The Murder of Stephen Lawrence

The Murder of Stephen Lawrence, which originally aired in Britain in 1999, was one of the most quietly incendiary made-for-TV productions of 2002. As he did for his acclaimed feature Bloody Sunday, writer-director Paul Greengrass based the story on actual events and filmed it cinéma vérité-style. The cast is equal to the task in bringing the case to wrenching life. We're there in 1993 as racists viciously attack Stephen, an 18-year-old of Jamaican descent. We're there as his parents (Hugh Quarshie and Marianne Jean-Baptiste) grieve their loss. And we're there as they muster their resources, resolving to do whatever it takes to see his killers brought to justice. Although authorities attempted to bury the case, Stephen's murder became a cause célèbre due to the two ordinary individuals who refused to rest until it was solved. Thanks to their efforts, crimes against minorities aren't likely to be treated so lightly ever again.