Harry here with Luke Cage reporting in with his first report from Sundance. He's a bad mo-fo up there in the winter wonderland of Park City, Utah... However, the man loves his art, specifically film. Here's our second look at THE LARAMIE PROJECT, the film that kicked off Sundance this year, and seems to have been well accepted by folks i've been talking to, so that's great. Last year wasn't quite the same, so it is starting off better this year. Cool... Let us hope that more treasures get found. RUN RONNIE RUN is going to slay people. You'll see!
Wassup Harry -- Luke Cage, Hero For Hire reporting from a luxury condo at the Sundance Festival in Park City, enjoying the fine weather and the fine ladies.
But enough small talk. How'd you like to know about the film chosen to open the festival --
THE LARAMIE PROJECT directed by Moises Kaufman
The story in brief: in early October 1998, in Laramie, Wyoming, a young gay man named Matthew Shepard was given a ride in a truck by two straight men he'd met in a bar. Rather than take him home, the two men brutally beat Shepard, fracturing his skull and leaving him tied to a fence like a scarecrow. Shepard's death, and the trial of the two killers, drew worldwide attention to the small town. That much you may already know.
Here's what you don't know: Weeks after Shepard's death, the Tectonic Theater Company, led by Moises Kaufman, arrived in Laramie with a partially formed idea. They interviewed the residents of Laramie, including friends of Shepard, police officers, doctors, teachers, clergy and anyone else who'd agree to be interviewed. The company later used the 200+ transcripts for an Off-Broadway play in New York.
This film is the cinematic adaptation of that play. What was once an eight-person play has become a hybrid, skirting the line between drama and documentary. The ensemble cast includes star talent (Janeane Garofalo, Steve Buscemi, Joshua Jackson, Christina Ricci, Peter Fonda) mixed with the original members of the Tectonic, but no single player is allowed to overwhelm the story, because this isn't the story of Matt Shepard, it's the story of a small town that could be any small town, and how they react when a mirror is held up to their own prejudices and fear.
Sometimes, the camera turns the audience into the unseen interviewer, but the most powerful moments of the film come from the re-enactments. Two scenes in particular stay in my mind (minor spoilers): Shepard's father, asking the court not to seek the death penalty against the man who killed his son, and Christina Ricci's character, a friend of Shepard's, mounting an angelic defense against a minister preaching homophobia. That scene had audience members in tears. And considering the audience was mostly made up of industry folks and high-volume moviegoers, that's an extra special achievement.
The Laramie Project is stirring and evocative. It's even funny in certain parts. It teaches, it doesn't preach, and it offers no easy answers to the loss and confusion of its subjects. There's nothing really hip or edgy about it, and viewers with documentary experience may be reminded of Errol Morris "The Thin Blue Line", but that‚s only because both films are about the search for meaning in a tragedy, trying to sift the truth out from so many different views. No need to search for it in theaters, HBO will be bringing it right to your homes in mid-March.
Anyone with questions, comments or willing young daughters can reach me at hero-for-hire@mail.com. Luke Cage in Park City, signing off until later.
