Review Fix Exclusive: Inside ‘Bullies’

Review Fix chats with “Bullies” writer and director Daniel Bydlowski, who lets us know all about his creative process and why this is a special film for him.

Review Fix: How did you feel the first time you read the completed script of this film?

Daniel Bydlowski: It was hard work to get it to where we thought was good enough to film it. We wanted to capture not only the issue of bullying but also make sure that those who watch it can be entertained by it.

Review Fix: Was it difficult to direct this film, given your personal history with this film?

Bydlowski: The hardest part of directing the film was to get the elderly actors act as if they were children without the silliness that could come with it. I think they did a great job.

Review Fix: What was the feeling like on set?

Bydlowski: Everyone on set was working diligently to produce the vision that was shared with them prior to filming. Being a fantasy film, it requires a lot of work on set to make sure that the production design and costumes are communicating what the story needs. Once we started accomplishing all that needed and could see the script live, everyone was really cheerful that we were accomplishing something meaningful.

Review Fix: What stands out the most about your cast?

Bydlowski: Kaden Hetherington and Fred Ornstein really stand out. This was Fred Ornstein last film, since he sadly passed away. And he was a great actor and human being who understand the story and what we were trying to accomplish.

Review Fix: What makes this film special?

Bydlowski: The film is designed to both entertain and talk directly to those who had suffered or still suffer bullying so that they understand that they are not alone.

Review Fix: Who will enjoy it the most?

Bydlowski: Everyone can enjoy the film. People who suffered bullying may see themselves in the film, but others can equally enjoy it. 

Review Fix: How did it feel being selected for Cleveland International Film Festival?

Bydlowski: That was really, really nice. I have always loved Cleveland International Film Festival and appreciated their talent to always bring great and important films to their festival. Knowing that my film was amongst those is truly great.

Review Fix: Why is the subject matter of this film important?

Bydlowski: Bullying has been constantly covered on the media. But most advice, if any, are given to parents and educators, living those who actually suffer bullying without much to orient themselves. The worse thing about bullying is to mistakenly feel that someone’s life is not good enough. It is important to speak directly to those who experience it and show that this is not true.

Review Fix: Bottom Line: Why must someone see this film?

Bydlowski: Everyone who likes a meaningful fantasy film in the veins of 80s films such as Goonies should watch the film. 

Review Fix: What’s next for you?

Bydlowski: We are developing a virtual reality film to be produced soon. We will provide more news soon.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13819 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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