberbully (stylized as cyberbu//y) is a teen drama television film that premiered on ABC Family (now Freeform) on July 17, 2011. The channel collaborated with Seventeen magazine to make the film, stating that they hoped it would "delete digital drama" in a press release. The film tells the story of a teenage girl who is bullied online.[1] The film was released on DVD on February 7, 2012.
Plot
Taylor Hillridge is a teenage girl who lives in St. Louis, Missouri, with her single mother, Kris, and her younger brother, Eric. She is close friends with two other girls, Samantha Caldone and Cheyenne Mortenson. Earlier, Taylor made a seemingly innocuous comment to one of her classmates, Lindsay Fordyce, to which Lindsay took great offense.
For her 17th birthday, Taylor is given a computer by her mother, and she is initially excited about the independence of going online without her mother always watching over her. Meanwhile, her crush, Scott, asks her to the dance, to which she says yes. Cheyenne is happy for her, but Samantha does not like Scott because she previously went out with his friend, who later dumped her after he had sex with her. Taylor soon finds herself the victim of cyberbullying when she becomes a member of a social website named Cliquesters.
Things take a turn for the worst, when Eric hacks into her account and writes "I'm a naughty girl, someone should spank me" on her Cliquesters page for being angry at her after she refused to let him use the laptop. Taylor condemns Eric for the hacking and he is severely punished by Kris. Students at school write horrid comments about her and she becomes afraid to face her friends at school. Taylor also meets a boy named James online, and thinks he is cute and innocent, but he winds up spreading a rumor that Taylor slept with him and ended up giving him "the clap". Taylor gets pegged as a "slut" and "whore" as a result of the bullying. The abuse that Taylor receives from the hands of her schoolmates pushes her to a breaking point. Scott also tells Taylor that he cannot take her to the dance because of an excuse that obviously sounds made up (that his mother is forcing him to take another girl) and Cheyenne and Samantha begin to turn their backs on Taylor after a teasing incident occurs in the restroom involving Lindsay and the three girls.
Overcome with depression, Taylor posts a video online saying that she can no longer live with herself. Samantha sees this and quickly goes to Taylor's house and finds her trying to commit suicide by overdosing with pills, but cannot get the cap off; in the ensuing scuffle, the pill bottle spills on the floor, scattering pills over the bathroom floor. First responders, and Kris rush to the home, and Taylor is then sent to a hospital. Taylor's mother learns of the incident and takes on the school system and state legislation to prevent others from experiencing the same problem as her daughter. Taylor's mother recommends that she go to a support group and obtain help, and after initial hesitation from Taylor, she finally agrees. Meanwhile, Samantha finds Scott at a cafe and insults him for ditching Taylor. Taylor finds that Caleb, one of her classmates who is gay, is going through the same exact thing, only he is targeted for his sexuality. Taylor finds support in the group and learns to deal with the bullying much better. Samantha confesses to Taylor that she was the one who created the "James" profile and set Taylor up. Samantha feels guilty and becomes a victim of cyberbullying herself. Taylor finds out about this and tells her about her support group and eventually forgives Samantha, rekindling their friendship.
Samantha and Taylor return to school, where they are quickly teased by Lindsay in the cafeteria. Samantha urges Taylor to ignore her, but Taylor does the opposite and confronts Lindsay, calling her out for her online abuse. Scott, Cheyenne and Caleb appear and side with Taylor, condemning Lindsay for her bullying. Their actions are received well with other students present in the cafeteria, who spread the word about Taylor's courage and Lindsay's misdeeds, eroding Lindsay's support within the student body. Meanwhile, the state legislature passes a bill criminalizing cyberbullying, which is then signed into law in honor of Taylor and all victims of bullying.
Reception
The film received a generally positive review from Common Sense Media, who gave the film a 4 out of 5 star rating, stating "Cyberbully is a great jumping-off point for talking to teens about the very real dangers that exist online. The movie does a good job of working in most of the hot-button issues related to this topic, including the anonymity that exists online, the legal loopholes that enable cyberbullying, the social pressure on teens to partake in digital relationships, and the emotional devastation that bullying inflicts on its victims and their families."[2]
Cyberbully gained 3.4 million views on its official release date. It was TV's number-one telecast for the 8-10 p.m. time slot and became the week's number-one TV film, and the second most viewed TV film of the 2010 and 2011 season.[3] The film has gained popularity in recent years through online streaming, with an unofficial upload of the film on YouTube having amassed over 79 million views[citation needed][as of?].
Music
Emily Osment released a song called "Drift" which was featured in the film. It was released on July 12, 2011. The film also features "Breathe Me" by Sia. Television spots of the film contain the song "Perfect" by Pink.
