MovieChat Forums > The Flying Scotsman (2007) Discussion > Bullying or something more?

Bullying or something more?

posted 15 years ago by Flickfan-3
9 replies | jump to latest

I caught this movie the other night when I had trouble getting to sleep--
starting from the scene where he gets his first bike to get away from those bullies and watched it through to the end...
have question about the cause of his depression and the scene with Brian Cox where he first starts to open up about his depression (after the scene in the forest)...
he mentions that he was "abused"--so I took that to mean that the bullies might have gone further than just taunting and brusing him around....that they might have done something sexual to him...
is that a possibility?
the scene where the leader comes to his door to taunt him again after he has fallen also seems to admit that there could be layers to the taunting that are not really developed in the movie
Obree seems almost physically afraid (and I know he is suffering from depression) of confronting the buy...

being set on by some bullies when he was a young boy and having them still powerful enough to taunt/affect his psyche after he is adult and recognized leader in cycling (even if he had a failed business and suffered setbacks on the cycle track) just seems to give too much weight to the past bullying unless it was more than just taunting and some physical bruising--but I did not see ALL the early part so don't know what movie showed...

I don't know that the depression source is really explained in the movie and don't know enough about his life to know if there is reason beyond a body chemistry or other personal reasons for it...he seems to have a good marriage and a positive home life...which I know does not cancel out possiblity of depression...
but wondered if there could have been aspects to the bullying that was not brought out in the film....

"...That's the beauty of argument, Joey. If you argue correctly, you're never wrong..."

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Flickfan-3 14 years ago

there was nothing in the movie I remembered that might suggest parental abuse--

"...That's the beauty of argument, Joey. If you argue correctly, you're never wrong..."

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Flickfan-3 14 years ago

from other things I have watched and read about English schools and bullying--it just seems that often there are issues with sexual bullying--either making boys do things to other boys or to themselves while the leader/gangs watch and ridicule...
so it was more speculation than evidentiary regarding my post...

"...That's the beauty of argument, Joey. If you argue correctly, you're never wrong..."

[–] alla_hop 14 years ago

I've seen this film several times and I didn't remember Graeme mentioning abuse. So I checked, and he says (the subtitles confirm this): "Just something to be...used"

[–] Flickfan-3 14 years ago

I did not remember that line exactly but that is what Ithink a young boy might say who had to do something sexual for an older bully...

"...That's the beauty of argument, Joey. If you argue correctly, you're never wrong..."

[–] Blarhhh 13 years ago

English schools

"You want to know what mad is, try calling me English again"

"No Silicon Heaven? Preposterous! Where would all the calculators go?"

[–] layton59 12 years ago

He has come out of the closet and said he is homosexual.

He says that repression contributed greatly to his bi-polar.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graeme_Obree

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[–] Goatlips 10 years ago

Obviously nothing can contribute to making you bipolar - that's genetic. However, the latent homosexuality and living a lie would've contributed to depression and, thus, been the real cause of his suicide attempts - that, and having an unstable mind anyway.
I think the bullying part of the story is entirely fictitious, especially it continuing into adulthood with the same bully! Although a bully victim may become timid, I don't think they'd be depressed about their bullying period forever (if anything, bullying victims are made tougher from it) - he was depressed in real life because he's bipolar.