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- Published: 16 Oct 2006
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- Author: klance1
Name | Boys Don't Cry |
---|---|
Caption | Theatrical release poster |
Director | Kimberly Peirce |
Producer | Christine VachonEva Kolodner |
Writer | Kimberly PeirceAndy Bienen |
Starring | Hilary SwankChloë SevignyPeter SarsgaardBrendan Sexton IIIAlicia GoransonJeanetta ArnetteMatt McGrath |
Music | Nathan Larson |
Cinematography | Jim Denault |
Editing | Tracy Granger |
Studio | IFC Films |
Distributor | Fox Searchlight Pictures |
Released | |
Runtime | 118 minutes |
Country | |
Language | English |
Budget | $2 million |
Gross | $11,533,945 |
After reading about the murder of Brandon Teena while in college, Peirce intently researched the case—as well as Teena's life—and worked on a screenplay for the film for almost five years. All She Wanted, the 1993 book about the case written by Aphrodite Jones, inspired Peirce, but she chose to focus the story on the relationship between Teena and his girlfriend Lana Tisdel. Many actors campaigned for the lead over the course of three years; the then unknown Swank was cast because her personality seemed similar to Teena's. The film also stars Chloë Sevigny, Peter Sarsgaard, Brendan Sexton III, Alicia Goranson, Jeanetta Arnette, and Matt McGrath. The majority of characters were based on real-life people, while some were composites. Shooting lasted from October until November 1998 and filming took place in various locations throughout Texas.
Boys Don't Cry premiered at the New York Film Festival on October 8, 1999 to overwhelmingly positive acclaim from critics. Praise was generally focused on the two lead performances by Swank and Sevigny. The film received a limited nationwide release on October 22, 1999, and performed moderately well at the North American box office. At the 72nd Academy Awards in 2000, Swank was awarded an Oscar for Best Actress, while Sevigny was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. The film has been cited as one of the most controversial and talked-about films of 1999, initially being assigned an NC-17 rating, later modified to an R rating. The release of the film was concurrent with the murder of a young gay man, Matthew Shepard, which sparked additional public interest. Sevigny had auditioned for the role of Brandon,
Boys Don't Cry featured various scenes which required emotional and physical intensity and thus were allocated extended periods of filming. The bumper-skiing scene took six hours to shoot and ended up being filmed at sunset, which resulted in a blue sky in the background. Janet Maslin stated the film was about accepting identity, which in turn means accepting the fate predisposed for that identity. Freedom is an obvious and dominant theme in Boys Don't Cry. Brandon was in search of a place to be himself, having been ostrasized and judged by nearly everyone who discovered his biological sex. Critics have called the film a "sad song about a free spirit who tried to fly a little too close to the flame", In addition, some scholars and authors have regarded the film as an exploration on "social problems", along with Patty Jenkins's Monster (2004).
The film won a variety of awards, with the majority of wins going to Swank for her performance. Swank won a Best Actress Oscar while Sevigny received a nomination in the category of Best Supporting Actress.
;Bibliography
Category:1999 films Category:American films Category:English-language films Category:1990s drama films Category:American drama films Category:American LGBT-related films Category:Docudramas Category:Films based on actual events Category:Films featuring a Best Actress Academy Award winning performance Category:Films featuring a Best Drama Actress Golden Globe winning performance Category:Films set in Nebraska Category:Films shot in Texas Category:Fox Searchlight films Category:Independent films Category:Transgender in film and television
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