Bridegroom is a curious, highly personal documentary, an intimate portrait of Tom and Shane, two all-American kids in love from the Midwest. What is so curious and where I’m in a critical blind spot is how the story is told and who is telling it. I had assumed, given its style and approach, it was made by Shane Crone, star of the viral video that inspired the film, but it was not. Director Linda Bloodworth Thomason has told this story, using materials from Tom and Shane’s relationship as well as interviews with Shane’s family (Tom’s family, the Bridegrooms, choose not to be a part of the film).
This is where things get problematic; should one’s opinion of a film change based on whom the director is? I could forgive the choices of someone telling a story, editing in iMovie without the polish of a seasoned documentary filmmaker. Thomason is a seasoned storyteller, previously directing videos for Bill Clinton, yet the film seems a little too thin to justify its feature running time. Here is a story worth telling but one that is not as well-told as it should be.
Both growing up in small towns, Tom goes off to West Point and eventually Vassar, while Shane (the star of the film) realizes he’s gay from a young age and makes his way out to Hollywood. The couple is hooked up by a few mutual friends over a bowling date and eventually exchange numbers at a house party. We learn very early on Tom had passed away, falling four stories off a ledge, but the why is what it is initially unknown.
Thomason’s approach to the material is amateur, forcing his footage to fill a feature documentary, including on-screen texts, photos, interviews with friends, and videos Tom and Shane made together. They maintained a website for their adventures and traveled the world. They were in love and this is a fact established over and over again by Thomason.
The film, essentially, is a long campaign ad for an issue most Americans (although perhaps not those in the small towns these boys came from) are “evolving on,” as are many politicians. Although it’s a little curious Clinton, who signed DOMA (the Defense of Marriage Act) and has “evolved” on the issue, is an “honorary executive producer” of the film. The film is personal and political, but as a documentary isn’t terribly effective. The story is a tragedy on multiple levels, however as a compelling narrative, it falls apart. I imagine in twenty years this film will feel as dated as Philadelphia does today.