The name Matthew Shepard brings to mind the brutal murder in 1998 of a young gay man and the storm of protest launched by the LGBT community against homophobia. Michele Josue, the director of this documentary film, was a close friend of Shepard and wants to give us an up-close and personal portrait of him. She interviews Matt's family, friends, teachers, and his guidance counselor.
We learn that he was a people person who brought out the best in others; that he dressed up like Dolly Parton one Halloween; that it took him a long time to come out of the closet; that he experienced a wide broadening of his life and experience attending a Swiss boarding school; that he was avid about keeping up with politics; and that he enjoyed being an actor in a theatrical production.
But Matt's bright future went up in flames when on a visit to Morocco he was raped by six men. Those closest to him saw him transformed into a nervous, depressed, and insecure young man. He dropped out of college and returned to home town of Laramie, Wyoming, in a quest to find a place where he felt safe. Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson, who knew he was gay, gave him a lift in their car. Then they tied Matt to a fence and beat him to near death; he died later. The trial of the two assailants brought out the rampant homophobia in the West and across America. Matt's mother took up her son's legacy as an articulate spokesperson for gay rights through the Matthew Shepard Foundation.
In one of the most poignant moments in the film Father Roger Schmit counsels Josue to hang on to her anger about Matt's death but to be open to the fact that even the two men who murdered her friend could have "good in their hearts." He also suggests that she embrace grief and accept its many emotional colorings.
A winner of four Best Documentary awards, Matt Shepherd Is a Friend of Mine speaks to the heart.
