Boys Don't Cry Reviews

Probably one of the most depressing movies i have ever seen, too bad it was based on a true story, otherwise i wouldn't put myself in that position if it weren't true.
And the fact that it's a depressing movie not only because it have a sad ending like most movies, it's a sad tale from start to finish, the events never picks up to be playful and funny, it's just sad.

It's a tale of Teena Brandon, a lesbian girl who decide to get a boy hair cut, stuff her jeans with a pair of socks and compress her breast against her body so she can look like a boy, she decide to reverse her name to Brandon Teena and go out to bars and meet girls, she's also a felon, she's involved in grand theft auto and have a big court date waiting, she stays with her friend in his house and hoping to make enough money to get a sex change operation.

After having sex with a girl in her town, the girl's brothers chase her to her friend house, so her friend kicks her out for keep getting him in troubles, so she meets a girl that takes her to Falls city to meet her friends, so she stays there for couple of weeks and fall in love with Lana Tisdel, so since she fell in love, she decided not to go to her city and stays here, so she missed the court date, and the police issue a warrant for her arrest, so Lana Tisdel visited her in jail and found out that she was in women jail, so Teena tell her that she has a sexual identity crisis but Lana doesn't care so she takes her out of the jail, things evolve and Lana friends -John and Tom- find out that Teena is a girl pretending to be a guy, so they take her and rape her and tell her not to tell, otherwise they kill her, so Lana takes her to the police station and report the crime, so John and Tom go to the house she stayed in and kill her.

Two things i don't get, one: why after John and Tom raped her, she didn't run away and went back to her city, and Two: why John and Tom weren't arrested when Teena reported them to the police.

These things are kinda confusing but they say that "Truth is stranger than fiction" so i think she was naive and that got her killed, or she felt that she doesn't have a place to go, either way it's a depressing movie that makes you feel bad about everything.

One thing i have to mention is the amazing portrayal of Teena Brandon by Hilary Swank, not only the physical look but also the way she walked, talked and everything, i lost all my sexual fantasies when i saw her in that state and i also felt uncomfortable watching the many sex scenes that happened which is kinda why the movie score so low with me.

I've seen too many movies about real life stories of people getting killed, but i never felt so depressed, the reason why, because at least most of those people had an interesting life (or at least the movies made them interesting), here the director isn't even trying to make you entertained, it's like "hey, here you go, these are the facts, deal with them" so i really don't recommend to anyone to watch this movie, unless they really have to.

Based on a true story, the film denounces homophobia and intolerance in the American heartland. The story is tough, uncompromising, though somewhat superficial, to the detriment of greater psychological depth to the characters, something emphasized in its final form shown too gimmicky.

The most valued and possibly the best, the good performance of its performers, featuring Choe Sevigny and, above all, the main protagonist, Hillary Swank.

The effect is that of a champagne bottle once opened. To have a great script in hand, the film, but it looks good, it loses strength to finish in the lament of what might have been and stayed on the road...

I already saw this movie but since it was a while back, I was really eager to check it out again. First of all, you can say whatever you want about Hilary Swank but she was really amazing in this movie. I mean, back then, she basically came out of nowhere and completely blew us away with her breakthrough performance and she deservedly won an Oscar for her work. Unfortunately, it's too bad that, except for ‘Million Dollar Baby’, she usually picked up some rather disappointing movies after that. Anyway, Swank was not the only good thing concerning this movie though. Indeed, this story was really heartbreaking and the directing was very good as well. On top of that, it was also a beautiful love story but we live in an ignorant and intolerable world and this love tale didn't last and did end up with a terribly deprissing outcome. Concerning Kimberly Peirce, the promising director of this impressive first feature, unfortunately, she has managed to make only one movie in the following 13 years ('Stop-Loss' which definitely had some potential but it was still a failure). It is a real shame since she seems to be really talented. Anyway, it is a very good drama based on a heartbreaking true story and if you don't mind getting depressed while watching a movie, it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

"You want your mother to lock you up again, is that it? Is that what you want? Then why don't you just admit your a dyke?"

Based on actual events, the critically-acclaimed Boys Don't Cry tells the heartbreaking true story of a young woman suffering from a "sexual identity crisis". 20-year-old Teena Brandon (Swank) does not perceive herself as a woman. She sexually desires other females, but she doesn't consider herself a lesbian - rather, she sees herself as a heterosexual man, and decides to live life under the alias of Brandon Teena. Biologically, she was a woman. In all other respects, however, Brandon was male. In 1993, Brandon moved to a small town where a low-rent group accept him for what they believe him to be, and he even manages to charm the beautiful Lana (Sevigny).

All is peachy until the truth about Brandon's biology is unearthed, and he quickly realises how fast things can change. The majority of the runtime for Boys Don't Cry chronicles Brandon's entrance into his new group of friends as well as his blossoming relationship with Lana. The final quarter, however, details how those who had previously accepted him into their "family" react to the realisation that Brandon's identity is complicated in a way that they could never have expected, and how this leads to horrific violence. Said violence that is unleashed upon Brandon is ultimately a crime of frustration and confusion, and it makes a disturbing statement about the Midwestern attitude towards homophobia. It's the direct result of unthinking men who find themselves unable to deal with the rupture of sexual identity posed by Brandon. In this way, Teena Brandon is a symbol of everyone who is unable to neatly fit into the presupposed categories in the culture of everyday life.

There comes a point as Boys Don't Cry nears its dénouement when Lana is asked to admit her lesbianism; echoing a point at the beginning of the film in which Teena is asked to accept hers. But neither person is able to. Put in conjunction, these two scenes solidify the point that Brandon was a man who loved women and Lana was a woman who loved men. Neither was homosexual - it was simply a matter of the fact that neither had the facilities (or the funds) to complete Brandon's natural physical transition into manhood to match his mental state. In another masterstroke, the screenplay - penned by director Kimberly Peirce and Andy Bienen - never attempts to disguise the fact that behind his forced happiness, Brandon was deeply troubled. He had a history of theft and petty crime, on top of a tendency to be dishonest. For the most part, the film sticks closely to the facts presented in the 1998 documentary The Brandon Teena Story. The story has been slightly altered, of course, but most of the characters and events are accurately presented. Certainly, none of these alternations dilute or diminish the movie's brutal impact.

First-time feature film director Peirce has assembled her motion picture in a straightforward but compelling fashion. Her direction is calm and assured; affording a leanness to the imagery which stands in direct contrast to the emotional complexities of the characters. Furthermore, Boys Don't Cry is masterfully imbued with naturalistic and mechanical imagery which compounds the sense of the characters' hopelessness. Peirce accentuates their despair by speeding up the film stock from time to time, and, while this sped-up footage unfolds, the characters observe in a stone-like stasis. Boys Don't Cry certainly earns its 'R' rating - it's emotionally fatiguing and visceral. Peirce did not intend for the film to be seen by those unwilling to confront the horrific results of intolerance and hatred. The audience is spared of nothing - every graphic detail of every indignity endured by Brandon is presented onscreen. Those who cannot stomach such scenes will find this movie nigh on unwatchable, while others will be rewarded with a potent filmic experience.

Boys Don't Cry does go slightly awry, however, in granting its principle characters such a small amount of background; providing insufficient insight into many of their motives. While one can sympathise with the deeply troubled Brandon, Peirce never explains the WHY. The story begins with Brandon's makeover, but the turning point is unclear, with no flashbacks and little history. It takes longer than usual to immerse oneself into this particular world due to this, on top of the fact that throughout the marginally overlong runtime, the film occasionally loses a degree of momentum. As for the rest, Boys Don't Cry is a superbly-crafted re-enactment, but it's doubtful one will come away loving it. It's one of those remarkable films one loves and hates at the same time, and one of those movies one doesn't particularly wish to see again.

Another great success of Boys Don't Cry is the phenomenal acting. The cast, which was comprised primarily of small-time actors of the time, is close to perfect. The lion's share of the praise belongs to Hilary Swank, who, with her short hair cut and wrapped chest, bears a remarkable resemblance to the real Brandon Teena. This is raw, courageous, compelling work - it's the performance of the career for Swank, who earned an Oscar. More than anything else, Swank convinces us of her character's masculinity, much as Brandon did in real life, and it triggers questions about the signifiers we commonly ascribe to the gender. What makes a man a man? What makes a woman a woman? There are no easy answers here. The supporting actors alongside Swank are more than capable. Chloë Sevigny is remarkable as the affection-staved Lana. Swank's chemistry with Sevigny is the film's foundation - if the two lead actors were unable to sell the relationship, the whole film would have slid into a crater of sensationalism. But it works tremendously, and their scenes together are both erotic and sweet. Peter Sarsgaard rounds out the triangle of central characters as the sociopathic John. Sarsgaard manages the inexplicable: he gives his hateful character human dimensions.

Through her script and focused direction, Peirce has taken great pains to avoid even the slightest hint of exploitation with Boys Don't Cry. Ultimately, through an array of dazzling performances and her skilful exertions, she has created a genuinely harrowing cinematic experience. It's not quite as accomplished as it could have been, but it's nonetheless a worthy endeavour that's as fascinating as it is darkly disturbing.

8.3/10

This film totally blew me away. This is one of the single most powerful films that have ever been made. There are a lot of powerful films that I love but there aren't that many which I could probably watch over and over again. I am glad to say that this is one of them that I could. I knew I needed to have a clear mind of what to expect with this film but it was too horrific to not like. This was a massive anticipation for me because of the dialogue and also because it was a true story and I love bio-pics. I think it has to be one of the hardest films that I have evern watched. I was left speechless at the end of this film which is something that doesn't happen very often to me. It is a film that starts like it is going to have a very dangerous and hard-hitting conclusion especially Brandon's real identity. It is a film that is a rather disturbing experience that is quite good. It is a beautiful film at the same time because it shows love despite of how different a person is. It was made at a great year don't get me wrong but I think they might have filmed it a little too soon after the real-life event occurred. The film was made in 1999 but the the real-life events happened in 1993. It is like World Trade Center and United 93 because a true story is filmed too soon after the real-life event occurred. Boys Don't Cry is another masterpiece that has been made in the best year in cinema of all time: 1999. I think 1999 will always be my favourite year in cinema.


Hilary Swank delivers an absolutely perfect performance as Brandon Teena/Teena Brandon. I think it will always be Swank's best performance. She said herself that playing Brandon was the biggest challenge she's ever had and probably always will have. She earned a lot of great glory after her performance including an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Actress. Despite her Oscar and Golden Globe she did surprise me because there has never been an actress playing a real-life person of the opposite sex in a true story. Chloë Sevigny's performance as Lana was such a powerful performance just like Swank's. There was a lot of commitment Sevigny had to deal with in this one because of the lesbian sex scenes with Hilary Swank and especially having to pretend Hilary Swank and Brandon Teena is a boy but is really a girl biologically. It's weird because to Lana, it is heterosexual love and romance she has with Brandon but to Brandon and to the viewers of the film it is lesbian love.


This has an extremely underrated director. The director's debut was an absolutely mindblowing one. Also, it's underrated because the director is a woman: Kimberley Peirce. She also wrote the script for this masterpiece. I think it's weird because there aren't that many female directors who make such masterpieces of filmmaking. Kimberley Peirce for Boys Don't Cry and Sofia Coppola for Lost In Translation are the only two masterpieces that were made by women. I was blown away by how sexually graphic it was. There was a lot of crude nudity and sexual violence involved too especially with the rape scene.


Boys Don't Cry is one of the best films of 1999. It is Hilary Swank's best performance and probably always will be. Boys Don't Cry is one of the most powerful, gut-retching and mindblowing films that have ever been made. It is a favourite of mine and my review says it all.

this movie is so sad. i just cant lebive tht there are ppl out there who judge otherppl on how they want to live thier lifes. im going to admit tht this movie made me cry. this just proves tht this world has a lot of hate and not enough of understanding to go around for those how are misunderstode. if dont likfe this move then u have no heart. if a girl wants to be a guy let them. if a guy wants to be a girl then let them. i know ppl who hate them. well i guess thts all i have to say about this movie o and u have to like i mean come on.