Laramie Inside Out

Following the brutal murder of gay college student Matthew Shepard in October 1998, filmmaker Beverly Seckinger (who grew up as a closeted lesbian) returned to the scene of the crime--Laramie, Wyoming--which also happened to be her hometown. Seckinger's motive was part journalistic and part cathartic, and she discovers a hitherto quiet gay and lesbian community that suddenly found its voice and purpose in the aftermath of the crime, while also finding her own sense of balance in being “out” in Laramie. Unfortunately, the film is too leisurely and unfocused to offer much in the way of compelling viewing, as Seckinger moseys around town to speak with the local gay and lesbian population (even a diversion to a picnic seems curiously mired in stereotypes: the effeminate gay men prepare a fancy cooler of herbs and gourmet filets while the gruff lesbians cook the meat they hunted in a grimy pot on an open flame). While meant to be inspiring, Laramie Inside Out is actually more of a home movie for the city's GLBT (Gay-Lesbian-Bisexual-Transgender) population than a meaningful study of homophobia and gay pride in modern small-town America. Optional. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)