Review of Boys Don't Cry (2000) by Calum B — 07 Dec 2012

"Dear Lana, By the time you read this I'll be back home in Lincoln. I'm scared of what's ahead, but when I think of you I know I'll be able to go on. You were right, Memphis isn't that far off. I'll be taking that trip down the highway before too long. I'll be waiting for you. Love always and forever, Brandon.".

The story of the life of Brandon Teena, a transgendered teen who preferred life in a male identity until it was discovered he was born biologically female.

Hilary Swank: Brandon Teena.

Sparsely based on a real-life story of a lesbian transvestite con person who gets wraped up with an alcoholic, two psychotic ex-cons and an out-and-out fruitloop, it's clear from the gloomy start that Boys Don't Cry is going to be far from simple. Bleak, uncompromising and at times plain unpleasant and truthful, the film uses for its source material the true story of Brandon Teena, a girl who just wants to be a boy.

A sex-changing credit sequence sees our hero(ine) at first on the pull, duping a local girl into a bit of sexual activity, and then on the run, when the truth about her sexuality rears its bizarre head.

A fugitive of the law, a certain twist of fate leads to her befriending a bunch of trailer trash misfits and temporarily, enjoying a new-found freedom under her manly identity.

We all know though for certain, it's all going to go horribly wrong - particularly when she falls in love with the local girlie sweetheart, and on this level at least, it does not give in.

Where Boys Don't Cry does go slightly awry is in granting its principle characters such a sparse background elaboration, thus giving us the audience an insufficient insight into some of their motives, and a marginally overlong running time occasionally loses a degree of momentum and stability. Minor quibbles aside, an array of dazzling performances (A nod to Swank) and Peirce's taut direction (the rape scene, harsh but realistic) all mix together to produce a genuinely harrowing experience rivaling many other films that try this same subject matter.

Boys Don't Cry is definitely not for the faint-hearted or squeamish yet also not quite as accomplished as it could have been executed, however, nonetheless a worthy shot and story brought to life that is both fascinating and dark.

Boys Don't Cry should be watched, but it's not one you're going to watch over and over. Recommended to see once or twice and let it linger because without a doubt when you're done, it certainly does.