When a movie gets the label "based on actual events" or something of that kind, then I'm already extra careful. Most of the time this kind of movies ends up to be some mellow tearjerker / TV-movie which went straight to video because it wasn't good enough to make it to the cinema. Well, if I'm wrong, I don't mind telling you that too and this time I was wrong.
"Boys Don't Cry" was actually a good movie with a disturbing, but also interesting subject. Brendon Teena pretends to be a boy but is actually a girl called Teena Brandon who is waiting for a sex change. But in the meantime he/she hangs out with other guys, drinking beer, bumper surfing and trying to charm the ladies, who are very pleased with Brendon, because he's more considerate and caring than the other boys. At first everything seems to go perfectly, but than his new friends find out his true identity, thanks to a letter from the police. Brandon has committed grand theft auto, but that's not their main concern. Their biggest problem is the fact that she has lied to them and that Brendon isn't a guy, but a girl pretending to be one. They can't cope with that and decide to learn him/her a lesson. What follows is humiliation, rape and eventually even murder...
Of course this kind of movies is very popular when the Oscars are being handed out, and this time it wasn't any different. It won two Oscars, one was for Hilary Swank's performance. I can only agree with that. Not only has she been courageous enough to play a role like that (I'm sure that many conservative Americans will have a lot of difficulties with this role), she also played it very convincingly. The other actors did a good job as well of course, but her performance stood out in my opinion.
All in all this is a very interesting movie that is more than just worth a watch, thanks to the good acting and the subject. I give it a 7.5/10.
"Boys Don't Cry" was actually a good movie with a disturbing, but also interesting subject. Brendon Teena pretends to be a boy but is actually a girl called Teena Brandon who is waiting for a sex change. But in the meantime he/she hangs out with other guys, drinking beer, bumper surfing and trying to charm the ladies, who are very pleased with Brendon, because he's more considerate and caring than the other boys. At first everything seems to go perfectly, but than his new friends find out his true identity, thanks to a letter from the police. Brandon has committed grand theft auto, but that's not their main concern. Their biggest problem is the fact that she has lied to them and that Brendon isn't a guy, but a girl pretending to be one. They can't cope with that and decide to learn him/her a lesson. What follows is humiliation, rape and eventually even murder...
Of course this kind of movies is very popular when the Oscars are being handed out, and this time it wasn't any different. It won two Oscars, one was for Hilary Swank's performance. I can only agree with that. Not only has she been courageous enough to play a role like that (I'm sure that many conservative Americans will have a lot of difficulties with this role), she also played it very convincingly. The other actors did a good job as well of course, but her performance stood out in my opinion.
All in all this is a very interesting movie that is more than just worth a watch, thanks to the good acting and the subject. I give it a 7.5/10.