Valentine Road

I really felt sick after seeing this documentary.

Its hard when you show both sides and it was important to show both sides, but when people don't realise how bad the situation was... And even try to blame the little kid... Oh my god...

I suggest you don't watch it alone but with somebody you can talk to if you are sensitive.

America the land of the dreams right... bleh.

That's what I got from this film. Almost ALL of the adults seem like a bunch of narrow minded zombies. Is it any wonder that such a tragedy occurred?

The school should have taken control of the situation, clearly it was a powder keg waiting for a spark.

Larry should have been counseled as to how to deal with his issues.

Brandon was another lost kid and ended up killing Larry. The school and his parents were absent and incompetent, if either side would have exercised a little guidance we would have seen a totally different outcome.

The jurors are another group of idiots who have their heads up their a$$es.

I could have done without all the interviews with the kids- a little goes a long way.

In conclusion, I was quite literally shocked that these backward people went on camera and admitted to being so closed minded. No wonder the kids are screwed up!

On February 12th 2008, in Oxnard California, a 14 year-old student Brandon brought a school to gun and shot his classmate Larry from point blank range in the back of his head while we was working on a computer in class. The day before Larry, who had a crush on Brandon, had asked him to be his Valentine in front of his friends embarrassing him. In the weeks leading up to the incident, Larry had begun to wearing makeup and accessorising, and had come out to friends.

The documentary, Valentine Road, slowly unpacks the incident through interviews with the community. There are endless perspectives here, from Larry's friends at school - including Marina, a classmate who came out to her Mum when she was picked up after the shooting; the defense lawyers, who were so moved by the case that they decided to represent Brandon pro bono; the foster parents who used to look after Larry; the Jurors who joined the 'Save Brandon' cause after the trial was declared a mistrial. The only voice that was really missing from the film was Larry's.

The remarkable journey that this film took was an emotional roller coaster. The film fluctuated between taking the audience to incredibly sad places, emphasising the life that was lost. But the real sadness is the embedded homophobia that still exists in the community. Some of the perspectives are hard to listen to. There were times that I felt so much anger towards the people that were expressing their intolerance and this failure to understand that people are different which only breeds Brandon's who believe they have no choice but to use violence. There's also the incredible joy of seeing hope through the people that had learned from this incident and learned to stand up for what is right.

Not blaming Brandon was one of the incredible feats of the film. Instead the film kept at a distance, remaining objective. It was clear at times where the film was leveling its critique: the scene in which a bunch of jurors hang out discussing the case is long, as the statements they make about the case becoming increasingly stupid, naive and upsetting. This is so topical and so relevant. It must be seen and people must talk about this. For me, the most striking thing was the dominance of the intolerance. When intolerance makes up the hegemonic viewpoint bad things happen. I hope that Oxnard can, at some point, learn from this.

And pretty hard to evaluate the objectivity of the producers and director. i must really say that how this film developed from a pure assassination scheme on a case of hatecrime , genderification and racehate, and ended up in the complete opposite direction where white supremacy is a major issue in ventura county, as these voices thinks that whites are becoming outnumbered by other races and colours of skin, and where the hodloom that shot the gun should be freed cause of his young age and that he was provoked by the victims transgender behaviour. so was this a white supremacists documentary, whos the culprit in this case? i think its easy to tell that a killing has happened, and the my simple mind says that he should also be convicted some way or another? another open question shouldve been the mental statuses by both the victim and the shooter. and its also a question of how the justice system is made, shouldnt there be a rule especially when the jurys are hung in their opinions that the judge could make the final ruling when the status quo is so off the record unbelievable as in this case.?

well im threading the deep waters of american intolerance by saying these uttering, but i know how to swim, but good advertising for oxnard california it aint. as a film product it does engage the viewer, its an emotional roller coaster for all its worth, and should be held as an example how inconsequent a nation may be, and how dangerously divided on everything they seems to be.

the grumpy old man knows documentaries are made to teach and to provoke, they really provoked me, so a 7 with a recommend

On February 12, 2008, in Oxnard, California, grade 8 student bully Brandon McInerney shots his effeminate classmate Larry King twice in the back of the head in class and then just walks away. Brandon is caught a couple of blocks away. He is supposedly the good one according to his family and friends. Larry King is overtly flamboyantly gay and even declares publicly that Brandon is his Valentine. This documentary examines the troubled abused lives of both boys.

This is a more in-depth examination of a passing story in the headlines. It shows that the story behind the story. The documentary seems to be trying to rehabilitate Brandon and then the prosecutor shows his fights in detention. The movie takes a turn into white supremacist area and the tension ends for me. It's kind of a drop-the-mike moment. At that point, there is really nothing to learn from Brandon. I would have argued for Brandon to be interviewed for the documentary but quite frankly, I don't see the point after the neo-nazi stuff. Maybe he'll reform in prison but it's hard to see that happening.