I had of course heard of this movie before watching on video, but I didn't know what the plot was about at all. Either 18 is too young to remember something like that, or I've unknowingly lived in a cave for a few years. The movie didn't play in local theaters around here, but I had been dying to see it because of Chloe Sevigny. Ever since her performance in Kids, I've loved to watch her acting, because she brings extreme reality to any role that she plays.
I think I have to give credit where credit is due, though. Hilary Swank was absolutely amazing. For those of you living in that cave with me, here are the basics: Boys Don't Cry was a true story of a girl named Teena Brandon, played by Hilary Swank. Teena was having a self-described "sexual identity crisis" and liked to try to pick up women in bars. She dressed like a man, acted like a man, and sounded like a man. She went under the alias Brandon Teena. Living in the boondocks in Nebraska with some friends she met in a bar, Teena tried desperately to fit in. She hid the fact that she was a woman convincingly. She knew that if the (excuse the term) redneck guys found out what she was doing, they would hurt her. Why did she stay? A girl named Lana, played by Chloe Sevigny.
The setting and its consequences
I was surprised at how well small town life was depicted in this movie. Living in Virginia, I've seen my share of tiny little communities that just seem to sit there. The teenagers within these little corners have nothing better to do than try to catch a buzz in any way that they can, be it alcohol, weed, gasoline, or cans of Reddi-Whip. I hate that way of life, but it's impossible to escape seeing it on a regular basis.
The fact that these small communities are out of the way and rarely paid attention to raises a very frightening idea. The people in them were raised by their parents to stubbornly think the way that their parents and grandparents think. This is where the bigotry and the prejudice comes in. In such a closed-minded atmosphere, it was both amusing and heartbreaking to watch Teena Brandon try to avoid confrontation and suspicion. Backed by her love for Lana, who knew that something was strange, but didn't know what, Teena Brandon lived as a male for as long as she could.
To make a long story short, people found out that Brandon was really a girl, and Teena Brandon certainly suffered more than her share of the consequences. Her lies were all uncovered, and the result of that wasn't pretty.
This movie is certainly an eye-opener. I went through the whole movie thinking how unbelievable it was that this actually happened. I knew that there was injustice in the world, but its roots are planted surprisingly deep.
There were some pretty graphic scenes, and in the movie there was drug use, rape, violence, and some sex and nudity. So this is probably not one to watch with the kids, but I would recommend that you see it regardless. It was an amazingly real movie, with entirely convincing actors, a believable plot, and an important message.
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