Boys Don’t Cry (1999)

Directed by Kimberly Peirce. Starring Hilary Swank, Chloë Sevigny, Peter Sarsgaard, Brendan Sexton III, Alicia Goranson, Jeannetta Arnette, Matt McGrath, Alison Folland. [R]

Harrowing drama based on the true story of Brandon Teena (Swank), a young transgender man living in rural Nebraska who becomes romantically involved with a woman named Lana (Sevigny), but their white trash friends and family don’t take kindly to Brandon’s secret. Emotionally overwhelming and difficult to watch, the filmmakers unwisely focus too much of the running time on lingering scenes of violence and pain, instead of examining the main relationship and the protagonist’s inner thoughts in greater depth. However, as presented, it’s an undeniably powerful piece, made with gritty authenticity and immediacy, and the cast gets almost uncomfortably deep beneath the skin of these characters, whether tragic or repellent. Swank won an Academy Award for her devastating breakthrough performance. A documentary on the same subject (The Brandon Teena Story) was released the year before.

83/100