Murdered for Being Different

Well directed, well acted, dramatic and inspiring movie! It was surprisingly good to me.

A well portrayed summary of events that actually happened. A harrowing and emotional view of hate crime. Two young adults that have had their lives destroyed because (as the title alludes) they were simply different. I'm trying not to give to much away but as it is a true story (and I remember seeing this in the news in the UK) my thoughts are with the survivor, I hope that person is doing well. I was impressed at how well this made. After this, hopefully more people will think before doing. I recommend you watch this.

Hate crimes unfortunately always have been, are and will be. This docu-drama goes straight to the point - it depicts one painfully tragic case without any unnecessary pathos or moralising. Actors were great, especially the main couple and that boy. And to those sadistic - and thankfully properly punished - teenage @!#$%& (I don't know a word that expresses the level of contempt and disgust I feel for them), let me quote the judge's final words: 'At least wild animals, when they hunt in packs, have a legitimate reason for so doing, to obtain food. You have none and your behaviour on that night degrades humanity itself".

Murdered for being Different is a true life drama about the killing of young Sophie Lancaster (Abigail Lawrie) who was just 20 years old.

Sophie and her boyfriend Robert Maltby (Nico Mirallegro) were attacked in 2007 in their home town of Bacup in Lancashire by a gang of young thugs. Their crime was that they dressed up as Goths and this alternative lifestyle provoked them.

Sophie was kicked to death as she tried to defend Robert who himself suffered serious injuries.

As Robert's mother tries to comprehend what has happened to her son and tell him that Sophie is not going to recover from her injuries the police investigate and try to coax Michael Gorman a witness to the attack to tell them who the culprits were.

The attack is incomprehensible, we are used to seeing people being randomly picked on for being coloured or gay but these are people who just liked wearing dark clothing and make up. It is not even Goths are new, I knew several when I was a teenager and that was 3 decades ago. The only radio station you get to hear The Cure these days is a golden oldies one.

It is a harrowing drama but despite that it really had little that was new to offer. It was well acted but it did trod a predictable path. The police wants the witness to talk as they put the pieces together, the cowardly thugs threaten him with reprisals.

I first heard about the murder of Sophie Lancaster on the news - and remembered being horrified by the very notion that someone could be brutally murdered simply for the way they dressed.

The present time of the film, after the attack, is layered with minuscule to longer flashbacks of both Sophie and Rob's life together and the night of the attack. Sophie was well into Harry Potter and Rob was good at painting, using Sophie's back to portray wings.

The use of the songs throughout the film were brilliantly segued into the score - and the last one heard was a cover of Running up that Hill, by Kate Bush.

"If only I could make a deal God, then I'd get him to swap our places."

It's a really heartbreaking, well acted, tragic story of a beautiful life being so cruelly and senselessly cut short.