Filmmaker Michael Moore talks with Lila Lipscomb, whose son died serving in the Army in Iraq.
On the eve of Memorial Day, Lipscomb, an office assistant who describes herself as a private person, is bracing for the release of "Farenheit," likely this summer, when she will come to the attention of millions of people.
In an interview this week, Lipscomb said her son apologized for his feelings about Bush.
"I raised my children to respect the position of the president of the United States," Lipscombsaid. "But my son was angry. He had a right to be angry."
Lipscomb last saw Pedersen at Christmas 2002, when he was headed to Iraq.
"He shared with me that he was scared but that he knew he had to go because he had committed to doing a job and he was committed to his unit," Lipscomb said, wiping tears from her face. "We both discussed our feelings. We were against it.
"I just ache. I ache. I asked God, 'Why my son?' And he answered, 'Why not?' I just want to understand why he had to be there in the first place."
In January, she received a call from Moore's company after staffers read a magazine article that mentioned Pedersen's death. She met Moore, a Davison native who spends part of the year in Michigan, and his crew at her house.
Earlier this month, Lipscomb saw the film at a private screening in New York.
"The movie was an awesome experience," Lipscomb said. "I believe in the truth. I see Michael Moore as a visionary and a patriot. He believes in the truth."
Lipscomb said Moore asked her after the screening whether she wanted anything removed from the film. Instead, she hugged him.
"I loved every minute of it," she said. "I can't wait for everyone to see it."
The movie gives Lipscomb something most grieving mothers never get: A chance to tell the world about her dead son.
Chanel Pedersen(Michael's wife), who is not in the movie and has not seen it, isn't in contact with Lipscomb. She is not likely to be a fan of "Farenheit" and Lila Lipscomb's views.
"We have creative differences and different beliefs," Chanel Pedersen said. "Hating President Bush is not going to bring Michael back."