The Laramie Project (2002)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Moisés Kaufman

Writers:

Moisés Kaufman (play)
Moisés Kaufman (screenplay) ...

Genre:

Drama | Crime

Tagline:

When a small town comes face to face with murder, everybody has a tale to tell.

Plot:

The true story of an American town in the wake of the murder of Matthew Shepard.

Plot Keywords:

Death | Murder | Laramie Wyoming | Bar | Trial

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Primetime Emmys. Another 5 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Kathleen Chalfant	...	Anonymous Female Rancher
Laura Linney	...	Sherry Johnson
Peter Fonda	...	Doctor Cantway
Jeremy Davies	...	Jedadiah Schultz
Nestor Carbonell	...	Moises Kaufman
Camryn Manheim	...	Rebecca Hillicker
Andy Paris	...	Stephen Belber
Grant Varjas	...	Greg Pierotti (as Grant James Varjas)
Kelli Simpkins	...	Leigh Fondakowski
Clea DuVall	...	Amanda Gronich
Billie McBride	...	Waitress
Bill Christ	...	Man on Porch
Frances Sternhagen	...	Marge Murray
Michael Emerson	...	Reverend
Margo Martindale	...	Trish Steger

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Golden, Colorado, USA

Company:

Cane/Gabay Productions

Trivia:

The film was to make its HBO debut on March 16, 2002, but was pushed forward a week when NBC scheduled The Matthew Shepard Story (2002) (TV) for the same day.

Quotes:

Stephen Belber: "Live and let live" is, at best, a load of crap. It basically boils down to: 'If I don't tell you I'm a fag, you won't beat the crap out of me'. What kind of solution is that?

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 54th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (2002) (TV)

another worthwhile HBO movie..

i was very impressed with this documentary-style tv movie. i appreciated the fact that the filmmaker took this approach, giving a sense (at least i hope) of the people on whom these interviews are based, while allowing a buffer zone so that the real people are not subjected to more publicity OR made to look stupid because of their personal beliefs. i thought it was a very wise approach to take and allows more of an unbiased POV in many ways than would a straight up documentary. not to say that this piece was unbiased - it wasn't - and i don't think it should have been. but the filmmaker did not take any low blows and that was refreshing. the way the whole piece was put together was different - i could feel the theatrical aspect coming in, the visuals were much more fractured than a standard tv movie, and i could REALLY appreciate that this was not just another murder story come to life on screen.

thank you for not doing a re-enactment of the crime! i think it was WAY more effective to hear it described by people. i found the laramie project to be horrifying and touching, and i wish more pieces were made that hit at such a gut level. i won't forget this movie.