30 Second Bottom Line: A 20-year-old woman with a sexual identity crisis is attacked in a small midwestern town because she is viewed as a freak.

Story Line: Set in Lincoln, Nebraska in the early 90’s, we find out what it’s like to be born with both male and female genitalia, and not know what to do about it. This is no freak show movie. It takes a sober and everyday look at Teena (Hilary Swank), who knows she needs a sex change. Although her real name is Teena Brandon, she identifies herself as Brandon Teena, a male. She and her friends have a mentality and lack of knowledge that limits their horizons to rough bars and working the night shift at the local canning factory. Clearly, they will not get along over an extended period of time.

Teena has a wild streak, committing small crimes that keep her in trouble. She likes to party as a guy…a whole lot. That may be OK in San Francisco or other large cities, if you know where to go and not to go, but there is no right place to go in Lincoln. As she bar hops with the pool shooting, cowboy hat wearing crowd, your feelings are set on edge, as you know this is not the place for the wrong person to compete for the ladies… especially those most sought after.

Teena travels 70 miles to Falls City with some new friends who work hard and party harder. Teena, acting as a man, catches the eye of a beautiful local lady, Lana (Chloe Sevigny). Just the thought of how the guys would react sends a chill up your spine.

Tell Me More About It: You can see where the story is going, even if you know nothing about the news articles upon which the movie is based. It’s like seeing the first part of Dead Man Walking (Sean Penn). That is, what makes people do what they do? Just how fragile are our egos?

When parents are not fully supportive of their children who need special services, is it realistic to expect society to help? Do we only react to potentially explosive situations when something unthinkable happens, like a 6-year-old who has pulled the trigger?

There is less violence in this film than your average James Bond movie, but it hits you much harder. Boys Don’t Cry is American cinematic art in the vein of American Beauty, but not shined up to look so pretty. One is a horror movie and the other a dark, comedic commentary on American life; one takes place on the industrial side of the tracks and the other where the $50,000 SUV’s are parked.

Based on a true story, the movie is an eerily accurate representation of a documentary available at the local video store on Teena Brandon. Boys Don’t Cry is easily one of the best films of the year and is not to be missed.

Mini Filmography