R, 1 hr. 56 min. Directed by: Kimberly Peirce. Release Date: October 8, 1999. DVD Release Date: April 18, 2000.
Hilary Swank does some crazy movies, and I'd say if anything has characterized her career, it's that there doesn't really seem to be a pattern, except that I can't recall seeing her in a comedy. Having seen this (and having ignored most of the hype and hate out on the 'net about it) I’m of a mixed mind about what I think. On the one hand, no one should have to go through what Brandon Teena went through. A lot of what he suffered through was because of our lack of understanding for what he was going through and how to handle the situation when it arises. I’ve said it before in this blog and I’ll say it again: the transgendered community is a tough sell for a lot of Americans, and for lots of reasons. No matter what your personal feeling is about the subject, I hope that no one can deny that every person on this planet deserves consideration and respect… and this movie shows how little of either a person like Brandon receives from the people around them.
Now that I’ve said that, there was something that kept me from having complete pity for Brandon. His behavior, especially in the early parts of the film feels a little… predatory. I get why he kept his secret, but I would have had more respect for him if he was dating and open about his situation and aspirations. The film shows Brandon interacting with a lot of women, and none of them knew his secret. Once he weakened their power of choice, I had a bit of a problem with that whole aspect of his life and character. I had a bigger problem when the story expands to show you the lengths that Brandon went to hide his secret from the women in his life. The fairly graphic love scene between Hillary Swank and Chloe Sevigny was shocking, for lack of a family-friendly term. I’m also not sure… well, never mind. Watch the movie and specifically that scene and you’ll probably figure out my question. If you have the answer, I'd LOVE to hear it.
It bothers me a little that I’ve seen two movies on this subject and both of them had similar endings. Both films were based on true stories, and that bothers me even more. Boys Don’t Cry is worth watching. It’s gritty, occasionally gruesome, and is thought provoking in unusual ways. For a lot of people, it might be reality expanding, for good or ill. Hillary Swank definitely earned her chops here, and she wasn’t alone. The entire cast is pretty awesome. My only serious complaint about this movie is that it drags pretty heavily through the midway point of the story. Oh, I’ve kind of wanted to punch Lecy Goranson in the face since she’s started playing Becky in Roseanne… this didn’t change that for me.
