News

Exclusive: Hilary Swank has signed with CAA for representation.

Swank is a two-time Academy Award-winning actress who received her first Oscar, as well as a Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Award, for her performance as Brandon Teena in Boys Don’t Cry.

She won her second Oscar for her portrayal of Maggie Fitzgerald in Clint Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby, which also earned her a Golden Globe, SAG Award, and the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress.

Swank’s additional film credits include P.S. I Love You, Freedom Writers, The Homesman, Conviction, Insomnia, The Core and Amelia.

Swank most recently appeared in season three of Showtime’s Yellowjackets as the adult version of Melissa. She also starred in the ABC drama Alaska Daily, which earned her a Golden Globe nomination.

She continues to be represented by Entertainment 360 and Jackoway Austin.

Hilary Swank, who famously made her movie debut as Kimberly Hannah in Buffy the Vampire Slayer,has slammed Hollywood for being male-dominated at the beginning of her acting career. The award-winning star opened up about some of the challenges she faced as a young actress in a recent interview with Women's Health, as she explained that the industry "was more patriarchal than ever" when she first started out, which made it difficult for her to choose roles because she didn't always resonate with the characters she was offered, but felt that the options on the table were limited back then.

"Thankfully, it's becoming more inclusive. But when I started, it was more patriarchal than ever. And so I was playing roles that were written by men from what a female point of view is, and it wasn't necessarily true. It's not that I don't like being feminine – I just don't...

Hilary Swank has described the early years of her acting career as shaped by a film industry she says was heavily dominated by male perspectives.

In a recent Women’s Health interview, the two-time Oscar winner said that many of the roles available when she started out were written from a limited view of female experience. “When I started, it was more patriarchal than ever,” Swank said. “I was playing roles that were written by men from what a female point of view is, and it wasn’t necessarily true.”

Swank said she never rejected femininity but was resistant to external definitions of it. “It’s not that I don’t like being feminine — I just don’t like being told how to be feminine.”

Swank won her first Academy Award for Best Actress in 1999 at age 25 for her role in Boys Don’t Cry, portraying Brandon Teena, a transgender teenager in rural Nebraska.

The 1990s transformed the movie industry. It was the decade in which filmmakers began to push further beyond traditional filmmaking with the help of new technologies, new ways of storytelling, and themes that challenged commonly accepted societal norms.

Independent cinema grew in numbers, special effects became ever so popular, and complex, often controversial subject matter made its mark. The growth of the overall film industry can also be attributed to the new expectations from moviegoers.

Jurassic Park | Credit: Universal Pictures/FilmFlex

Many appreciate 90s films because of nostalgic joy, but there are movies that advanced filmmaking methods and trends of tomorrow. The following movies managed to deliver entertainment as they sparked discussions about important matters, which would later develop into bigger social discussions.

10. Scream (1996)

Directed by Wes Craven, Scream offered genre-redefining self-aware meta-commentary on slasher films. The film focuses on Sidney Prescott, played by Neve Campbell, who was a high...

Chloë Sevigny didn’t cry when she lost the Oscar to Angelina Jolie in 2000, but she does still have a few choice words about the Academy’s decision to have Jolie compete in the Best Supporting Actress category at the time.

Sevigny was nominated for indie true story “Boys Don’t Cry,” while Jolie won for novel adaptation “Girl, Interrupted.” According to Sevigny, though, Jolie had more of a lead role.

“I went [to the 2000 Oscars] with my boyfriend at the time, Harmony Korine, and I lost. Angelina Jolie won for ‘Girl, Interrupted,’ which was not a supporting part, I would say. Not that I’m bitter!” Sevigny told Variety. “But it was a very competitive category that year. Catherine Keener, Samantha Morton, Toni Collette and me — it was just great actresses.”

Sevigny reflected on the unanticipated success of “Boys Don’t Cry,” which landed Hillary Swank her first Academy Award too.

“We were really...

Times are changing. And for the better. Over the course of the past decade, the industry has achieved great heights in promoting inclusivity. The atmosphere has improved and sections who were once shunned have luckily been able to put the days of discrimination behind. It was for this reason that Hilary Swank has revealed that she would refuse to do a role that would go on to win her an Academy Award.

Hilary Swank says she doubts being a part of this iconic film Boys Don’t Cry was a good one for Hilary Swank

Queer people were not always welcome in the Industry. It would be wrong to say that they insinuate that the days of discrimination are gone. But we’ve come a long way. And Hilary Swank knows that better than anyone.

Suggested“If it gets to your heart, that’s it”: Hilary Swank Kept a Deadly...

Hilary Swank wouldn't take her Oscar-winning role in 'Boys Don't Cry' today.The 49-year-old star shot to fame when she played Brandon Teena, a trans man who was murdered in a hate crime, in the 1999 drama and she thinks if it was remade now, the role would offer a "great opportunity" for a trans actor, but she defended taking the role herself, insisting it was "such different times" back then.She told The Times' Saturday Review: "Now for the most part, in most places, it’s accepted to be a trans person. [But] at that time, people weren’t even coming out as gay and lesbian, it was a career killer, or whatever. They weren’t ready to tell their family, or maybe they weren’t even ready to tell themselves."We’re in such different times — I feel like it would be a great opportunity for an actor...

Hilary Swank is reflecting on her Boys Don’t Cry role again and voicing her hope that a trans actor would get her role if they movie were made today.

The 49-year-old actress earned her first Oscar back in 2000 for her work in the indie movie about the real-life story of trans man Brandon Teena.

Hilary acknowledged in a new interview that the world was different nearly 25 years ago and there weren’t many actors who were openly gay or trans at the time.

Keep reading to find out more…

“Now for the most part, in most places, it’s accepted to be a trans person. [But] at that time, people weren’t even coming out as gay and lesbian, it was a career killer, or whatever. They weren’t ready to tell their family, or maybe they weren’t even ready to tell themselves. We’re in such different times — I...

Two decades after her Oscar-winning performance in Boys Don’t Cry as Brandon Teena, actress Hilary Swank has reflected on the role and addressed whether she would take on the transgender role now. Unsurprisingly, Swank shared her view on the evolving understanding of transgender issues, and concluded that she would not consider starring in the movie now. In a recent interview with The Times of London, Swank discussed the significant changes in attitudes towards transgender people since the film's 2000 release, which depicted the real-life story of a transgender man murdered in a hate crime.

Boys Don't Cry RDramaBiographyCrimeRomance Release DateOctober 22, 1999DirectorKimberly PeirceCastHilary Swank, Chloe Sevigny, Peter Sarsgaard, Brendan Sexton III, Alicia Goranson, Jeannetta ArnetteRuntime118 minMain GenreDramaWritersKimberly PeirceDistributor(s)Searchlight Pictures

During the interview, Swank acknowledged the shift in perspective regarding who should portray transgender characters in film. A hot topic of the last several years, the actress said:

“Now for the most part,...

Hilary Swank has reflected on her role in Boys Don’t Cry two decades ago, saying changing awareness means she wouldn’t take the part today.

Swank won her first Oscar for the role of real-life transgender man Brandon Teena, murdered in a hate crime, in the movie which was released in 2000. She told The Times of London newspaper:

“Now for the most part, in most places, it’s accepted to be a trans person. [But] at that time, people weren’t even coming out as gay and lesbian, it was a career killer, or whatever. They weren’t ready to tell their family, or maybe they weren’t even ready to tell themselves. We’re in such different times — I feel like it would be a great opportunity for an actor who’s trans to play that role.”

Swank added: “But I also feel like actors are actors. We are supposed...

The 96th Academy Award Ceremony is approaching, and the buzz around the Oscars has evolved to an astounding height. Looking back at history, the Oscars have created several significant moments elevating actor’s career. However, all stars don’t have the same blessing.

Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club

Who wouldn’t want to win an Oscar? The award has been one of the most prestigious accolades for achievement in almost every category related to movies. However, in another turn of events, winning an Oscar may not be as good as you might think. An idea called the Oscars Curse has altered the fate of several celebrities, including Matthew McConaughey and Halle Berry.

Oscars Curse Victims, Matthew McConaughey, and Halle Berry Are Among Prominent

Halle Berry in Monster’s Ball

Several actors have witnessed the downfall of their careers after winning an Oscar. Of course, any filmmaker and actor or anyone...

In the early 2000s, it was hard to find an actress as exciting as Hilary Swank. Having burst onto the scene with the true crime drama Boys Don’t Cry, in which she played Brandon Teena, a young transgender man in the Midwest who became the victim of a sadistic murder, she continued to shine and even won a second Academy Award for her role in the critically acclaimed Clint Eastwood film, Million Dollar Baby, where she betrayed a determined, down-on-her-luck female boxer. This year, Swank is back with an inspirational story of the heroism of everyday people.

Some directors achieve critical acclaim with their very first film, such as Orson Welles with Citizen Kane, Sidney Lumet with 12 Angry Men, and Jordan Peele with Get Out. These debut films confront societal issues, challenge film conventions, and demonstrate emerging styles, setting an incredibly high bar right from the start. Filmmakers like Kimberly Peirce, Sam Mendes, and Kevin Costner make their mark with their debuts by subverting expectations, taking risks, and balancing innovation with accessibility.

Unlike most film directors who take multiple tries before making a masterpiece, some talented directors manage to achieve this remarkable feat with their very first film. It is exceedingly rare for a debut film to immediately reach the highest levels of critical acclaim and cinema excellence. Through a potent mix of groundbreaking vision, technical skill, and raw creativity, certain directors have pulled off this difficult accomplishment. Orson Welles made jaws drop with Citizen Kane,...

Michelle Yeoh won Best Actress last year for “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” a dazzling fictional tale of a woman trying to save the multiverse. However, when we think of typical Best Actress winners, we do think of performers portraying real-life people. Sally Field in “Norma Rae” comes to mind, so, too, do Julia Roberts in “Erin Brockovich,” Sandra Bullock in “The Blind Side,” and Meryl Streep in “The Iron Lady.”

But is this an old-fashioned way of thinking? Or is it still a relevant metric with which to measure to potential Best Actress winners. Lily Gladstone portrays a real person in “Killers of the Flower Moon” but Emma Stone is the Oscar favorite for “Poor Things,” in which she plays a fictional character. So, let’s take a look a closer look at this category and what sort of roles Best Actress winners typically win for. Below is a...

"Alaska Daily" was a crime drama that tackled the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women in Alaska, but it was unfortunately canceled before gaining momentum. The show struggled to balance the sensibilities of a network procedural and a more mature streaming show, but it provided valuable insights into the work of journalists reporting on marginalized communities. The talent of the cast, including Hilary Swank, Jeff Perry, and other notable actors, was undeniable, adding to the potential of the series despite its tonal issues.

The cast of Alaska Daily includes popular television and film actors as well as a notable Oscar winner in its ensemble cast. Alaska Daily is an ABC crime drama that follows Eileen Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank), a New York journalist who comes to a small newsroom in Anchorage, Alaska to have a fresh start after personal and professional problems in NYC force her to leave. In Alaska,...

In the offices of Dunder Mifflin (Scranton branch), salesmen, accountants and even Hr got together to decide once and for all: Is Hilary Swank hot or not? They’re referring to her looks, but one could just as easily be talking about her career. At what point was Hilary Swank hot in her career? In 2008, when the episode aired: Yeah. In the years between her Oscars? Not exactly. Now? No. So, let’s take a look and find out…Wtf Happened to…Hilary Swank?

But to truly understand what the fuck happened to Hilary Swank, we go back to the beginning. And the beginning began when she was born on July 30th, 1974, in Lincoln, Nebraska. As a youth, Swank bounced around a bit, going from Nebraska to Washington to California, developing a love for both gymnastics (Junior Olympian; state finalist) and acting (appearing in The Jungle Book at 9 as Mowgli...

Hilary Swank is a name that needs no introduction in Hollywood. She is a versatile actress who has given some of the most memorable performances in recent decades. Her journey from a struggling actress to a two-time Academy Award winner is nothing short of inspiring.

Early Life and Career Hilary Swank. Depostiphotos

Hilary Ann Swank was born on July 30, 1974, in Lincoln, Nebraska. She grew up in a lower-middle-class family and started acting at a young age. At the age of 16, she moved to Los Angeles with her mother to pursue her acting career.

Swank’s early career was marked by small roles in TV shows and movies. She got her first break in 1994 with a recurring role in the TV series “Beverly Hills, 90210”. She also appeared in movies like “The Next Karate Kid” and “Quiet Days in Hollywood”.

Breakthrough with “Boys Don’t Cry”

Swank’s breakthrough came in 1999 with...

Growing up in Ecuador, the pop culture I consumed was mainly imported from the U.S. and other Latin American countries. The films and TV shows were often sexist, racist and homophobic. The limited portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters in my culture made it challenging for me to find relatable representation. For survival, I became skilled at finding and interpreting subtext. Eventually, the closest I came to seeing someone like myself was Hilary Swank’s portrayal of Brandon Teena in Boys Don’t Cry, but I had to detach from his fate to truly relate.

My ability to be openly trans cannot be separated from the ways in which I occupy locations of privileges — I’m a middle-class, mixed-race, light-skinned immigrant who traveled to the U.S. to pursue a college education. Higher education showed me the different ways I could be an “artist,” and art school is where I came out as queer,...

Hilary Swank is giving major prenatal goals, mommies-to-be, take notes.

The actress, who will welcome twins in April, worked out hard at the gym and gave us “#fitnessfriday” goals. Swank is seen performing in full swing and is all smiles while working out.

Read More: Hilary Swank Shares That She Is Expecting Twins: ‘I Can’t Believe It’

“Me and Da Babes workin’ out Been a lonnnnnnng time since #FitnessFriday,” Swank captioned the video.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Hilary Swank (@hilaryswank)

One user commented: “You perfect human,” while other wrote: “Badass mama!”

Swank tied the knot with Philip Schneider in 2018. On Christmas Swank shared a beautiful pregnancy update.

She captioned the cute picture: “We couldn’t wish for a more incredible miracle So grateful for these two gifts of a lifetime!!”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Hilary Swank (@hilaryswank)

Swank gained...

Horror movie deaths are expected, like Mia Goth's character going on a rampage in Pearl. But when someone passes away in a drama or action film, it's surprising and heartbreaking. These moments often happen halfway through the film, allowing the story to take a more somber tone. Other times, they happen in the final scene, which is a tough but memorable way to conclude the story.

From Carl's sweet wife Ellie passing away in Up to Selma Ježková's tragic end in Dancer in the Dark, Redditors are discussing the most upsetting and melancholy deaths in movies from the past few decades.

Jenny Curran

Forrest Gump is considered one of Tom Hanks's best movies and his portrayal of the main character has never been forgotten. The film also includes an emotional death when Jenny Curran passes away. One Redditor wrote, "Poor Forrest. His monologue at her grave, starting,...

Now that Oscar season has once again arrived, theaters will be filled with the types of prestige films that are almost guaranteed to garner nominations from the Academy. Many of these are, as a rule, rather “serious” affairs, designed to appeal to a mass audience.

Cinemagoers might be surprised to realize just how frequently films that were rated Nc-17 or X at some point in their release have also been granted the prestige of being nominated for an Oscar. Regardless of which category in which they were nominated, these were the kinds of movies which pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable and what would see and accept.

Boys Don’t Cry (1999) Stream On Prime Video

There’s no question that Boys Don’t Cry is one of the most notable movies about the LGBTQ+ community. Telling the achingly tragic story of Brandon Teena, the young trans man who was brutally murdered by his own friends.

When Chloë Sevigny found herself walking the Oscars red carpet nominated for her work in 1999’s “Boys Don’t Cry,” it was surprising, to say the least. Her brand of indie film anarchy, which she shared with her sometime boyfriend Harmony Korine, wasn’t really Oscar material. “I remember like the year before Harmony and I watching and being like, ‘Wouldn’t it be funny if we could like nuke the Oscars and like just wipe away all the status quo?,'” she told IndieWire during a recent interview.

Sevigny’s 1990s in film started with her breakout role in Larry Clark’s ever-controversial 1995 “Kids” and ended with her at the Academy Awards, nominated for Best Supporting Actress, playing the girlfriend of Brandon Teena. It was a journey from the sensational fringes of the avant-garde to the biggest platform imaginable. “I told my publicist that the minute I’m in People magazine,...

Hilary Swank’s Oscar-winning turn as Brandon Teena in “Boys Don’t Cry” was a boon for the representation of trans people onscreen back in 1999. Kimberly Pierce’s film highlighted the tragic story of Teena, who fell victim to a brutal hate crime in 1993 in Nebraska, turning Swank into an A-lister and opening the doors for deeper LGBTQ storytelling in American movies. (Though how widely it opened those doors is open to debate.) But would Swank, a cisgender woman, take on the role today, in a moment of increased visibility for trans actors? Swank spoke about her casting in a recent interview with Variety while promoting her Netflix series, “Away.”

Swank said, two decades ago when the movie was released, “Trans people weren’t really walking around in the world saying, ‘Hey, I’m trans.’ Twenty-one years later, not only are trans people having their lives and living, thankfully, [although] we still...

It’s been 20 years since the release of Kimberly Peirce’s “Boys Don’t Cry,” a watershed moment in increasing the visibility of trans people and the hate crimes committed against them. It’s also been two decades since Brendan Sexton III, who plays one the men who raped and murdered trans person Brandon Teena, has seen the film. On Friday, he watched it as part of an anniversary screening at Columbia University attended by IndieWire. In a post-screening panel discussion, he and Peirce reflected on the difficulties of shooting the scene in which his character rapes Teena (Hillary Swank).

“This is the first time I saw the movie in 20 years,” said Sexton, and he began to cry. “It’s really tough to watch. The bathroom scene really got to me.”

As Sexton, Swank, and Peter Sarsgaard were getting ready to shoot that scene on location, Peirce said Sexton “went missing.

On Wednesday, the Library of Congress announced that “Boys Don’t Cry” was among the list of 25 films joining the National Film Registry, along with “Purple Rain,” She’s Gotta Have It,” and “Clerks.” Few films have had as lasting an impact as Kimberly Peirce’s deeply personal feature debut, which was released 20 years ago in 1999. Produced by Killer Films’ Christine Vachon, “Boys Don’t Cry” was the wildly successful final chapter of the New Queer Cinema, the kind of scrappy, risk-taking, independent cinema that defined much of the decade.

The film told the true story of 21-year-old trans man Brandon Teena, who was raped and murdered in 1993 in Humboldt, Nebraska. In telling Brandon’s story from his perspective, “Boys Don’t Cry” effectively jump-started the larger conversation around trans rights — one that had been virtually nonexistent until that point.

“Boys Don’t Cry” grossed over $20 million at the worldwide box-office, garnered rave reviews from top film critics,...

“Purple Rain,” “Clerks,” “She’s Gotta Have It,” “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” “Amadeus,” “Sleeping Beauty,””Boys Don’t Cry” and “The Last Waltz” are among this year’s additions to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

The list also includes 1944’s “Gaslight,” starring Ingrid Bergman in an Oscar-winning performance; the 1955 film noir “The Phenix City Story,” based on a real-life murder in Alabama; Disney’s 1959 canine tearjerker “Old Yeller”; Oliver Stone’s 1986 Best Picture winner “Platoon,” based on his own experiences in Vietnam; and Luis Valdez’s “Zoot Suit,” which tells the story of the 1943 Sleepy Lagoon Murder and the racially charged riots that followed.

A place on the list — always made up of 25 films — guarantees the film will be preserved under the terms of the National Film Preservation Act. The criteria for selection is that the movies are “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant.

“The National Film Registry has become...

When Hilary Swank considers the trajectory of her career in the two decades since her Oscar-winning performance in Boys Don't Cry — as transgender man Brandon Teena, who was raped and murdered by two friends in small-town Nebraska in 1993 — she thinks about how the 1999 film changed the way she's chosen roles.

"I play a lot of real people because I am drawn to these stories of people who have really persevered or people who are living their life unapologetically. Those are the type of people who inspire me," Swank says. "Yet ...

When Hilary Swank considers the trajectory of her career in the two decades since her Oscar-winning performance in Boys Don't Cry — as transgender man Brandon Teena, who was raped and murdered by two friends in small-town Nebraska in 1993 — she thinks about how the 1999 film changed the way she's chosen roles.

"I play a lot of real people because I am drawn to these stories of people who have really persevered or people who are living their life unapologetically. Those are the type of people who inspire me," Swank says. "Yet ...

In 1999, Hilary Swank won plaudits for playing Brandon Teena, a murdered trans man, but in the years since, a backlash has been brewing

By the usual logic of such things, Hilary Swank was not supposed to win the 1999 best actress Oscar. She was 25 years old and relatively unknown, best recognised from undistinguished roles in The Next Karate Kid and Beverly Hills 90210. She was up against the never-awarded Hollywood royal Annette Bening, who had a juicy, grandly entertaining role in the Academy’s favourite film of the year, American Beauty – which just happened to win every other major category it was up for that night. Swank’s film, Boys Don’t Cry, was only up for two acting prizes, and even those nominations counted as hard-fought victories for a tough $2m indie on the subject of transgender hate crime, that had to make judicious edits to avoid a commercially crippling Nc-17 rating.

The independent film boom of the 1990s launched many brilliant actors, but perhaps none flew higher than Hilary Swank. She took the chance on a risky role in a micro-budget film with a provocative subject matter and an unknown director — and walked away with an Oscar. Then a relatively unknown TV actress, she was paid $3,000 for the film. However, in a recent interview at the Crosby Street Hotel to promote the Netflix movie “I Am Mother,” she lit up when discussing the heyday of independent film.

“I thought, ‘Wow this is my opportunity to break into film,” she said. “Famous people weren’t taking the risk on independent film, and they weren’t getting paid to do independent film, so there was no interest for them. But, newcomers couldn’t break into film because the studio system was like, ‘We only use famous people.'”

Directed by Kimberly Peirce and...

There have been plenty of iconic heterosexual couples in movies: from Jack and Rose in “Titanic” and Baby and Johnny in “Dirty Dancing” all the way back to Ilsa and Rick in “Casablanca” and Rhett and Scarlett in “Gone with the Wind.” And there are also loads of homosexual cou- oh, wait, no, that’s not right.

But at the least the few gay duos that have broken through are genuinely adored couples. And each year, we get a new one, so there’s hope on that front. This year’s addition to the slim list comes from “Love, Simon” with Simon (Nick Robinson) and his e-mail lover Blue.

But where do they rank amongst the other gay couples of film history? Choose your favorite couple in the poll below! And if your personal pick isn’t on the list, let us know in the comments section.

Discuss Join the...

This article marks Part 12 of the 21-part Gold Derby series analyzing Meryl Streep at the Oscars. Join us as we look back at Meryl Streep’s nominations, the performances that competed with her at the Academy Awards, the results of each race and the overall rankings of the contenders.

In 1977, while Meryl Streep was making her big screen debut with a small role in Fred Zinnemann‘s Oscar-winning “Julia,” young filmmaker Wes Craven was scaring the pants off moviegoers with his X-rated horror flick “The Hills Have Eyes.”

Seven years later, in 1984, Streep already had two Oscars under her belt, yet was putting fans to sleep with the tedious Robert De Niro romance “Falling in Love.” Meanwhile, Craven was at last breaking down the door into mainstream cinema, with his “A Nightmare on Elm Street” proving a sleeper hit and making burnt serial killer Freddy Krueger a household name.

Craven...

The Best Actress Oscar winners of the 1990s have all had long careers of success in Hollywood to varying degrees. From overdue actresses finally getting their first statue like Susan Sarandon to younger talent like Gwyneth Paltrow, the decade is full of diverse performances. Now, two decades later, which do you think holds up as the top Best Actress performance of the ’90s?

Take a look back on each winning performance and make sure to vote in our poll at the bottom. (See 2018 Oscar predictions for Best Actress.)

Kathy Bates, “Misery” (1990) — Kathy Bates in “Misery” is a great example of an actress breaking through in an unconventional way. Playing Annie Wilkes, deranged fan of an author who tortures him mercilessly, Bates became one of few actresses to win for a pure horror movie. She would later earn supporting nominations for “Primary Colors” (1998) and “About Schmidt” (2002).

SEEOscar snub explained: Did ‘Three...

Like the story of Brandon Teena, Stacey "Hollywood" Dean's transformation from man to woman is a compelling subject. But, thankfully, Parris Patton's illuminating documentary "Creature" ends on a much more upbeat note. Formerly the head of production at Prince's Paisley Park Studios, Patton previously directed the feature "The Cheshire Cat", numerous concert films, videos and shorts.

Filmed in 16mm and somewhat crude in final presentation, the 64-minute "Creature" -- which is booked for weekend midnight and matinee screenings at Laemmle's Sunset 5 in West Hollywood -- is notable for capturing the physical transformation of Dean over several years as well as the evolving sentiments of family members and friends.

First unveiled at the 1999 Seattle Film Festival and distributed by Seventh Art Releasing, "Creature" is nicely structured as it jumps around in time and between incarnations of North Carolinian Kyle Dean, whom filmmaker Patton first encountered as a transvestite prostitute on a Hollywood street corner.

The child of religious parents who don't understand or condone his choice to become the blond bombshell Stacey, Dean flourishes as the diva of Club Arena, along with comrade-in-drag Filberto "Barbarella" Ascencio. Patton interestingly contrasts the latter's unapologetic gayness with Dean's sincere desire to become a woman.

But rather than linger just on the remarkable lead's pre-op career and pursuit of romance, Patton, by interviewing Dean's parents and capturing an awkward family reunion, shows us several encouraging scenes. Indeed, Dean's father, Butch, transforms from a gruff ex-hellraiser to a relatively supportive ally, while his mother, Dusty, emotionally cannot give up her son -- now with wider hips, breasts and long blond hair -- but poignantly relates how religion saved her formerly gay-bashing mate.

Even more intriguing is what the film says about current melting-pot sexual politics. Dean's boyfriend, who accompanies him to North Carolina, is a young macho dude who admits to alienating his anti-gay friends. While their relationship seems a bit tenuous, Dean at the end displays the confidence and survival skills to handle the trials of a complicated life.

CREATURE

Seventh Art Releasing

A Grapevine Films production

Director-editor:Parris Patton

Producer:Don Lepore

Director of photography:John Travers

Music:Chad Smith

Color/16mm

Running time -- 64 minutes

No MPAA rating...

Adapting a chilling story previously explored in a feature-length documentary and a John Gregory Dune New Yorker article, Kimberly Peirce's debut film "Boys Don't Cry" never sensationalizes material that could easily be rendered strange or perverse. Working with a strong cast and gifted collaborators, Peirce transcends the story's tabloid nature to investigate fully its emotional, sexual and class underpinnings.

Premiering in the Venice Film Festival's Cinema of the Present sidebar, preceding festival showings in Toronto and New York, Fox Searchlight's well-acted, exceedingly well-made film should strike a chord among young filmgoers eager to search out substantial, difficult works.

The movie has dead spots, and Peirce can't always shape the narrative. (It feels a bit extended at nearly two hours.) But Peirce's nonjudgmental feel for character and social milieu creates depth and completeness.

Like Spike Lee's "Summer of Sam", the film examines the social and emotional hysteria resulting from unconventional sexual role-playing. Set in 1993, mostly in the forlorn, stripped-down landscapes of Falls City, Neb., the film unwinds the incredible story of "Brandon Teena", a physically frail though sexually confident 21-year-old who casually falls in with a group of disaffected outsiders and thrill seekers -- finding excitement, romance and a stronger, more-assured identity. But once the facade and self-invention are revealed, the story ends tragically.

What Peirce never attempts to hide is that the young Lothario's actual identity is that of Teena Brandon, a sexually distraught, emotionally fractured 19-year-old woman. Her ability to change, projecting an entirely different personality as Brandon Teena (Hilary Swank), draws her into a relationship with Lana (Chloe Sevigny), a beautiful though equally confused, emotionally needy young woman.

Peirce is particularly strong revealing how the characters' urges for emotional stability are expressed through physical action, including a dangerous stunt on the back of a truck, outracing a cop car and singing at a karaoke bar.

As evidence of Brandon's identity accumulates, Lana refuses to acknowledge the obvious. Then reality intrudes in a bleak way.

The cast is remarkable. Swank loses herself in the knotted role of Brandon and conveys her pain wonderfully. Sevigny is an extraordinarily vivid presence. Peter Sarsgaard and, in a smaller role, Brendan Sexton III, are impressive.

Jim Denault's sharp photography and Peirce's free-associative imagery capture the quiet desperation entrapping the characters.

BOYS DON'T CRY

Fox Searchlight

Producers: Jeffrey Sharp, John Hart, Eva Kolodner, Christine Vachon

Director-screenwriter: Kimberly Peirce

Screenwriter: Andy Bienen

Director of photography: Jim Denault

Editors: Lee Percy, Tracy Granger

Production designer: Michael Shaw

Costume designer: Victoria Farrell

Music: Nathan Larsen

Color/stereo

Cast:

Brandon Teena: Hilary Swank

Lana: Chloe Sevigny

John: Peter Sarsgaard

Tom: Brendan Sexton III

Kate: Alison Folland

Candace: Alicia Goranson

Lana's mom: Jeannetta Arnette

Running time -- 114 minutes

No MPAA rating...

The tale told in this low-budget, award-winning documentary is so powerful, so compelling, that it overshadows any reservations about the quality of the filmmaking and storytelllng.

Brandon Teena was a Nebraskan teenager, born Teena Brandon, who decided to live her life as a man. Moving to a small town and forging a new identity, she fooled people to a wide extent and even had several girlfriends.

But eventually her secret was revealed, with tragic results; she was raped by two local young men, who one week later killed her, along with two other victims, to prevent her from testifying. Susan Muska and Greta Olafsdottir's chronicle of these events is receiving its theatrical premiere at New York's Film Forum.

The 16mm film is crudely photographed and edited, and deviates little from the talking heads syndrome, but there is no denying the dramatic impact of the story and the tragic central figure who inhabits it.

The film begins in a lighthearted fashion, with testimony from Brandon's various girlfriends who affirm her sensitivity and her qualities as a terrific "boyfriend." We even hear from Brandon's killers, although the filmmakers don't reveal that fact until later on.

Brandon's story turns fateful when the small town of Falls City discovers her true identity, the result of her arrest for petty theft. Particularly incensed are two young men, ex-cons named Thomas Nissen and John Lotter, who are deeply offended at their friend's deception. They brutally beat and rape Brandon, who reports the crime to the local authorities.

She is met with suspicion and outright hostility, however, as evidenced by a chilling audiotape of the interrogation conducted by the local sheriff, who is more accusatory than comforting. One week later, Brandon, 21, is shot to death, together with a pregnant woman friend and another visitor who happened to be at the scene. Nissen and Lotter are arrested, and are now in prison.

Brandon Teena's story is so dizzying in its implications, and touches so many chords, that it has the resonance of a great novel; it has been the subject of several in-depth journalistic pieces, and, not surprisingly, a feature film is in the works.

This extremely low-budget effort, which includes interviews with many of the principals involved as well as audio excerpts from the trial, doesn't do it full justice, and is often confused and scattershot in its storytelling approach. It also relies too heavily on cliched shots of barren rural landscapes and snippets of banal country music. But it nonetheless has a great power, and deserves wide theatrical exposure before its eventual berth on video and public television.

THE Brandon Teena STORY

Zeitgeist Films

Producer, director, camera, editing: Susan Muska, Greta Olafsdottir

Executive producer: Jane Dekrone

Music: Lorrie Morgan, Dinah Washington, April Stevens, the Brown Brothers

Color

Running time -- 90 minutes

No MPAA rating...