Turns out, he’s friends with pretty much everyone.
Matt Shepard is a Friend of Mine is one of the most important documentaries for the LGBT community.
This film is beautifully powerful and poignant. It presents Matthew Shepard not in a chronological biography, but as the person he was. We see photos and film clips. We hear stories from friends, family members, teachers, people who knew him in various ways. Indiewire best describes it as “A moving eulogy to a life lost, but not forgotten.”
Michele Josue is a friend of Matt Shepard’s. She also has a gift in her talent for filmmaking. Combining the two has created an absolutely wonderful tribute to a young man whose death led to some of the greatest political changes and advancements for the LGBT community.
Matt Shepard is a Friend of Mine not only details the life and times and accomplishments of Matthew Shepard. Josue also does an exceptional job in detailing the night and horrific events that led to his death in 1998.
Detailed information, including interviews with police officers and the bartender who saw Shepard that night, along with his two assailants help to give us perspective on one of the most significant hate crimes of our time. The bartender’s perspective and ability to recall what he witnessed that night is astounding.
Matt Shepard always had plans of changing the world. One might assume that due to his death, that dream was squashed. Quite the contrary. Instead, he continues to change and improve the world through the hard work and dedication of his parents, family and friends.
Not only are we given this gem of a film, but we see the work Shepard’s parents are doing, we learn about the Matthew Shepard Foundation, we see so many ways that Matt is being honored and remembered. He is changing the world, despite the brutality and ignorance that killed him.
This is more than just a biography, even more than just a documentary. This film is an historic landmark for the United States, and for the LGBT community.