Boys Don't Cry

A decent drama about a young transgender, which sadly lacks a director who can keep the sentimentality in check. Two strong central performances form a solid basis, but the drama itself is a bit much and Peirce's lack of experience is a crucial flaw that lessens the impact considerably.

Teena is born as a girl, but identifies as a boy, calling herself Brandon. She cuts her hair, tapes down her breasts and tries to fit it with the other boys. She hangs around with John and Tom, who are completely unaware of Brandon's secret. When Brandon starts dating their sister Lana, things get a lot more complicated.

I'm not a big Swank fan, but she performs surprisingly well here. Sevigny is also good and there's some real chemistry between the two, but it's not quite enough to save this film. The second half is pretty heavy-handed, the cinematography and score feel a bit uncontrolled and the finale is not as emotional as intended. A missed opportunity.