Boys Don't Cry
Boys Don't Cry
R | 22 October 1999 (USA)
Boys Don't Cry Trailers

A young transgender man explores his gender identity and searches for love in rural Nebraska.

Reviews
ThiefHott

Too much of everything

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InformationRap

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

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FirstWitch

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

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Ginger

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

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krocheav

When movie makers produce stories like this - with a claim to be based on a true story, they should also be made to tell us: 'With lashings of added fiction'. This highly unpleasant, nasty work seems to be made by and for the transgender set and tends to manipulate facts for its own outcome (as they often do). The audience is not told anything about the main female character, Teena, before she decided to dress up as a boy, to now become Brandon. We first see her being groomed for her boys-night-out by another male friend - who, very clearly sees the danger ahead and warns her not to indulge in this foolishness. But, our girl, who feels like a boy, goes headlong into her own folly to test the ground - taking herself off to the rough spots looking for 'fun' This is a bad move, indeed a deadly move - not just for her but everyone that she selfishly attempts to 'fool'. For the genuine transgender person, there are many things that need to be done before diving into these situations! This rather impish looking kid would have a difficult time convincing another girl she was a boy, let alone the foul-mouthed moronic pub crowd she pushes her way into. These druggie-drunks, have little better to do for kicks than ride in the open backs of utilities, hanging onto ropes while doing high-speed wheelies. This mob invite her for some dangerous rough-ridin'-tough- guy fun. So, what would we expect our nice 'sensitive' kid to do?... why, gung-ho jump at the idea of course! Excited at the idea of getting it off with some chicks - she invites herself to join this nice, bored-witless boozy group. Out of these, she/he picks another blokes tag-a-long-girlfriend, creating tragedy for all. The brutal violence is over the top with a repugnant rape that goes on for far too long (as does everything in this sensationalized exploitation flick). Hillary Swank is out to get her Academy Award as she throws herself at the mercy of the writers and director – who pull out all stops in perverse Hollywood fashion. Court cases challenging the movie makers with falsified facts ensured but, a gullible public paid to see this grotesque, Sundance creation and some even praised it – more's the pity.

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ian

I am astonished at the high rating for this film. This is a movie whose makers cynically exploited the deaths of three people for their own ends, profit being the major one. Just consider the following.The Lana character, based on a real-life person as all of the characters are, is shown as being present at the murders. She wasn't and in fact sued the makers for saying she was there and also for depicting her as continuing to date Brandon after she discovered he was in fact a she. That's a lie too.How reckless and irresponsible is it to put someone at the scene of a murder they weren't at? The police could have arrested her and accused her of lying to them. I'm sure she had an alibi but what if she didn't? This girl could have ended up in prison as an accessory just because the idiotic movie company figured it would make a better story to place her there.The film turns Brandon into someone he wasn't. This woman/man was a total sociopath. He didn't care who he hurt or what damage he did to people as long as he could "explore" his sexuality. He could have been upfront with girls he was dating, explained the situation, but no, Brandon was the only one that mattered. People he sucked into his orbit ended up frightened, confused, nauseated or even dead. This guy was a danger to anyone he came into contact with. No, he didn't deserve to die but I'll keep my sympathy for the young mother and the unfortunate young man who ended up murdered as a direct result of meeting or befriending Brandon.The movie paints Brandon as a tortured transgender and that is correct, he was. What they leave out is his callous disregard for anyone but himself. But the movie makers don't care about Brandon, he's there to be exploited. He's there for Hilary Swank to use to get herself an Oscar in probably the hammiest and least-deserved Oscar-winning performance ever. But she didn't get the Oscar for acting, she got it because she was playing a murdered transgender, it was a PC role with an Oscar automatically attached to it. Anyone could have played it and still won the Oscar.Oh, except a real transgender. Hollywood will only go so far for political correctness. God forbid they should use the Real Thing.

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brekalo_rtf

I love to run into some independent gem of a project like this. Otherwise, based on the true story of a young transsexual who was killed 1993rd year this movie is very good view of such problems, and great adversity and illustrates the problems that these people face. Although I am quite conservative in terms of such things, and therefore I long refused to look at this little masterpiece is incredible influence on me and I pretty much touched. Watching him, I realized that I watched it a long time ago but it seems to me not entirely. Filmed for "all" $ 2,000,000 this movie exudes emotion and crawl under the skin of the viewer as much as he is conservative and a cold heart. Starring double Oscar winner Hilary Swank, which is just for this movie won one of his two Oscars. And deservedly so, its transformation and acting are perfect, I think this is what really hard to fake it, one has to change the look and physiognomy but the other is able to behave like the opposite sex as Hilary here makes perfect. When I watched it for the first time, it seems to me, I did not know that role is played by a woman, but I thought it was a boy, it speaks for itself, and now I do not know Swank question whether I could discern whether the actor or actress. Swank's role or get in front of hundreds of candidates and interesting way, lies. She lied about her age in fact when they asked her why she did it she said she would do the same and Brandon (the main protagonist of the film, which often has a lie in order to conceal his true identity). A film that leaves you breathless and which will, I believe, always be current because of the sensitive topics he covers. I think that movie, without exaggeration, has the power to make the viewer a better person because it knows how to win the sympathy of the same that simply must develop empathy with the main character, whether he wants it or not. Not many movie like this can get into the psyche of the viewer, forcing some to reconsider their views and thoughts, and they may even change. Once again, all praise DIRECTOR Peirce, Swank and other cast in this superb achievement. Great recommendation for all, even for those most committed

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freemantle_uk

Boys Don't Cry is a brutal, hard hitting drama about the tragic story of Brandon Teena (Hilary Swank), a young woman with gender identity disorder and aims to live her life as a man. With a history of juvenile delinquency and social rejection from a homophobic, ill-informed community Brandon finds acceptance in Fall City, Nebraska, finding friends with a group and even love with Lana Tisdel (Chloe Sevigny). But when Brandon's secret is discovery it leads to rejection, violence, rape and murder.Boys Don't Cry is an extremely well acted, well directed film, particularly from Swank and Sevigny who had very tough roles. Director Kimberly Peirce gives Boys Don't Cry a very tight, claustrophobic feel with her close direction in small settings and she does not shy away with the brutality when showing the violence and the horrific rape scene.Boys Don't Cry is a very raw, powerful film and a fine example of American independent filmmaking as we get a film about acceptance, love and prejudice.

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