A Girl Like Her (2015 film)
A Girl Like Her is an American found footage drama film directed by Amy S. Weber. The film stars Lexi Ainsworth as Jessica Burns, a 16-year-old bullied high school student who attempts suicide. The movie was originally titled The Bully Chronicles but the title was later changed.
| A Girl Like Her | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Amy S. Weber |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Music by | David Bateman |
| Cinematography | Sam Brownfield |
| Edited by | Todd Zelin |
Production company | Radish Creative Group Bottom Line Entertainment |
| Distributed by | Parkside Releasing |
Release date | March 27, 2015 |
Running time | 91 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
Jessica Burns (Lexi Ainsworth), a sophomore in high school, attempts suicide by taking a handful of pills from her mother's medicine cabinet. Her mother soon finds her unconscious, and Jessica is rushed to a hospital. It is also mentioned that the high school she goes to has won a chance for a documentary for being the only public school to place as one of the top ten schools across the country.
Word of Jessica's suicide attempt and hospitalization spreads quickly throughout the school, and the cameras catch students crying and talking about the situation. The camera crews go around interviewing kids about Jessica, and they reveal that her main tormentor was her former friend, Avery Keller (Hunter King). According to Jessica's best friend Brian (Jimmy Bennett), the two fell out after Jessica prevented Avery from cheating off of her test in a class, and Avery had been relentlessly bullying Jessica since - none of the other students in school seemed to be aware of these details, but had noticed subtle tension between the two. Avery casually denies ever bullying Jessica, and claims they simply drifted apart after transitioning from middle to high school. In response to the rumors, Avery agrees to record footage of her daily life to demonstrate the pressures of being popular. Though Avery herself is desensitized to it, her footage demonstrates that she comes from a dysfunctional family, and that her peers tend to feel intimidated by her teasing and controlling nature (for example, she and her clique restrict other girls from using a specific public restroom while they apply their makeup).
Brian eventually confesses to the camera crew that six months ago, he and Jessica agreed to film Avery's bullying with a hidden camera disguised as a dragonfly pin. He invites them into his home to show them the footage, which documents Avery's constant physical harassment and floods of threatening texts and emails toward Jessica, encouraging Jessica to kill herself. The footage also shows Jessica crying alone in a school hallway, where Brian finds her. Jessica strongly suggests to Brian that she's having suicidal thoughts, and Brian tries in vain to console her and convince her to show their hidden camera footage to the school faculty. Jessica had made Brian promise not to show anyone else the footage, out of embarrassment and fear of Avery. While visiting Jessica in the hospital room later, Brian confesses to her mother that he had been withholding the footage - though she is noticeably upset, she reassures Brian that he should not blame himself for what happened to Jessica.
The students at school grow further convinced that Avery had been bullying Jessica, causing the members of Avery's clique to turn on her. Avery's former friends present a statement to the school principal that the rumors of Avery's bullying are true, which prompts a conference between Avery, her parents and the principal. Avery's parents are in denial and staunchly defend her, but Avery storms out in frustration. She later films an insensitive video ranting about Jessica's suicide attempt and vehemently insisting on her own innocence, and uploads it on social media for all the other students to see. The camera crew approaches Avery again, advising her to remove the video and telling her they have footage that she bullied Jessica. They ask her if she wants to see it, and she agrees to meet them at her house that night.
Later that night at the hospital, Jessica's parents are visiting her when she loses her pulse. Her parents and the cameras are kicked out of the ICU, as the doctors attempt to revive Jessica. At this point, Avery is watching the footage of her bullying Jessica. She begins to cry hysterically and admits that she regrets her actions, claiming that Jessica was her only real friend, as the filmmaker comforts her.
The doctors are able to regain Jessica's pulse, but say that she will eventually succumb to total organ failure if she doesn't wake from the coma soon.
Realizing the consequences of her actions, Avery posts another video, this time apologizing profusely and tearfully stating that no person deserves to be treated the way she treated Jessica. She ends the video with, "My name is Avery Keller, and I'm a bully."
The movie ends with a cut to Jessica's face as she opens her eyes.
Cast
- Hunter King as Avery Keller
- Lexi Ainsworth as Jessica Burns
- Jimmy Bennett as Brian Slater
- Paul Lang as Dr. Webber
Reception
Justin Chang of Variety gave A Girl Like Her a mixed review, lauding the film as a "well-acted, well-meaning cautionary tale", but also criticizing it as "less and less convincing the more blatantly it strives for authenticity".[1]
Sheri Linden of The Hollywood Reporter lauded the film's acting, noting that the "two young female leads, exceptionally well cast, deliver strong performances", but felt "the drama lapses into speechifying".[2]
Rotten Tomatoes gave the film an overall "fresh" rating of 65%. This included a few mixed reviews. One review declared it heartbreaking and emotional, but not that convincing as other movies about bullying. Another review had said, "A Girl Like Her unfolds with a clear-eyed approach to the subject — a drama that fleshes out the principals and shows, without excusing the bully, that pain is not the exclusive domain of the victim."
References
- Justin Chang (March 30, 2015). "Film Review: 'A Girl Like Her'". Variety. Archived from the original on March 31, 2015.
- Linden, Sheri (March 25, 2015). "'A Girl Like Her': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 29, 2015.