The World Beyond BetterMost > The Culture Tent
Documentary: MATT SHEPARD IS A FRIEND OF MINE (2014) opened February 6 2015
Aloysius J. Gleek:
DOCUMENTARY:
MATT SHEPARD
IS A FRIEND OF MINE
(Official 2015 Trailer)
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mraqkorocg[/youtube]
Published on Jan 14, 2015
The official trailer for the new award-winning documentary MATT SHEPARD IS A FRIEND OF MINE, which explores the life and tragic death of Matthew Shepard, the gay student brutally murdered in Laramie, Wyoming in one of the most notorious hate crimes in U.S. history. Framed through the personal lens of friends and family, it’s a story of loss, love, and courage in the face of unspeakable tragedy. NOW PLAYING IN SELECT THEATERS!
#RememberMatt
Website: mattshepardisafriendofmine.com
Facebook: facebook.com/matthewsheparddocumentary
Twitter: twitter.com/MyFriendMatt
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2555302/
Aloysius J. Gleek:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/06/movies/matt-shepard-is-a-friend-of-mine-a-documentary-from-michele-josue.html
MOVIE REVIEW
Shifting the Spotlight
Back to the Man They Knew
‘Matt Shepard Is a Friend of Mine’
a Documentary From Michele Josue
By NICOLAS RAPOLD
FEB. 5, 2015
Michele Josue with Matt Shepard, the subject of her film, in 1995. Mr. Shepard was killed
three years later.Credit Run Rabbit Run Media
A tender reconstruction of personal loss, “Matt Shepard Is a Friend of Mine” retraces the life of the University of Wyoming student whose 1998 murder put a national spotlight on hate crimes against gay people. Variably effective, this debut feature documentary from Michele Josue seeks to restore the Matt Shepard of his friends’ and family’s memories, and in so doing return a human symbol to a state of ordinary but beloved individuality.
Ms. Josue narrates the film as a personal journey and a kind of grief circle with those who knew and loved the gregarious Mr. Shepard. That means a lot of tearful reminiscences, often of fairly routine bonding among friends, though his sense of belonging is, unusually, rooted abroad in the Swiss boarding school he attended while his father worked an oil job in Saudi Arabia. But practically any details would seem poignant in anticipation of what we know would come.
Ms. Josue pushes back those expectations somewhat in a couple of ways. A heartening undertow comes from Mr. Shepard’s parents: a mother ultimately turned activist and a father whose teary adoration is still inspiring. But there’s also an awful episode on Mr. Shepard’s high school trip to Morocco, where he was raped. Before his nationally reported death, he’d suffered hateful violence.
In lingering over moody night streets and trembling faces, Ms. Josue has brought this film to the verge of becoming a tear-jerker. But, as epitomized in an extraordinary scene with a conflicted priest, it’s all part of a shared soul-searching that still continues.
MATT SHEPARD IS A FRIEND OF MINE
Opened on Friday Feb 06 2015
Directed by Michele Josue
1 hour 29 minutes; not rated
milomorris:
Another interesting perspective on Shepard's life. It reminds me that we are all multi-faceted individuals, and that every person we know will be able to tell a different part of our story.
Jeff Wrangler:
I'm surprised to learn about the trip to Morocco. I didn't know about that.
milomorris:
--- Quote from: Jeff Wrangler on March 02, 2015, 04:27:03 pm ---I'm surprised to learn about the trip to Morocco. I didn't know about that.
--- End quote ---
Same here.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
Go to full version