The Laramie Project Reviews

Moving Portrayal of Events

At the time of Mathew Shepards death I saw the odd news clip regarding the matter, but really didn't pay much attention to the incident.

This film (documentary) takes witness statements regarding what happened leading up to his death and after, while looking at the character which was Matt, as well as the place he lived.

This is a very moving film which show the deprevity some "yokles" will go to when something different is in their environment.

Well worth a watch.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Hate and Fear

At the start I am reminded of the paitings of Edward Hopper. The wide landscapes, the slightly sinister emptiness. The urban scenes, loneliness and alienation. Here something terrible happened. Terrible things happen all the time. Many gay people have died. What was it about the murder of Mathew Shepherd that propelled it to international attention? No answer to that here but what is important is - it did. This film deserves wider recognition. Yes, the presence of star names in cameo parts does detract. You can't quite shake that off, but try. At first it seemed one dimensional but as the effects of the tragedy ripple outwards it becomes darker and more complex. More thought provoking altogether.

Its about fear and hate - of the outsider, the stranger, the different but most of all fear of the self.

I recommend it as a companion piece to HBO's brilliant 'Angels in America'

Disappointing.

Mathew Shepherd's death coincided with my own coming out and had he have lived we would be the same age. I followed the news reports at the time and I remember his murder made me deeply sad and scared. I wanted to watch the film to find out more about him and the town he came from but I don't feel that I learned anything that I didn't already know. The film features some good performances and some sequences will wring tears from those with the hardest of hearts but on the whole I was pretty disappointed.

pretty appalling

It was a real struggle to watch this film all the way through. Not because of the subject matter, but because the execution of the film was so bad. Worst film I've seen in a long time. It tried to be a gritty docudrama but instead was clumsy, obvious and overacted. Hardly any of the actors seemed to fit their roles, especially the stars. The lighting and post-production tried to give the fly on the wall or documentary feel but just came across as cheesy and tastless.

brilliant

Gripping, emotionally powerful...Lucky I watched it with 2 friends otherwise , I think I would have cried half of the movie...Don't know why.

True story , sad story.

Matthew Sheppard changed the way America treats now hate crime and homophobic crime .

You can check his parents' fondation on the web.

He didn't die for nothing ...At least I don't wanna think that.

Wasted opportunity

This is a dull, monotone and passionless depiction of a town after a brutal gay-hate crime. What could, and should, have been a portrayal of what caused a society to produce such murderers and a towns', country's and world's response to such a horror is, unfortunately, an unemotional, unmoving wasted opportunity.

Interesting documentary into what happened in Laramie and how life allegedly changed people's attitutdes there

A very good film, well directed and a with a very strong cast. The choice to film as a documentary I feel was the right one and to use of the actual words used from those interviewed brings the storey home even more.

Interesting

Interesting and well made. Only niggle I had was familiar faces of actors doing cameo appearances (I presume to support the cause of the film) actually detracts.

Poignant and questionning...

The Laramie Project documents the reports from Laramie residents concerning the hate-crime murder of Matthew Shephard.

Touching and poignant, the Laramie Project tells a very human story and raises the question of how the wider society and culture in America led to the homophobic hatred that drove two young men towards such a violent and tragic hate crime.