Reviewed by Melissa Garza
“Go home and give your kids a hug and don’t let a day go by without telling them that you love them.” – Rulon Stacey (Dylan Baker)
“The Laramie Project” is a film adaptation of a play that is based on over 200 interviews conducted by writer/director Moises Kaufman and members of New York’s Tectonic Theater Project. The interviews tell the story of Matthew Shepard. Shepard was a twenty-one year old man who was kidnapped, tied to a fence, and beaten into a coma where he eventually died simply because he was gay.
The theater group arrives in Laramie with the play in mind. They begin interviewing residents of the town pertaining to the murder, and though the Shepard case is a very significant part of the film, it doesn’t play the game of most movies and ignore the external factors that encouraged the way of thinking that led up to the crime, but instead focuses on them. We are introduced to a lesbian teacher Catherine Connolly (Janeane Garofalo) who was the first faculty member to come out of the closet in 1992. She states how one woman informed her that there were other lesbians in town who would not allow themselves to be seen with her in public because of her openness. That the women in fact would be “tainted” by association alone.
Next there is Jonas Slonaker (John McAdams), a gay man who lives in Laramie. He states that when at gay bars he often meets men who claim that had lived in Wyoming and had to leave while others have told him that they love the area and would like to move there. In answering an unasked question as to why he stays he simply says in one of the most powerful moments that “I love this land. I mean, I really love this land.” The entire scene is so well-captured. The large peaceful area of farm land is shown as is the beautiful blue sky. It is as though the town itself defies the close-mindedness that many of the residents live by
The film then approaches the story of Shepard. The bartender Matt Galloway (Joshua Jackson) refutes the claims that Matthew had approached the killers Aaron (Mark Webber) and Russ (Garrett Neergaard). It had been that stated that Matthew had hit on them and that the entire murder was a result of a robbery gone awry. Between Matthew’s good friend Romaine (Christina Ricci) and Galloway they refute the claims. Romaine attests that Shepard would have willingly given up his wallet because he had grown up with money. Money meant nothing to him and he would have gladly given over his wallet. Galloway states that Shepard was not one to approach others and hit on them. He states that it was Aaron and Russ who had approached Matthew and then eventually he believes that they left the bar with him.
Some residents still choose to believe the allegations of the perpetrators and state that Shepard held some responsibility (as one man states 50%) for his beating, hanging and subsequent death.
In the end, the audience is able to witness the actual reactions of political and public figures. Bill Clinton, Ted Kennedy and Ellen DeGeneres were all shown speaking. They show the protests that demanded justice for Matthew, and reenactments of the vigils mourning the loss. The gay and lesbian community react by meeting and discussing their fears and they way in which they adjusted or were unable to adjust after what happened to Shepard. In one very poignant scene, a gay man in his early fifties recounts watching the town organizes a parade honoring Matthew’s life. He states, “I thought to myself thank God I got to see this in my lifetime, and my second thought was ‘thank you Matthew.”
Despite those that find amusement in the mourning of others and protested against civil rights at the funeral, the friends of Matthew were able to preserve a touching and wonderful ceremony afterwards. A year after Matthew Shepard’s death his friends dressed like angels and surrounded the protestors.
The cast is a star-studded even with each actor bringing their best performance. “The Laramie Project” is a film that tears at the viewer emotionally simply by telling the truth. To watch how each person reacts to the ordeal and to hear how Shepard’s death either changed them, frightened them, or sadly reinforced their prejudice is not only compelling but significant.
“The Laramie Project” is a movie for everyone to view. The message is one that sits with the viewer long after the credits roll. It isn’t just a sad film but a film of hope and one that offers a mental and philosophical progression that is and should be inevitable.
Rating: 10/10