Bridegroom

I had followed Mr. Crone's story on YouTube so I was prepared with a package of tissues when I went to the premiere. What I was not prepared for was the amazing amount of humor captured in the first half of the film. It completely disarmed my tension, and made the remarkable connection between these two men that much sweeter. The story of what happens to this couple is,for me, is as moving as the very special love they shared - their connection, their love of life, their strength, and the against-so-many-odds fact that they found each other, if only for a short while.

This film is a gift.

(I would have rated it 10 but for two edits that were so jarring I was taken out of the experience momentarily during the viewing - both came off like mid-sentence interruptions to the speaker being cut-away from)

Finally found the time to watch this. Anyone would be incredibly lucky to share the love that these two people have for one another. The documentary follows a touching love story while displaying the current imbalance of rights and freedom in our world and how it affects the underprivileged. Gay people already know and live these stories. It's meant to change the hearts and minds of straight privileged people who aren't necessarily paying enough attention or who haven't yet been exposed to such realities like the ones shown in the story of Bridegroom. Take an hour out of your day and watch it; it's very worthwhile.

As a gay man with a partner this film really struck the heart strings. It caries a powerful message that in America not all couples are equal or have equal rights. I feel this film made a big splash because of its trailer and the pre-movie video that went viral and the fact that OWN picked it up also played a factor.

On the technical side of it there were some things I didn't like hence my 8 out of 10 rating. I feel this area probably hurt the film. I am a photographer and a Director of Photography and some of the shots were so far out of the box for me that it was distracting because it wasn't pleasing to the eye such as framing, but over all great film that more people should see.

This movie spans the chasm of emotions touching every one of them! Love does not discriminate- neither should people. This should get your blood to boil to act! This could happen to anyone and this very situation is worrisome to me on a daily basis. When I began to watch, I had no idea what I getting into but as it progressed I was absolutely glued in one place my mind spinning in place like a monopoly wheel not sure which emotion to land on. I'm disappointed in the MPAA for rating this R for 'some language' when so many other movies are so much worse and get a lower rating! Watch and spread the word- love is equal, it is not reserved for the heterosexuals!

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!