Boys Don't Cry
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Movie Reviews of Boys Don't Cry
Movie Review: Boys Don't Cry
Summary: 5 Stars
When I first heard about this movie at the 2000 Academy Awards, I knew that I wanted to see it badly, even though I had only a small idea what it was about. It would be about a year and a half before I actually saw it. And the whole way through the movie, I was stunned. I couldn't believe the things that were said and shown in the movie. But I wasn't disgusted or horrified or offended. And that's because everything shocking that was done in this movie was done in a tasteful and non-glamorizing way. And that's how director Kimberly Pierce did a superb job. Not to mention the Oscar-winning acting job by Hilary Swank and Oscar-nominated (should have won) acting by Chloe Sevigny. This movie follows the life of Teena Brandon (Swank) pretending to be Brandon Teena. It shows her/him (whichever way you want to look at it) arriving in a town that hates gay people and trying to fit in as best as he/she can. After a little while, he/she meets Lana (Sevigny). Lana seems like a quiet but strong person and Teena/Brandon is so intrigued by her that they start dating and Lana soon gets the same feelings. Brandon does his best to cover up his tracks but some of the local hicks soon stumble onto the truth and are horrified. So they take Teena out, beat her up, rape her, and eventually kill her. The last half hour/45 minutes are the most important but also sometimes the hardest to watch. The graphic rape scene will probably have a lot of viewers reaching for their eject button on their VCRs but you really should watch the whole movie. As I said, this movie is not glamorizing anything and it's not necessarily in-your-face stuff so don't be intimidated by some of the material. Watching Swank acting in this role, I can only imagine what it must have been like to live this life all through the filming. It must have been hard on her physically and psychologically and that along with her excellent acting is what got her the Oscar. Now, Sevigny went through almost as much and why she didn't win the Oscar baffles me. She worked just as hard and deserved some recognition. So, in the end, you must see this movie. It's controversial for it's subject matter but it's really one of the best movies ever made. If you really have a true appreciation of movies and film, you won't be disgusted or offended by it at all. This really is acting at it's best, directing at it's best, and a movie at it's best.Movie Review: Bigotry or Fetishism are "good" excuses !
Summary: 5 Stars
A very disquieting film that tells a story that seems so unreal that we need to discover, at the very end of it, the fate of the protagonists to believe it is a true story. It is first of all a story about the gender identity of a girl, Teena Brandon, who sees herself as a boy and wants to behave as one, to be one. She manages to go through it all and falls in love with a girl who falls in love with her too, thinking she is a boy. So far so good. But what will happen when her real identity comes out? And that is the drama. The brothers or local boys of the neighborhood of the girl who has fallen in love with Teena Brandon decide to take justice in their own hands. First they teach a lesson to that Teena and rape her ruthlessly. But this ends up in the sheriff's office and that is only the beginning of the end. Then the two boys decide to expedite real justice and they kill Teena along with another girl, and mother, that happens to be there at the wrong moment with her baby. The two culprits will be taken to court, tried, convicted and sentenced. But what can we do with such a tragedy? How can it be possible in our modern world that a gender crisis in the mind of a girl may cause such disorder among the people around her? How come the boys react so violently whereas the girls or even older women seem to be a lot more tolerant? What makes such a gender crisis so dramatic? There is no real answer and simple male bigotry is not enough to explain such events. Is malehood such a privilege, such an unsharable dignity that any woman who will desire to assume some of it for herself will turn the surrounding men into criminals? We are dealing here with sex or gender fetishism. But how come it is stronger among men than among women? Or would it be the same in reverse if a boy tried to assume a female identity? I am not sure. Men must feel particularly menaced by the gender wavering of a female who could thus penetrate the secret citadel of malehood without being a member of the brotherhood. Is it really an old story? Definitely not. It could happen again any time, and I would even say it does happen all the time here or there, openly but probably most of the time unknown of anyone because self-censored by the "culprit" of such wavering.
Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine & University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne
Movie Review: Engrossing....the best movie of the year.
Summary: 5 Stars
Boys don't cry is a powerful portrayal of the life of a young woman experiencing sexual identity crisis. Based on a true story it depicts the events in the life of Teena Brandon (Hilary Swank) offering a thought provoking insight into alternate lifestyles. It delves into the human psyche and combs the inner labyrinths of the human mind to discover some shocking truths very rarely dealt with in the real world. It confronts our deep-rooted fear of accepting the unusual and laments the prevalent intolerance and prejudices that very much are a part of our lopsided system of morals and social conduct. It broadens our horizons and provides us with a more compassionate view towards alternate lifestyles urging us to question the existing hypocrisy and social taboos and view our moral stand in a different light. It is the story of stoic courage, the courage it takes to make a choice and stand by it; the courage it takes to be yourself fighting all odds and overcoming the gnawing fear of rejection. It is the story of hope, of love, of gaining triumph over all your fears and doubts to emerge as the person you want to be and live as. It is also a saga of pain and suffering caused by constant rejection and the clash between the inner spirit and that tamed by the society. The narrative begins as a forthright and moving portrayal of the confused mind of Teena Brandon who feels like a man trapped in a woman's body. As we start understanding Teena Brandon we are introduced to a group of wild, self - destructive youngsters living everyday in a drug - induced stupor. This becomes Brandon's newest circle of friends. Here Brandon also finds true love when he meets Lana (Academy Award nominee for best supporting actress - Chloe Sevigny). For the first time in his life Brandon finds himself embraced by a person who loves him defiantly and accepts him completely with the earnest compassion of a true soul mate. This sets off a bizarre chain of events and as the narrative gathers momentum the stage is set for an intense climax to explode. The culmination of this very powerful drama is shocking, unnerving and thought provoking all at the same time. Hilary Swank renders a heart-warming performance for which she won the Academy Award for best actress. Chloe Sevigny is charming with her lucid acting style and fluid grace.Movie Review: Outstanding Performances - Wonderful Direction - Must See !
Summary: 5 Stars
Warning : This review reveals critical plot points.From what I've read and seen, Kimberly Pierce fell in love with Brandon Teena. It's that simple. She said as much on "Charlie Rose" and in different publications. It is this kind of forth-right and brave honesty that has allowed her to make such an amazingly powerful film.
Most of us already know about the awards and accolades. Hilary Swank acted her way to an Academy Award, Chloe Sevigny to a nomination. It made just about everyone's top 10 list. It got the Big Thumbs Up from Roger Ebert. It won Golden Globes and IFP/West Independent Spirit awards. The list goes on, multiple Film Fest inclusions, etc.
People - there is a reason for all the hoop-la.
This is, quiet honestly, the most powerful film to hit the American landscape since "Deer Hunter".
It is brutal in it's honesty and highly emotional in it's story-telling.
Hilary Swank ( previously known for a stint on "Beverly Hills 90210" and a starring role in "The Next Karate Kid" ) deserves every award she's been given. She turns in a standing-ovation of a performance. Nuanced and gentle, swaggering and tough, you will believe that people accepted Brandon as a man, there's no doubt. Hilary Swank became Brandon Teena, they are inseparable.
Chloe Sevigny ( from "Kids" and more recently "If These Walls Could Talk 2" and "American Psycho" ) also turns in an amazing performance as Brandon's girlfriend.
There is raw emotion and electricity traveling between these young actresses and it lights up the screen.
The vision, though, belongs to Kimberly Pierce. She's done an outstanding job directing this film - allowing it to be both brutal ( the rape scene ) and beautiful ( Lana and Brandon making love ).
I walked away feeling drained, and I will admit it, a little depressed. I couldn't talk about the film for days, it moved me so personally.
You may end up shaking your head, unbelieving, but this is a true story, based on real people. That makes it all the more touching.
This film is highly recommended. It's one of the best Independent ( or mainstream for that matter ) Films ever made.
You will be moved, that is certain.
Best
Movie Review: Being different in Fly-Over Country
Summary: 5 Stars
After applauding Hilary Swank's Best Actress Academy Award for her role in MILLION DOLLAR BABY, I thought I'd better rent BOYS DON'T CRY, for which Swank also received an Oscar. Where have I been that I haven't seen it until now?
Here, Swank plays Teena Brandon, a 21-year old woman with female genitalia but the sexual inclinations of a male. Ultimately, she'd like a sex change. In the meantime, she cuts her hair short, wraps up her breasts, pads the crotch of her jeans, renames herself Brandon Teena, and sets out to pick-up chicks. Now, in my corner of the world - Southern California - one could pull this off with panache. Trouble is, Brandon lives in Nebraska, and she eventually runs afoul of a couple of good ol' boys, John (Peter Sarsgaard) and Tom (Brandon Sexton), the former being the erstwhile boyfriend of Lana (Chloe Sevigny), the girl with whom Brandon develops a love relationship. The violence John and Tom eventually visit upon Brandon/Teena gives your average bigot a bad name, and reminds me why Nebraska is Flyover Country, especially when it's not pigskin season and the locals don't have Cornhusker football to keep them occupied. (Ok, ok. I admit I'm being unfair to Nebraska. After all, I'm not from Oklahoma and a Sooner fan.)
Swank's role in BOYS DON'T CRY is, in many ways, grittier and incorporates more extremes of emotion than that in MILLION DOLLAR BABY. At times, I winced and slowly sunk down in my seat, much as I did as I watched Charlize Theron's bravura performance in MONSTER, and MILLION DOLLAR BABY never elicited that reaction. Here, Hilary elevates what might otherwise be a 3 or 4-star soap opera about the lives of trailer trash to 5-star heights.
The sad part is that BOYS DON'T CRY is based on a true story. At the time the film was released, the real-life John and Tom were serving prison sentences. As for Teena, well, it's a shame she didn't live in a more tolerant, cosmopolitan environment. For some, the great empty space of America's Heartland is not the place to be.