Matt Shepard Is a Friend of Mine

You gotta love the dedication here; Michele Josue, high school friend of Matt Shepard, grew up and figured out film school just so she could put together this memorial documentary for her friend, one of the key figures in the LGBT rights crusade. It took her fifteen years. Who knows what personal plans she set aside to honor Matt?  This is as noble a deed as noble gets.  In what made national news in October of 1998, the not-yet 22-year-old college student Matthew Wayne Shepard was beaten to death in rural Wyoming (almost certainly) for the offense of being gay.

There seems no question that Josue’s actions stemmed from an honorable place. Matt Shepard was cheated out of a future; perhaps she felt making a documentary was the least she could do to respect his memory. And, by all accounts, Matt was a deserving subject – outgoing, likeable, friendly if a bit naïve (but, honestly, since when is naïve a poor quality among youth?). The world is a sadder place without him.

Now, that all being said, as in-depth documentaries go, Matt Shepard Is a Friend of Mine ain’t exactly The Thin Blue Line. Josue’s work dutifully chronicled the moments of Matt’s life – growing up in Casper, boarding school in Switzerland when his dad’s job moved to Saudi Arabia and one tragic night in Morocco, when the kid was beaten and raped by locals. What’s more terrible than the understanding, “this isn’t the worst thing that will ever happen to you?” The camera work isn’t great; her interviewing technique could use a lot of polish.

There are two very telling moments in the piece – one where she lets the camera roll so Matt’s father can talk about his son coming out to him. The moment is very telling, but it’s all on dad; best thing that can be said is Josue didn’t get in his way while he talked. The other moment is where Michele herself ends up in tears while talking to a local priest. It’s strange that this moment is so poignant, because it’s not about Matt at all, but the forgiveness of his murderers. He reminds us, almost scoldingly, “we must hate what they did,” but at the same time, we recognize them as God’s children, too. That’s a tough message.  Real tough, especially in our age of enhanced national armament and vigilantism.

Personally, I’m not going to let his killers get off so easy in my mind. If I’m a lesser person for it, I can live with that, but neither of these assholes is getting mention by name in this review. It was good that said documentary focused on Matt; his murder seems almost peripheral to the movie, despite being such a defining moment. What Matt Shepard Is a Friend of Mine needed, however, was less of a love letter presentation and more of an exploration as to why this kid’s death became such a focal point. Matt Shepard is not the first person to be killed for being gay. Not even close. His case is, sadly, neither unique, nor (comparatively speaking) especially cruel. And yet, you remember the hype, don’t you? “Matt Shepard” was a household name. So why, oh why, did this particular murder make us sit up and take notice?

Matt was a human in the land of cattles
Two punks took exception to his choice of saddles
Prejudice, no more
Can’t win any war
But it sure takes a lot of the battles

Not Rated, 89 Minutes
D: Michele Josue
W: Michele Josue
Genre: I’d say, “love letter,” but the message here is, “we’re just friends.”
Type of person most likely to enjoy this film: Activists
Type of person least likely to enjoy this film: Bigots