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CibbuanoBoys Don't Cry
December 30th 2006 06:11
Boys Don't Cry (1999)
'Boys Don't Cry' tells the true story of one Brandon Teena (or Teena Brandon), a young woman who passed herself off as a boy in mid-west America, and lived life as such, with tragic consequences. The film picks up the story after she has reinvented herself as a male, and we follow her (I'll refer to her as 'her' to save myself any headaches) from here, picking up bits and pieces of her previous life and misdemeanors as we go. Brandon eventually falls in with some small-town 'losers' and gets caught up in their lives... something that we know from the start can only end badly.
This is a fairly low budget, independent film. It's driven by sparse direction accentuates the yawning emptiness of inland America (or any western small-town nowhere). It feels like a wasteland, and therefore it doesn't seem so odd that these everyday characters are doomed. The film is realistic, it doesn't seem to sugarcoat anything and it's not afraid to look at things truthfully. Even though Brandon makes mistakes, and is unflinching in her unwillingness to be female, we feel nothing but shock and disgust in regards to her fate at the hands of intolerance and jealousy.
Hilary Swank was more than worthy of the Oscar she received for playing Brandon. It's a role that could've easily become a caricature in the hands of a lesser actress, and Swank gives a brave performance. Chloe Sevigny is also impressive as the girl who falls for Brandon, understatedly so, and the rest of the relatively indie-film cast are of equal quality.
It's a hard job to review this film. It's not exactly an enjoyable movie, but it grips and burns in your mind nonetheless. Unfortunately, being a true story, we know about the outcome before it happens, so I'm afraid the ending left me numb rather than angry or sad. It's worth watching though for it's gentle yet uncompromising telling of a tragic and fascinating true story.
TRIVIA: Alicia Goranson (Becky from 'Roseanne') auditioned for the role of Brandon unsuccessfully. She was given a supporting role in the film as a consolation prize of sorts.
Chloe Sevigny was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar but lost to Angelina Jolie's performance in 'Girl Interrupted'.
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