Verbal Abuse In Movies

Verbal abuse is often shown in popular media, although people may not recognize it right off the bat. Here are some movies below that contain verbal abuse, (WARNING: there are a few spoilers).

Harry Potter Series 2001-2011:

If you have watched (or read) the Harry Potter Heptology you will definitely remember Severus Snape, Harry's mean potion teacher. Throughout the books Snape constantly berates, and verbally abuses Harry, telling him that he is lazy, arrogant, and that anything that goes wrong is all his fault. What made Snape so mean? Well later in the series we learn that Snape was bullied by Harry's father and his father's friends. He was constantly verbally abused and tormented with the magic his antagonizers excelled in. And Snape never married, never had children, and had few close friends. He had no outlet for his anger and sadness, and no one to help him through it.  The abuse was a learned behavior that Snape got from his own adolescent years, that would later lead him to torment Harry when he arrived.

Full Metal Jacket 1987:

This movie is a tough one to watch, because it is so incredibly intense, many of the worst characters are based off of real people, and the verbal abuse is quite obvious. The first half of the movie takes place in boot camp, where much of the abuse takes place. The drill sergeant picks out a cadet that he gives the nickname Pyle to, and he is a cadet that makes many mistakes. In response to these mistakes he punishes everyone but Pyle, making him a pariah. He also yells insults at Pyle calling him ugly, useless, and makes jokes about his weight. The other soldiers eventually beat Pyle up in response to the many punishments they receive because of him. Near the end of boot camp he suffers a mental break down from the constant abuse where he kills the drill instructor and himself.

Oliver Twist 2005:

This is easily one of the most classically depressing movies to date. Most people know the line, "Please sir, may I have some more?" The movie has all kinds of abuse in it including verbal. Within the first 17.5 mins the people in the movie call Oliver:

• Fool
• Workhouse
• Idle
• Useless
• Sneak
• Mad
• Murderer
• Violent

This, despite the fact he is none of these things. This movie does take place in Dickensian England so it is a pretty depressing time, but this is clear verbal abuse.