Snobbish intellectuals who dislike catchy one word terms tend to replace with something longer and seemingly more meaningful. So, instead of “woke” we should now speak of “contemporary American civil religion”, a concept which these days is harder to ignore when it represents official policy of institutions like State Department and Pentagon. Like many religions, it has not only tenets but also saints and martyrs that serve as their powerful symbols. The latest and more recognisable is George Floyd. Before him one such figure was Matthew Shepard, young gay college student whose brutal killing in Laramie, Wyoming quarter a century ago played important part in advancing the cause of gay rights in United States. The event and its aftermath is the subject of The Laramie Project, 2002 cable television film written and directed by Moisés Kaufman.
The film is based on the play Kaufman began to develop after coming to Laramie shortly after the killing and intense media coverage that had followed. Kaufman and members of his Tectonic Theater Project have spent months interviewing Laramie citizens and their different reactions to the killings, murder trial and subsequent debates about bigotry, position of gays in small town America and desire to put the stop to similar events through hate crime legislations. The result of all those interviews was play, originally performed in 2000 and adapted for screen in HBO production before being shown at Sundance Film Festival.
The Laramie Project can be best described as propaganda. Kaufman, who is gay, didn’t hide his agenda of using the figure of Matthew Shepard as symbol of everything wrong with the way America treated gays in 20th Century and struggle to change it as profoundly as martyrdom of civil rights leaders began to remove racism few generations earlier. This, however, shouldn’t have been problem if Kaufman had enough talent to match his passion. Conceptually, The Laramie Project is interesting, because it tells its tale indirectly, through fictional interviews and occasional dramatic reconstructions. This is supposed to give the film more authenticity and quasi-documentary quality. Unfortunately, what could have worked on stage doesn’t work that well on screen and content seems too theatrical and overly manipulative. Another issue is casting of large number of big stars in minor roles and their very recognisability works against the film, making The Laramie Project look less like a serious exploration about important issue and more like gathering of Hollywood celebrities who want to feel good about themselves. Some of those performances are, however, better than others and Christina Ricci should be commended for her simple but powerful portrayal of lesbian activist Romaine Patterson, which includes the only truly memorable scene of the entire film. This, however, isn’t enough to recommend this film to viewers other than those interested in seeing how today’s official histories have been made.
RATING: 4/10 (+)
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