Film Review: Boys Don't Cry (1999)

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(source: tmdb.org)

Films can tell how popular views on certain phenomena can change through the course of decades. What was once a tiny subsection of society’s margin is nowadays not only fully embraced by mainstream, but actually considered to be crucial part of established order that should be defended at all cost. At least, this is the impression you might get when you watch Boys Don’t Cry, 1999 drama directed by Kimberly Pierce, from today’s perspective.

The film is based on the real events that took place in small town of Falls City, Nebraska in late 1993. The protagonist, played by Hilary Swank, is Teena Brandon, 20-year old girl from Lincoln, Nebraska that has serious problems. Not only that she is attracted to other women, but she refuses to consider herself a lesbian and instead thinks of herself as “man in woman’s body”. She decides to start dressing like a man and permanently leave city in which she was subjected to ridicule and homophobic attacks. After cutting hair, binding breasts and putting large sock in her crotch, she changes name to “Brandon Teena” and tries to start new life where nobody knows her. She ends in Falls City, place where she meets group of young men and women who spend all their free time drinking, taking drugs and hanging out at gas stations and bars. They greet her with an open arms and “Brandon” is enthusiastic with the place. Further reason for staying is Lana Tisdal (played by Chloë Sevigny), girl who succumbed to his/her charm and started romantic relationship. Such relationship seems normal even for John Lotter (played by Peter Sarsgaard), Lana’s ex boyfriend with criminal past. However, routine stopover by traffic police and document search would destroy the idyll. In small town words about “he” being “she” quickly spreads and all his/her friends are shocked, but few are as angry as John who feels betrayed, deceived and humiliated and, together with his friend Marvin “Tom” Nissen (played by Brendan Sexton III), decides to teach “Brandon” a lesson in the most brutal way.

Boys Don’t Cry is nowadays considered a groundbreaking film because it was one of the first to tackle the issue of transgenderism and people who were considered to be just a tiny minority within LGBT minority, still fighting for many of the rights they are now taken for granted in many Western countries. The film was also groundbreaking by making the issue popular due to winning prestigious awards, most notably Oscar for Best Actress won by Hilary Swank. The actress used the awards ceremony as opportunity to address her character by “he”, a practice that was unusual at the time and is now not only widely accepted but actually enforced by all major institutions in Western societies. However, its success at the time owed more to traditional politics at Oscars. The subject matter was dealing with oppressed minority and the character was martyr that demanded extra acting effort, exactly the performance the Academy voters like. Furthermore, plot was set in the Flyover Country which is, at least on the surface, according to decades-old cliches, presented as the Mordor-like lair of violent primitive bigots that justify their vile views with social conservatism.

However, Boys’ Don’t Cry, even with conforming to “politically correct” conventions of 1990s Hollywood, wouldn’t have much success if it was bad film. Pierce, who had also co-written script with Andy Bienen, had very low budget at her disposal but nevertheless handled the material with great skill. Film is the best in its first half when character of Brandon/Teena is introduced and the script generally tries to avoid cliches and black-and-white characterisation. Pierce gives very realistic and unflattering portrayal of life in small town with people who lack education, will or knowledge how to improve their lives and it even suggests that the protagonist isn’t that different from them. Brandon/Teena is actually portrayed as naive and deluded, not seeing how her uneducated, impoverished friends might react when she is revealed. Only in the second half cliches and Hollywood conventions start to replace realism – character of Lana suddenly and inexplicably loses drinking problems and even becomes something of a moral anchor while her relationship with “Brandon” becomes romance larger than life. Pierce near the end becomes aware that the film was overlong and makes the finale extremely short, with many questions actually unanswered, unlike the 1998 documentary The Brandon Teena Story which had covered the same issues. The bloody ending has also for dramatic purposes altered many details, including a real life victim that was completely erased from the plot.

Hilary Swank, on the other hand, provided performance of the lifetime and her Oscar is well-deserved. Actress, until that time best known for relatively short tenure in the main cast of Beverly Hills, 92110, has taken a great risk with difficult and potentially risky role, but that risk paid off. She managed to evoke the sympathy for the character who would otherwise, like in real life, be in many circles greeted with bigotry and homophobia. Chloë Sevigny is also very good in the film and, just like in Kids few years earlier, shown that she was ready to handle roles that deal with sexuality in unconventional and risky way. That included taking part in sex scenes that later became subject of censorship by prudish MPAA ratings board. But the best performance was given by Alicia Goranson in the role of Lisa “Candace” Lambert, kind-hearted young woman forced to grow up too fast.

After premiere, and even after its “Oscar” success, Boys Don’t Cry became subject controversy over some of the script details that show too cavalier attitude towards actual facts. Among the critics were Teena’s mother and Lana Tisdale, who complained about her relationship with Brandon/Teena being portrayed in inaccurate way. Yet, those complaints are now overshadowed by film’s historical significance which, on the other hand, shouldn’t prevent today’s viewers to see it as more than decent piece of low budget independent cinema.

RATING: 6/10 (++)

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3 comments
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Esta película es increíble, me acuerdo cuando la vi, estaba en la playa tenía como 12 años, fue muy imñactabte ver esta realidad, sin embargo me ayudo mucho a comprender esta forma de existir, gracias por recordarmela a traves de esté post.

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Back in the days that was important film for many reasons. Now we have much more data that is available to the public, especially about body dysmorphia.

But the problem denial of sexuality is still current, I would say even more so today, where there are countries that allow small kinds transitioning, get puberty blockers, and cross hormone therapy - which make them infertile in the future.
It is scary, and I would say, that films like this one, are still very important, although I am not certain that the problem in the movie was properly tackled.