Review of Boys Don't Cry (2000) by Greg D — 02 Nov 2010

This film is about more than one woman's life as a man, but about the dangers of human ignorance and intolerance amongst our advancing times. It is more than a love story, but also a gritty, heartbreaking tale of how human beings can befriend people, accept them, and then turn on them when they realize they live a lifestyle distant from what they understand or comprehend.

Hilary Swank's performance was so convincing that at one point, I completely forgot her character was really a woman. Chloe Sevigny and Peter Sarsgaard provide their own actors' touch as small-town relatives, both on opposite sides of the thinking spectrum.

There are many disturbing implications amongst the film's characters, including but not limited to abuse, forced incest and possible domestic violence. You feel for Teena and Lana's deepest desires to escape their small-town hell and strive for something better, more fulfilling, more satisfying.

As an avid fan of films depicting rural small-town America, this was one of the best I've seen in years. An excellent soundtrack making use of a wide range of styles from late-70s alt rock to country, the mood is struck early on and you know you are in for a well-made film birthed from writer/director Kimberly Peirce's drive of passion to make a statement.