Boys Don't Cry (1999)

You don't seem like you're from around here. It's one of those films that any film lover has to see to judge for themselves. A critical darling and an award winner, it's a film of undoubted emotional power. It is based on the tragic case of Teena Brandon (Hilary Swank) who was raped and murdered in 1993, it would become one of the significant cases of hate crime in American history. From the off Kimberly Peirce's film sets out its stall that we are in bleak territory, and so it proves. It dangles little shards of light, but constantly it proves uncompromising and unpleasant. There's a nagging irk that main characters are very thinly drawn, where motives are given short shrift, and this is bizarre given that the pic runs for nearly two hours. However, the performances of both Swank and Chloë Sevigny are outstanding, and Peirce handles the darkest scenes in the movie with a grace and tact that deserves applause. A tale that needed to be told, even in truncated form, Boys Don't Cry is fine cinema making. 8/10