This film does not examine the effects of online bullying. Online bullying is 8% of this film. This film is a story of two 14 year old girls who had such horrible parents that they were allowed to get drunk/high and drive over to 17 year old boys' houses, where again parents were not around as they got drunk/high, and then the boys took advantage of the girls and had forced sex with them while the girls were passed out. All the while sad music plays and still photos of girls with sad faces and cloudy-day videos of small towns are littered with popup posts from twitter and facebook of people trolling the individuals involved with the cases (to which there are no sources, so it definitely leaves the viewer wondering if they are fabricated). The filmmakers fail with this documentary because they refused to dive deeper into the cases and learn about the other sides of the story. This is very one-sided... but that is intentional as it portrays teenage depression and angst associated with statutory rape. The worst aspect of this documentary is that the parents were never held responsible for their underage children's actions. All throughout the film the parents are talking about all the bad things that happened to their children, but one can't help but to wonder why the filmmakers never asked these parents why they are such horrible parents. This definitely falls under the liberal female-empowerment retribution category, but even there it does not do the topic any justice because it is one-sided, biased, and caters to the idea that parents play no role in the self-destruction of their teenage children.

Apart from being so sad and heartbreaking, it is far more than a simple documentary. It is a life lesson that many aren't aware of. It is something you are never taught in school, although similar things happen around you often. "Taboo" would be the word for this case. I can not believe that in ours today society we still face problems like this. And what's more disturbing is the fact that no action is taken by those who have the power to do something in this sense, leaving the "wounded" with scars on their souls and, even worse, with the accusation that they are liars and came intentionally with this bs just to be given attention.

The internet is populated an endless amount of dangers that sadly not enough teenagers today know about, and the effects of falling into these traps can be devastating. You look at social media websites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr; and see teenagers online sharing sweet moments in ways of communicating with one another. Unfortunately, social media has also been used as a weapon to attack or humiliate one another, and suicide or suicide attempts are not uncommon results; especially if you can recount the Megan Meier incident back in 2006 or the story of Tyler Clementi in 2010. This documentary directed by Bonni Cohen and John Shenk paints an honest picture on the effects of date rape and the resulting online bullying associating with a story of two teenager who fell victim to these humiliating acts. One story recounts of 15-year old Audrie Pott, a girl from Saratoga, California who was sexually assaulted while drunk at a party and subject to pictures posted online, a heinous act that resulted in her committing suicide. Then there's a second story covering 14-year old Daisy Colemon, a girl from Maryville, Missouri who along with her friend Paige was date raped and subsequently became a target of online harassment, along with her parents. These stories are both told through interviews of the victims and their families, police investigations, social media, and following court cases.It is generally hard to reach the end of this documentary and not fill your head with thoughts of how innocent little girls can fall victim to such horrible acts by their peers, and concerns of how vulnerable your kids could be (if you're a parent) to becoming a target of humiliating activity like this; and listening to these stories about these girls is quite gut-wrenching. And the saddest part is these kinds of stories are not rare, they happen more than everyone knows. The problem this documentary covers is not just the vulnerability of rape by sex-thirsty young men who use alcohol as a key to take advantage of helpless adolescent girls, but also how teenagers nowadays are not educated enough on the dangers that lie in the social realm and the perils of online social media. Then the more absurd aspects involve how the parents become victims of online scrutiny by the public who were intent on shaming the victims rather than sympathizing with them. And by all means, it is sad to watch. But overall, there is an astounding triumph that the victims and their families end up reaching when the girls learn they must speak out publicly and help stand up for other who have been affected. Though these stories are often told a bit unevenly as the majority of the film seems to go further in depth on the Daisy Colemon story, its still remains interesting to where you may shed some tears in some parts, then by the end cheer for the justice they reach.Audrie & Daisy is an honest, unbiased documentary that is very gut-wrenching, but at the same time very important for not only parents, but also for teenagers to watch. It is a documentary that I believe is powerful enough to educate teenagers on the dangers that lie in the world of socializing and remind them of the morally gray figures that lie within their community. One of the most important lessons teenagers can learn is that they can get hurt if they do not make smart choices.

A sobering documentary about the perils of being a young girl and believing the world is her friend. (Full disclaimer: I am friends with the mother of young Paige featured in this documentary as we are from the same hometown of Albany)Audrie & Daisy recounts two different instances in which a young woman parties with the guys and is made to pay for it with shame, humiliation, degradation (by her peers and community) and even death (in the case of Audrie).Tougher-than-we-can-ever-imagine Daisy survives her ordeal alongside her best friend, Paige, who is also raped the same evening (because boys will be boys) although luckily her rapist admits to his crime and she therefore doesn't find herself in legal turmoil. Yes ... revolting and disgusting. Daisy and her family (her brother is a solid chap) find themselves harassed and hounded by a community -- Maryville, MO (40 some minutes from home) where someone burns the family's house to the ground in spite!!! -- that refuses to believe their football stars could possibly be rapists. In towns like this athletes are small-town heroes and dynastic political families wield a lot of power.Audrie & Daisy spends much time upon Daisy and the aftermath of her sexual assault/rape (she was 14 at the time, Paige 13) as it also interviews law enforcement officers in Nodaway County, MO (a bunch of idiots) who "won't point fingers" but don't mind naming names ... of girls who apparently lead boys astray. Much of it is shocking. Much of it is unbelievable. All of it is disturbing.Brave and beautiful girls. Harsh and ugly world.