X
- 2015
- Not Rated
- Logo
- 1 h 29 m
- 2015
- Not Rated
- Logo
- 1 h 29 m
Summary With never-before-seen photos and rare video footage, Matt Shepard is a Friend of Mine revisits the shocking case of Matthew Shepard, the gay young man who was tortured and murdered in one of the most notorious hate crimes in U.S. history.
Directed By: Michele Josue
Written By: Michele Josue
- 2015
- Not Rated
- Logo
- 1 h 29 m
- 2015
- Not Rated
- Logo
- 1 h 29 m
Matt Shepard Is a Friend of Mine
75
7.5
Where to Watch
Summary With never-before-seen photos and rare video footage, Matt Shepard is a Friend of Mine revisits the shocking case of Matthew Shepard, the gay young man who was tortured and murdered in one of the most notorious hate crimes in U.S. history.
Directed By: Michele Josue
Written By: Michele Josue
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 10 Critic Reviews
75
100% Positive
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 10 Critic Reviews
75
100% Positive
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
It is wrenching but never exploitive. It is impressively skeptical of the same mission that it takes on its shoulders: to make something positive from a senseless crime without diminishing its senselessness. This film doesn't just revisit an atrocity, it moves through it, and finds meaning in it.
This heartbreaking documentary should be shown in every high school and college — and everywhere intolerance is suspected.
The main thing writer-director Michele Jouse, who was close to Shepard, wanted to do with her intimate documentary Matt Shepard Is a Friend of Mine was to give a voice to those who are still mourning him and allow them to share their stories.
The doc adopts the viewpoint specifically of those who knew him best, and seeks to separate the person from the emblem.
The film is enough to prompt soul-searching among parents, educators and the LGBT community on how to provide adequate guidance and support for LGBT youths.
Josue shows perhaps too much restraint, as if she’s not ready to deal with her lingering grief and can’t acknowledge it. This is a difficult criticism to make about a documentary this personal. So perhaps it’s interesting that the film’s shortcomings, then, are also simultaneously one of the more fascinating things about it, revealing the inevitable difficulty of filming grief, no matter the distance.
Josue tries to reclaim his narrative with this intimate, positive portrait, but while Shepard's brave and resourceful parents encourage her, they realized long ago that his death means he no longer belongs solely to them.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 8 User Ratings
7.5
88% Positive
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
13% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 8 User Ratings
7.5
88% Positive
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
13% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.
Production Company
Run Rabbit Run Media
Release Date Feb 6, 2015
Duration 1 h 29 m
Rating Not Rated
Genres
Awards
Cleveland International Film Festival
• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations
Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Out on Film, Atlanta, US
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
