X
- 1999
- R
- Searchlight Pictures
- 1 h 58 m
- 1999
- R
- Searchlight Pictures
- 1 h 58 m
Summary Based on a true story, Brandon Teena (Swank) is the popular new "guy" in a tiny Nebraska town and falls in love with local girl Lana (Sevigny). When it is revealed that Brandon is actually a woman, Lana's family and friends put Brandon's life in jeopardy.
Directed By: Kimberly Peirce
Written By: Andy Bienen, Kimberly Peirce
- 1999
- R
- Searchlight Pictures
- 1 h 58 m
- 1999
- R
- Searchlight Pictures
- 1 h 58 m
Boys Don't Cry
7.4
Where to Watch
Summary Based on a true story, Brandon Teena (Swank) is the popular new "guy" in a tiny Nebraska town and falls in love with local girl Lana (Sevigny). When it is revealed that Brandon is actually a woman, Lana's family and friends put Brandon's life in jeopardy.
Directed By: Kimberly Peirce
Written By: Andy Bienen, Kimberly Peirce
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 33 Critic Reviews
86
97% Positive
32 Reviews
32 Reviews
3% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 33 Critic Reviews
86
97% Positive
32 Reviews
32 Reviews
3% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
It's Swank, however, who's the revelation. By the end, her Brandon/Teena is beyond male or female. It's as if we were simply glimpsing the character's soul, in all its yearning and conflicted beauty.
There may not be a better- acted film this year.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 111 User Ratings
7.4
80% Positive
89 Ratings
89 Ratings
14% Mixed
15 Ratings
15 Ratings
6% Negative
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 111 User Ratings
7.4
80% Positive
89 Ratings
89 Ratings
14% Mixed
15 Ratings
15 Ratings
6% Negative
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
Accurate fusion of road movie and identity sexual crisis that shows how preveals in our times the intolerance against the LGBT community. The movie that put Hillary Swank on the spotlight. Well deserved.
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Peirce's taut, sure-footed first film sidesteps sensationalism without sacrificing any of the story's wonder and horror
A haunting, superbly made film. But it's also an unrelentingly sad and depressing experience.
To watch Sevigny's Lana slowly thaw to Brandon is to see the transformative, heartbreaking power of romance in a way that Hollywood is rarely able to capture anymore.
Swank gives one of the year's most complex and hard-hitting performances in the demanding central role.
Cry Your Heart Out.
Boys Don't Cry
Pierce's heartbreaking biography is an uncompromising quest of finding the truth, and just like it, it is hard to swallow, amazing to experience and leaves you shook at the brisk of your seat. The film feels documented than it feels performed. The wallop of drama it whirls you around with is no entertainment, the sincerity of the material in its mannerism can easily be filtered, it definitely narrows itself down to those hard facts and figures that will question humanity. The entire script is dipped into that very idea and yet is beyond that, and even though Pierce keeps his world surrounded by pathos ideologies, it never grows manipulative. Addition to that, the film feeds itself on elements rather than antics.
These elements breeds the character into their incongruent surrounding instead of the other way around, which is something what the real life based characters went through with their lives. Swank, arguably, at the ignition of her career, snatches away the film from any other. Her riveting performance is testament to her hard work and commitment to such a complex character. The boyishness charm that she adores in front of a mirror or when she flirts blatantly with conviction, is something very vulnerable and mesmerizing to experience.
Supporting her thoroughly is Sevigny in her portrayal that has the potential to challenge her on screen with a half crooked smile and, yes, sanity. Both these figures on screen, creates a fragile emotionally fueled scene around this edgy world, that almost seemed impossible, even a first touch is glorified with high stakes hanging in balance that makes you smile with a cathartic feeling in this not-so-questionable world. Boys Don't Cry will prove you wrong, it still rubbles me down whenever there is a recognition of reality in Swank's eyes, it is a rare cinematic art.
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Boys Don't Cry (which was release on October 8, 1999) has an heartbreaking true life story about Brandon Teena, who is a transgender-man (female-to-male non-operative transgender man).
The picture explores the themes of freedom, courage, identity and empowerment. The film was directed and written by an (previously) unknown female film director Kimberley Price. The movie title was actually named after a song of the same name by an English rock band called The Cure. It's a of those films involving a same-sex relationship just like Brokeback Mountain (2005).
Hilary Swank is a "down-to-earth" movie actress who portrayed the role as Brandon Teena. Here's an interesting fact about her role: To prepare for the role, she lived her life as a man for about a month, including wrapping her chest in tension bandages and putting socks down the front of her pants much the same way that Brandon Teena did. I believe this is the main reason why her portrayal was so outstanding. Boys Don't Cry was the film that made Hilary Swank into Hollywood **** performance in this film earned her her first Oscar for best actress. She deserved it.
This is a true story about Brandon Teena and it takes place in 1993. He is the popular new dude in the small Nebraska town of Falls City. He hangs out with the guys, drinking, cussing, and bumper surfing, and he charms the young women, who've never met a more sensitive and considerate young man. He even loves hanging out in gas stations and roller rinks. Life is pretty good for Brandon now that he's one of the guys.
He also develops a relationship with a blonde beauty named Lana Tisdel (played by Chloe Sevigny). However, he doesn't mention to his friends and girlfriend that he is actually a trans man. Later in the film, his friends discover that Brandon is actually a woman. He is brutally **** and beaten by two of his friends (which of course actually happened and it doesn't count as a spoiler if anybody has heard about Brandon Teena's story). Her life, as shown in the movie, became tormented (If you are wondering about the torment, you all have to watch the full movie for yourselves).
There is a scene in the film that employs a great cinematography structure technique inspired by a scene from Victor Fleming's" The Wizard of OZ (1939)". In the Oz film, the cinematography structure technique is in the scene where Dorothy exits her house and steps into Munchkin land.
In Boys Don't Cry, the technique is reflected in the scene in which the audience see Brandon Teena enter a roller rink and the song "Just the Way That I Needed" by The Cars is playing. After a shot of the character, he then seen walking through the door. The viewer sees the door opening; the character goes through, the door, and the viewer go through the door. The way that they used this cinematography technique is really fascinating due to the cinematic inspiration.
The first time I watched this movie, I was so impressed by the powerful acting of the characters. The skills of the main cast playing really make the movie. Any great film based on a true story should always hire actors and actresses with great acting talent and skills. If an actor or actress doesn't have the necessary skills, the role could turn out badly just like Faye Dunaway's (even though I still think she is an amazing actress) role as Joan Crawford in "Mommy Dearest (1981)".
Boys Don't Cry is undoubtedly eighth best film of 1999 on my list of top ten best films of 1999. The story in the film was specifically and wonderfully written by Kimberly Price. The film depicts very well a true life story, just like several other true life depictions in: "Malcolm X", "Ray", "Alive","Lincoln", and "Raging Bull".
"I highly recommend this movie for people, who like movies such as Brokeback Mountain and especially films that are based on true stories"." I give this film a 4 out of 4 spectacular stars!"
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this movie is a heartbreaking retelling of a brutal true crime. a story about bravery, self and love. the performances were captivating when they weren't sobering. it takes it time to form it's characters so that it can deliver itself with subtlety. hillary swank was phenomenal as the naive doe eyed brandon whilst chloe an oscillating red haired mess,absoluely brilliant.
the movie falls short in many ways. firstly the pacing is slow and laborious. the editing can be listless dwelling on shots that add nothing to the story it was telling. lastly the penultimate hate crime is show in all it's brutality in a way that feels gratuitous and exploitive, we honestly did not need to see that
overall 'boys don cry' is important more for the story it tells and performances than for being a good movie. I don't find it necessary ,enjoyable or great. but it is a classic far from being a let down.
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I missed part of this film but what I saw of it I thought was unbearably pretentious filmmaking which is not to say I think that gals who would rather live as guys are all full of sh**. I watch a lot of movies and as a result I have seen quite a few documentaries on the subject going in both directions. I think that filmmakers skirt over the top of this type of thing and misidentify overacting with strong content. Life's a whole lot of things and I suppose it doesn't lend itself well to being encapsulated in a 90 minutes frame with any degree of depth. The documentaries I've seen are very anecdotal-which is unavoidable-but they leave me feeling like the people who made them had a neutral opinion rather than being pro or con. This film is definitely pro but it also shows the persons life to e a mire of emotional turmoil which is frustrating to deal with as a viewer. Like I said, I missed part of **** much of the film is valid emotional struggle and how much is self indulgent submersion in emotional trenches the same way a drug user submerses themselves in the world of their drug is not a question this film asks. It left me wanting to watch a cops & robbers film.
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This movie it was ok what i don't like in this movie is the brutal **** scene , but i don't like the Director ,Kimberly Peirce is Crazy who had the stupid idea of this call ,this is not funny there is a lot of Children Abuse in the world ,Kimberly Peirce the only thing she want is money for this crazy call , when ONG listen this call they want be happy ****/watch?v=MPTHdG-Db_E&feature=plcp
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Production Company
Searchlight Pictures,
The Independent Film Channel Productions,
Killer Films,
Hart Sharp Entertainment
Release Date Oct 8, 1999
Duration 1 h 58 m
Rating R
Tagline A true story about finding the courage to be yourself.
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
Golden Globes, USA
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards
• 5 Wins & 6 Nominations
