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★★★★
Directed by: Aidey Pugh
Written by: Aidey Pugh
Starring: Reece Berresford, Danni Shepherd, Glynis Stewart, Chloe Lawson, Alan Stuart
Bullying is an awful thing. It is a very serious problem that needs to be addressed and dealt with. Aidey Pugh's powerful and emotional drama Flower Boy vividly exposes the harsh realities of such behaviour.
A schoolboy (Berresford) is constantly and badly bullied in and out of school by a group of girls, who refer to him as ''Flower Boy'' because he works in a flower shop. The group are led by Loretta (Shepherd), and they never miss a chance to torment him emotionally and physically and pretty much anyone else they do not approve of. Flower Boy lives with his mother (Stewart) and sister Alice (Lawson). His mum ignores him while his sister is compassionate and understanding and listens to him. He continues to endure the pain, humiliation and suffering but there appears to be little hope that things are going to get better.
The main theme is clearly bullying. The act is seen in many scenes throughout and it is portrayed in great detail. The sequences where Flower Boy is tormented are particularly heart-breaking and distressing, as the girls mercilessly try to tear hum apart physically and emotionally. And the bullying that is inflicted upon him does not affect just him, it affects the people who care about him, including his sister and teacher Northrop (Stuart), who are both deeply saddened by what is happening to him. The film also points out that bullying can carry on due to people's refusal to acknowledge the issue, as the hero's mother does not pay any attention to him and the ones who have the highest authority at school are looking the other way.
Berresford delivers an emotional performance as the quiet, lonely, insecure, little-speaking victim of bullying who understandably is sad throughout the film and viewers can't help but feel sorry for him. Shepherd is very convincing as the personification of evil. She is an individual who seems to believe that everybody is no-good, apart from her friends, who themselves are not far behind in their ability to be nasty. Lawson is terrific in her touching portrayal of girl who wants to make things better for her brother and Stuart is also moving as a caring teacher.
In addition to a well-structured screenplay with great performances, the film also gains by a rich soundtrack, which can be cool at one point and poignant at another.
Pugh has created a motion picture that deserves a lot of praise and recognition. It raises awareness on the issue of bullying. It shows how much this activity can damage a person and why it must be stopped.
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