Taglines: A true story about finding the courage to be yourself.
Boys Don’t Cry movie storyline. Based on actual events. Brandon Teena is the popular new guy in a tiny Nebraska town. 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. Life is good for Brandon, now that he’s one of the guys and dating hometown beauty Lana; however, he’s forgotten to mention one important detail. It’s not that he’s wanted in another town for GTA and other assorted crimes, but that Brandon Teena was actually born a woman named Teena Brandon. When his best friends make this discovery, Brandon’s life is ripped apart.
Boys Don’t Cry is a 1999 American biographical film directed by Kimberly Peirce and co-written by Peirce and Andy Bienen. The film is a dramatization of the real-life story of Brandon Teena, an American trans man played in the film by Hilary Swank, who adopts a male identity and attempts to find himself and love in Nebraska but falls victim to a brutal crime perpetrated by two male acquaintances. The film also stars Chloë Sevigny, Peter Sarsgaard, Brendan Sexton, and Alicia Goranson.
The film premiered at the New York Film Festival on October 8, 1999, before appearing at various other film festivals. Distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures, the film received a limited release in the United States on October 22, 1999, and it performed well at the North American box office, gaining three times its production budget by May 2000. The film was acclaimed by critics, with many ranking it as one of the best films of the year; praise focused on the lead performances by Swank and Sevigny as well as the film’s depiction of its subject matter. However, some people who had been involved with Brandon in real life criticized the film for not portraying the events accurately.
Boys Don’t Cry was nominated for multiple awards; at the 72nd Academy Awards in 2000, Swank was awarded the Academy Award for Best Actress and Sevigny was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. The pair were also nominated at the 57th Golden Globe Awards, with Swank winning the Best Actress – Drama award. Boys Don’t Cry, which dealt with controversial issues, was initially assigned an NC-17 rating but was later reclassified to an R rating. It was released on home video in September 2000.
Boys Don’t Cry (1999)
Directed by: Kimberly Peirce
Starring: Hilary Swank, Chloë Sevigny, Peter Sarsgaard, Brendan Sexton, Alison Folland, Alicia Goranson, Matt McGrath, Rob Campbell, Jeannetta Arnette
Screenplay by: Kimberly Peirce, Andy Bienen
Production Design by: Michael Shaw
Cinematography by: Jim Denault
Film Editing by: Tracey Granger, Lee Percy
Costume Design by: Victoria Farrell
Art Direction by: Shawn Carroll
Music by: Nathan Larson
MPAA Rating: R for violence including an intense brutal rape scene, sexuality, language and drug use.
Distributed by: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Release Date: October 8, 1999
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