Murdered for Being Different (2017)

Have been using IMDb for years and have watched many a documentary- series or drama etc but felt compelled to write my first review!I remember the news coverage of this but being young I didn't take too much notice and interest. This program was particularly thoughtful in regards to pressures on youth to 'fit in' and on others ' to keep their mouths shut'.The highlight for me was the ending with the use of Placebos version of KATE Bush's 'Running up that hill'. Never really listened to the words before but they made complete sense and highlighted the entire story!Well done BBC

Bacup, Rossendale, Lancashire on 11 August 2007, and Sophie Lancaster and her boyfriend Robert Maltby were set upon by a pack of feral thugs - their crime was to be different, to dress differently from their attackers. The attack left both Sophie and Robert in comas, Sophie would never wake up, murdered for being different. This BBC film tells the story.Back in the dead part of 1970s Great Britain, I was a Punk Rocker, something that to many was akin to being the Devil's spawn. So much so a car swerved to try and hit me one day as I crossed the road, the ignorance and intolerance back then still manifests itself today, quite often with tragic and hateful consequence. Upon watching Murdered for Being Different, the impact of the overwhelming sadness is only rivalled by the revulsion at those responsible for Sophie's death. The film is a valid and highly worthy production, picking up on the burgeoning love between Sophie and Robert, and then taking us to that fateful early August 11th morning. We observe the immediate aftermath and subsequent investigation into the incident, the effects of such on family and a key witness to what had unfolded. The pic is guilty of cutting corners, we really should have had more on the attackers post the attack, on how they reacted in the run up to their arrest (media tells us they were unrepentant scum), while a tactful omission of Sophie's mother in the play is noted with respect but still leaves a hole.But ultimately complaints are churlish, for this makes its mark. It's very well produced, the performances very tight, with Abigail Lawrie as Sophie doing her proud and Reiss Jarvis superb as the conflicted key witness Michael Gorman. Soundtrack is pin sharp, right up to the finale which is played out to the haunting grace of Placebo covering Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill. A distressing viewing experience but one that all should be privy to, point made and hopefully a jolt to the system of any human being with the potential for hate crime in their black hearts. 9/10

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 was so impressed by the acting - especially the young actors and especially Reiss Jarvis playing Michael Gorman: he was a naturally brilliant actor and seemed to play the role effortlessly - every glance and shrug perfect. This is someone to watch. All the other young actors were excellent as well.The weaving of the storyline was very powerfully and creatively done. It wasn't patronising, but could have done with a bit more time to expand some of the storyline/viewpoints.It is not often that I watch a film about a topic as challenging as this and see a masterful combination of skills across the board.The directing/editing and writing were also so good.