Olivier Meyrou’s BEYOND HATRED on PBS

Olivier Meyrou's 2006 documentary Au-delà de la haine / Beyond Hatred, an exploration of the effects of a 29-year-old gay man's brutal murder in the northeastern French city of Rheims, will be shown as part of PBS' P.O.V. series on Tuesday, June 30, at 10:00 pm.

François Chenu happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. One night in 2002, three skinheads were looking to "do an Arab," but since apparently none could be found in the Rheims park where they were roaming, they settled for a gay man instead. Chenu reportedly fought back fiercely, but even so he was beaten unconscious and thrown into a pond, where he drowned.

Meyrou's documentary depicts the aftermath of the young man's senseless murder, especially the efforts of Chenu's parents, schoolteacher Jean-Paul and hospital caregiver Marie-Cecile Chenu, to come to terms with their loss, to understand why it happened, and finally, to transcend their desire for revenge.

"As the project proceeded," Meyrou explained in an interview at the World Socialist Web Site, "the Chenu family became a more and more important part of it, because their reaction to François’ murder was unpredictable, and yet so constructive, that they became the main element in the film. By speaking through the Chenu parents I was able to alert audiences about gay bashing and by showing that this man was such a central part of his family—he was not just a shadow in the park in the middle of the night—lift this tragedy to a more universal level."

Beyond Hatred won the Berlin Film Festival's 2006 Teddy Award for best documentary with a gay theme.