Review of Boys Don't Cry (2000) by Paulita C — 07 Aug 2011

Nothing short of full blown heart wrenching, pit-of-the-stomach empathetic cinema, and it's all possible because of the uncompromising and unsurpassed Kimberly Peirce and Hilary Swank.

The striking story of a man, who was tragically born a woman, flows through the actors with ease and a disturbingly coarse elegance. Brandon Teena, Hilary Swank's finest more pure role to date, is a dimensional and wholly real character; complete with cracks and sharp edges. Using simplistic expression and body language to become a man, Swank managed to defy audiences and actually BE a man for most of the duration of the film. The impact and force of Swank's emotions drove the entire story and formed a pragmatic relationship with Chloe Sevigny's Lana. Sevigny, commonly known for her off-the-cuff indie roles, broke down all the walls of "supporting" character, and stood resolutely against the back-drop of Nebraska-freed, broken, gorgeous, ordinary, delicate, bursting. When mentioning those snubbed at the Oscars, Sevigny should always be listed primarily, not only because she created a character so wretchedly real, but because she was still the angelic force, the unfamiliar loveliness, that kept the film so exclusively mystic and magical. Down to earth and exceptionally betraying, the film's tone manages to never stray from authenticity; either a soft enjoyment of romance, or a pounding fury with life's futility. No matter what is being felt, it is being experienced by the audience too.

Peter Sarsgard, Brandan Sexton, Alison Folland, Alicia Goranson, and Jeanetta Arnette all deserve their individual sentences, whether describing how masterfully they manage to terrify or how innocently they evoke tenderness, but my skipping over their descriptions simply means they are too intricate and individual to express.

Without the charming and harrowing screenplay there would be no brilliance to discuss, no heart-break to mend, but beyond this, without Kimberly Peirce there would be no "Boys Don't Cry". Her devotion to the complete portrayal of Brandon was the ultimate success of the film. Not once did she compromise the character's emotional state, rather she found an array of images and framing choices to complete what would have otherwise been campy or simply "B". Moments of complete immersion in Lana and Brandon's love were left rolling; not cut for censorship, but shown for what it was. Peirce made the film whole, and let the audience revel in what a boy is.

Overall, "Boys Don't Cry" was a work of character, not simply the perfection created by Swank and Sevingy, but the work of all the film's gifted actors and perceptive director. A must see film for every child who is confused, for every adult with a prejudice, for every person who has ever loved a film, and for anyone who needs to be shown a gritty and ingenuous honesty.