kevjfarrell
Just watched this on Netflix and was blown away by it. Superbly directed and constructed account of a truly wonderful love story with a heart-breaking ending.These two guys were destined to share their lives. It was obvious from all the comments from friends and one of the families that these guys were soul mates. Both were fine handsome young men who lived their lives to the full and enjoyed similar interests.You cannot fail to be moved by this beautiful account of their individual upbringing by their loving families. Sadly one of the guy's parents wasn't supportive of their son's sexuality - and despite that, he still loved them dearly. The other guy was supported wholeheartedly by his family.This story has a very tragic ending - in more ways than one. This is one of the most beautiful factual love stories that I've ever seen. The story will live with you forever. You really should check this one out.
hjames-97822
As an older gay man I have learned to to emotionally stuff my feelings down a long dark hole. I never even cried at my father's funeral. And felt guilty for it. But frankly, I wept and wept repeatedly after watching this documentary.You will first be angry at the cruelty and inhumanity shown to Shane (the surviving partner of this gay couple) by the family of his dead lover. Their inability to come to terms with both the sexuality and the death of their child is a living horror story. You will want to reach through the screen and smack Tom's mother right in the head. Then you will rethink.You can not escape ultimately feeling sorry for them. So bitter, so cruel, so filled with hate for what their son really was they are coming apart emotionally at the seams. And they will do--anything--to try and erase reality and history.I watched it a second time. What a lesson in living, the shortness of life and the need to say over and over to those who matter that you love them.Tap-Tap-Tap. Gotta go. I'll start crying again...and then I'll be inspired. Again.
lasttimeisaw
A bona fide tearjerker! I am oblivious of Shane's youtube videos, which kickstarts this feature- length picture, but the film needs to be seen by literally everyone, whether for or against the same sex equity, it is deeply heartfelt and perspicaciously educational, I think whoever as long as hold a small fraction of mercy in their hearts, regardless of their religious convictions, after watching this film, it will be a game-changer for the prejudiced and a touchstone for a mightier love above social class, creed, race, color and gender. The documentary is about Shane and Tom, a gay couple being together for 6 years until Tom died of falling from a rooftop accidentally in 2011 (aged 29), the interviewers (Shane, his families and their friends) chart the story of their lives from Shane's childhood, his bullied school days and his struggling self-identification of being a gay man while Tom attended a first-rate high school albeit his blue-collar family background, and turned out to be an all-American boy, handsome, macho, outgoing, a role model excels both in sports and academy. After fate let them meet in L.A., their relationship epitomizes the most desiring lover-cum-soulmate perfection one could ever dream of, which causes the ensuing tragedy far more harrowing to bear. A familiar juncture for almost every gay person, the coming-out process, particularly to Tom's parochial family, it was an incubus, which sheerly contrasts with the understandable reaction from Shane's family, however, it is all evinced secondhand by Shane and their friends, since Tom's family adopted the silent treatment to the invitation of the production team to be part of the film, surely we will never know the story from the other side, which is a minor glitch in this otherwise viscerally affecting picture. Nevertheless, a more contingent fact is how the young soul's passing provoked much more indignation when Tom's family flagrantly shut down Shane out of the funeral and expunged their entire life together as if it never happened, it is an atrocious transgression towards our very basic canon as human beings, it is love unites us, differentiates us and sublimates us from other creatures on earth, and propels our society to move on to a better world, so even though BRIDEGROOM (which is Tom's family name, what a pertinent one!) is hardly a ground-breaking piece of art work (SMS interaction, video footages, travel photography is all it has to render the narrative aside common interviews with apt editing), it is a film should not be missed and I do hope the cost of a young life can be at least in some level compensated by awakening more conservative minds to evaluate the world with a more humane mind and encouraging more individuals to embrace their true color. Also, best wishes to Shane, you are lucky enough to experience true love and don't lose hope, live long and prosper!
