I first ever saw this a long time ago the one time it aired on Channel 4 in the uk and I never did forget it, it pretty much destroyed me and had me in tears by the end. I recently geared myself up to finally watch it again and twenty plus years later I still found it to be quite the impactful and disturbing piece of work and still deeply unsettling, it's an incredibly tense and awfully dark and sad story to watch, that poor young lad, so lost and hopeless, just utterly torn down by the actions of pretty much one unrelenting and malicious bully as he made a video diary and recorded his harassment on a daily basis, until the events spiralled out of control as the bully stole his camera and even brought his mother and deceased father into his sick little game, and in the story it seems like lonely young David is planning to do something terrible due to his morbid interest in school shootings, but it doesn't quite turn out that way and everything comes to a head one terrible night that is truly tragic for all involved... I didn't cry this time but it certainly shocked me all over again and even gave me a nightmare! It might be a fictional story but it's still very disturbing and sad because very unfortunately events similar to this have happened then and since. The story is very gripping as it builds up to its dark bitter end that you just somehow know is going to be a very painful and hopeless one and it doesn't let go until the final image. It's funny how even after everything you see David go through, when it comes right down to it you still, or at least I did a little, can't help but feel for the lead bully and his cronies when the mother does what she does following her mental breakdown, because that's not the answer either, no matter how many she kills it won't bring her son back, it's just more death in a situation that's already terrible as it is, no good can really come of it... I think films like this are powerful cautionary tales of how bad the effects of bullying can be at their worst, and what can happen when a child feels so alone that they feel they have nowhere left to go. Always try to guard your children and be there for them and let them know that they're loved, but also teach them when it's okay to make a stand and when to ask for help, and that there's so much more to the world then the petty cruelties people often feel the need to inflict upon each other. Deeply sad and distressing yet an exceptionally made and well acted dark drama that packs one hell of an emotional punch to this day. Thank you, take care, and always try to be strong.
Review of Parent's Night
