Boys Don't Cry (1999)

Teena Brandon (Hilary Swank) is a girl who wishes to become a boyÂ… Arriving in the small Nebraska town of Falls City, Teena binds her breasts, cuts her hair and calls herself Brandon TeenaÂ…

When Brandon meets Lana (wonderfully played by Chloë Sevigny), a love affair develops in the course of which sexual identities and gender stereotype is turned upside down…

Eventually Lana comes to realize Brandon is anatomically female, but by then she does not careÂ… Brandon offers her a caring relationship such as she has never knownÂ… Unfortunately, Brandon's secret is eventually discovered by two young men, John and Tom, who have befriended himÂ… The knowledge that they have been deceived is deeply disturbing to their male prideÂ…

The film is based on a true story, which also the subject of a documentary, 'The Brandon Teena Story' (1998). But it is less its status as a true-crime document, more its subtle power to subvert our usual assumptions about sexuality that makes this a notable film, and a key text of the so-called 'queer' cinemaÂ…

Unlike militant films which proselytize for homosexuality, 'queer' films adopt a more insidious strategy, seeking to undermine such rigid categories as gay and straightÂ… Thus Brandon, in Hilary Swank's excellent interpretation of the role, alert to all the ambiguities, is not a lesbian though he/she has sex with womenÂ… And while he/she has adopted some of the physical attributes of a man (clothes, hair-style, certain mannerisms), Brandon has retained a softness and sensuality which implies a critique of conventional masculinity, and which is the secret of his/her sexual success with womenÂ… No wonder he arouses the rage of other menÂ…

Fmovies: I just watched Boys don´t cry, and I am really sad about what I saw here. It is so hard to understand that there are still people out there (in America) who feel threatened if there is a queer, transsexual or just DIFFERENT person.... Hillary Swank´s outstanding,natural performance among the other great ones... the beautiful scenery and great music... the realistic setting of a hick, disillusioned village ... it all comes together to have created a wonderful, touching film that should everybody make thoughtful about why they don´t like some other people or what kind of prejudices they have.... watch that film!!

Title: BOYS DON'T CRY

Rating: **** (out of 4)

Review: I wasn't able to see this film, unfortunately, until after the Oscars when I was able to go back to the U.S. in April of this year. When I had heard that Hilary Swank won the Best Actress Oscar for this film, I had to put it on my must-see list. As it turned out, the film came out on video just three days before I had to go back to my station in Japan. All I really knew about the film was that it was based on a true story about a woman who lived his life and as a man and was brutally raped and murdered in 1993. That's all I knew, and after watching this film I couldn't believe my eyes. Out of all the true stories that Hollywood has put on film, this stands out, mostly because of its disturbingly honest presentation and unforgettable performances that even the real-life characters that there based on even said how real they were. Like the same year's OCTOBER SKY (which got #2 on my Ten Best List) the story is dramatized, filmmaking-wise, but it dare doesn't turn away from being an unforgettable potrayal of a truly unique and unfairly misjudged human being. The story originates in Lincoln, Nebraska, 1993 which is where Brandon Teena came from. We discover early on that Brandon is a female that develops a "sexual identity crisis" and becomes a male, and eventually becomes one of the most desired guys in Nebraska. We also learn that Brandon, under the name of Teena, has been criminally charged several times, most notably for grand theft auto. Moving to Falls City, Brandon strikes up a friendship with circle of aimless residents, including Candice, a single mother who works as a bartender, John Lotter and Tom Nissen, a couple of guys who've served time for various reasons, and finally Lana Tisdel, a girl who Brandon falls in love with. The bulk of the film showcases Brandon and Lana's growing relationship, and first-time co-writer/director Kimberly Pierce handles this so beautifully despite the addition of a graphic sex scene, which the real Lana Tisdel reports never happened. Eventually, Brandon's new friends soon discover he is not who he says he his, and eventually becomes the victim of a hate crime. Pierce makes the story so compelling from the beginning that the film doesn't become a simple cross-dressing tale but of a powerful examination of a human being who was just different and also of the friends that he made who just wouldn't accept him for who he really was (all of them except for Lana, who surprisingly does). The haunting theme "The Bluest Eyes in Texas," sung by Nina Persson and Nathan Larson, also adds perfect punctuation. Still, what really makes this sleeper praiseworthy are the performances, starting with Hilary Swank's moving, perfectly tuned potrayal of Brandon, who recieved the well-deserved Best Actress, as well as a long list of other honors. Chloe Sevigny, who I've fallen in love with in every film I've seen her in (from her breakout role as an AIDS victim in the controversial 1995 film KIDS, to her shy and smart lead character in last year's underrated THE LAST DAYS OF DISCO) shines as Lana, and has won a score of acting honors as well. Peter Sarsgaard and Brendan Sexton III are fine as the antagonists John and Tom, and finally Jeanette Arnette is great in a smallish role as Lana's mother who, of course, turns the other way at her daughter's new boyfriend.

Although some viewers may be turned off at the high volume of profanity and

Boys Don't Cry fmovies. This is a very powerful, and in many ways very disturbing, film that ultimately lingers with me not for its sensational subject matter but for its tragic and rewarding love story. Here we have two troubled strangers, both horribly at odds with their surroundings, finding each other, falling in love despite the many factors against them, and finally becoming the victims of the perception of their love. Like many others, I was tremendously impressed by the performance of Hilary Swank but I think the glue that holds the film together and gives it amazing hope and humanity is Chloe Sevigny. She takes a role that could have easily fallen apart in a lesser actress's hands and gives it complexity and depth that goes well beyond the script. To watch her is a breathtaking journey. Watch the way she uses her face in this movie – this is an actress of remarkable expressiveness and skill! Overall, it is a very fine film that merits any serious moviegoer's rapt attention.

For a movie to be able to start off a "little" (emphasis on little) slow, and turn into a spectacle of both amazing acting, directing, and an amazing script is not only a rarity, but is almost unheard of. "Boys Don't Cry" is one of the most powerful films that I have ever seen. Ms. Hilary Swank embraced her character with open arms, and turned him into a hero. A incredibly hard task, considering a "few minor 'glitches'". The fact that this movie is based upon a true story only emphasizes the themes it is trying to portray. As a human race, it only makes sense that we should strive to accept our originality and differences, and celebrate them, rather than diminish them, and look upon them as being "bad". This movie is one that gives the audience the "complete package", and not just a pretty actress or soundtrack. As an all encompassing film, "Boys Don't Cry" is brilliant.

I was stunned by the simplicity and power of this fine film. It tells the true and tragic story of Teena Brandon/Brandon Teena, a woman living as a man in a small town in Nebraska. No matter what your personal opinions may be, this film does not preach. It tells the story in a matter-of-fact, honest and gritty way, but leaves you shaking your head in shock that such anger and hatred exists in these modern times, for someone who is "different" merely because of their sexual preference.

Relative newcomer Hilary Swank gives a heartfelt and courageous performance as Brandon. I say courageous not only because of the subject matter, but also because she is able to strip away her youthful, movie star glamour and become the character she plays. She is entirely convincing. Also, she shows a tremendous amount of guts for being able to get through the gut-wrenchingly violent rape scene. This was a brave choice, and a wise one.

Chloe Sevigny plays Lana, the girl Brandon loves. She is the only person who truly understands Brandon. Brandon finds himself in a world of drunken trailer trash and convicted felons. No one is free from guilt, but there is always the unspoken sin of being different. Hilary Swank and Chloe Sevigny play their tastefully erotic love scenes without seeming self-conscious. So many actors of their generation might be afraid to tackle these types of roles, but they do their jobs with aplomb.

The film was another that haunted me the day after seeing it. Kimberly Peirce manages to make a simple film about a very difficult subject, and she doesn't resort to Hollywood gloss or preachiness. It is a risky film, very difficult to watch in places, with several very violent and disturbing scenes. It is a story that needs to be told, and with the two Oscar-nominated performances from Ms. Swank and Ms. Sevigny, it succeeds.