Watch a violent film scene together, then ask each person to write on a piece of paper a sentence that they think one of the characters in the scene would say in a situation outside of the violent film scene.
Tell them to imagine the character in an everyday situation. You can, for example, tell them to imagine what the character might say to someone the day before or after the violent film scene takes place or if applicable even before the film itself takes place. This will help them understand the character in a more nuanced way. The sentence should not contain the terms “victim,” “perpetrator” or “bystander.”
Then ask each one in turn to read their sentence out loud and have the rest of the group guess the role of the character through discussions and categorize it as either victim, perpetrator or bystander.
After everyone has been assigned to one of the three groups, ask if anyone has been assigned to the wrong group. If anyone has been placed in the wrong group, discuss what may have led the group to the wrong conclusion.