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The mark of a great film is that it conveys real feeling to an audience without having to explain everything by the numbers. This film achieves that, obviously. It has deeply moved anyone with even half a heart. Unfortunately, the subject matter of this film is SO unfamiliar to most people, that many have no understanding of what it was about. That's not their fault, nor Ms. Peirce's since had she spelled it all out to us, what we would have seen was a competent TV-type movie of the week, instead of a powerhouse of a film that touches us to the depths of our souls. But I think after reading so many of the reviews here at IMDB, some important facts should be understood.

Brandon was not a "male impersonator" or a lesbian, or crazy. He was a pre-operative female-to-male transsexual. That is, he was a male before the necessary physical transition that a transsexual goes through (ie. hormones and surgery) before he can be "officially" be declared a man. He was not a liar. He was a walking contradiction. He was as much a man as he would have been had he had the chance to undergo the biological and surgical transition. Because his body had not caught up with his mind, it's understandable that many people are confused about this. But hopefully, this fact will help audiences understand the confusion that Brandon felt. He was raised to believe, like all of us are, that what decides a person's gender is their anatomy, so the fact that his body was a lie to him all his life made it nearly impossible to live with the contradiction of what he organically knew to be the truth in his mind. Once he finally expressed his true self to the world by donning the physical appearance of 'Brandon', he could no longer go back to being 'Teena'. The cat was out of the bag. Imagine yourself as a man who knows that in order to not live a "lie" he must be called "Teena" and dress as a female every day of his life in order to join the workforce or socialize with other people. Once he'd fully established himself as the man he was, he could not subject himself to 'female drag', for what would have been numerous years for him (sex reassignment surgery costs tens of thousands of dollars and takes one to three years, once the process is started).

A reviewer here wrote "why Brandon chose to live there (Nebraska) with her lifestyle is beyond me." I'd like to kindly explain to this viewer and others who share the same sentiment that the answer to that puzzler is that Brandon was not a "her" and his reality was not a "lifestyle". Many people 'disagree' with this very fact. Thus, it is understandable that had Brandon gone to San Francisco, Paris, or Timbuktu, he would have confronted the same confusion and frustration, and unfortunately hostility and violence, no matter where he went. There are simply millions of people who do not understand transsexualism, thus it is common that their confusion leads to simply believing that it is the transsexual who is confused. I am not blaming anyone for these sentiments. It's only in recent years (mostly thanks to the internet) that there has been detailed study of female-to-male transsexualism. There are millions of female-to-male transsexuals throughout the world, and sadly most of them have suffered much of the pain that Brandon suffered until they became aware that they were not alone. Had the internet been available to Brandon during his lifetime, he would have had an opportunity to see that he was not alone, and that there were others like him who could lend him their support and guidance.

I'm most grateful to Ms. Peirce for making such a brave and deeply touching film, and I hope that viewers will, whether they understand Brandon or not, find an even deeper layer of tolerance for people who are quite different from themselves.

After finally getting the chance to see this film, I have to say it was worth the wait. Hillary Swank's performance was outstanding, she certainly deserves the golden globe she's already won and the oscar, she's sure to be nominated for. Brandon Teena was real, no questions. The director, Kimberly Pierce deserves much credit for telling the story subtlety, no black and white, he's wrong, she's right. I came away from this movie realizing the courage you have to possess to be different, the dangers from it are real and we must admire those brave enough among us to be.

This is not the story of a woman living as a man, because that would imply that this woman merely dressed up and fooled people. That's not at all what's going on.

This is the story of a male who thought male, felt male, and WAS male, but looked down at the body God gave him, and saw that of a female. It's not homosexuality, or cross-dressing. The name given to it, in the film, is Sexual Identity Crisis, but I don't really think it's a crisis. I don't think there's anything wrong with Brandon Teena, or Teena Brandon, thinking that. It is merely who he is.

And this movie did make me think about it, and that is its success. Powerful at times, repulsive at times, those whose lives this story affected may not approve of the final film, but it can still open the eyes of people toward things in this world that they previously might not have understood... which may help the next Brandon find and keep happiness in his or her life.

Worth seeing, but not for the weak of stomach or easily offended.

I could barely watch this film, not because it was bad, or I thought it was boring, but because it was so awful what they did to that poor girl.

Sometimes when I watch a film, I say to myself 'That's horrible - but it's just a film' but this was true.

Hilary Swank does a good job as Brandon. She deserved that Oscar.

Lessons can be learned from this film, to treat other people with respect and not run scared becuase people are different. People need to be aware that this stuff really does happen.

I recommend this, but just beware what you're letting yourself in for.

9 out of 10 -Sproosey

For a movie to be able to start off a "little" (emphasis on little) slow, and turn into a spectacle of both amazing acting, directing, and an amazing script is not only a rarity, but is almost unheard of. "Boys Don't Cry" is one of the most powerful films that I have ever seen. Ms. Hilary Swank embraced her character with open arms, and turned him into a hero. A incredibly hard task, considering a "few minor 'glitches'". The fact that this movie is based upon a true story only emphasizes the themes it is trying to portray. As a human race, it only makes sense that we should strive to accept our originality and differences, and celebrate them, rather than diminish them, and look upon them as being "bad". This movie is one that gives the audience the "complete package", and not just a pretty actress or soundtrack. As an all encompassing film, "Boys Don't Cry" is brilliant.