The film, Boys Don't Cry, directed by Kimberly Peirce, tells the story of trans-gendered man, meaning he was born a woman, and his struggle to find love and freedom. Based on a true story, this movie is a touching tale of this person and their struggle to find acceptance. From the very beginning of the film, we can see how people ostracize him and how even his family does not truly accept him. There is a lack of love and support in his life and he searches hard to find these things that are so necessary for human beings.
Luckily, Brandon finds a new group of friends who adopt him as one of them. For a while, this seems to go well for him and he even begins to have a little crush. Of course, everything turns sour once he starts to fall for this girl and her ex-boyfriend is insulted and eventually, the truth about Brandon comes out. One of the most striking things about this story is that Brandon's girlfriend, Lana, does not seem to stop loving him once she finds out his gender at birth. She only seems to want to save him. Having read about the author, she claims that this story is a love story about star crossed lovers similar to the tale of Romeo and Juliet and it is hard to look at this film without seeing the deep love between these two characters. Of course, their fate is that they cannot be together and they suffer in a similar way to Romeo and Juliet.
However, this story is much more important than your typical love story. The tales of trans-gendered people are rarely found in the media, especially in such a mainstream Hollywood film. Its origin may not have been as a huge Hollywood production but the fantastic performances of Hilary Swank and Chloe Sevigny have elevated the movie to such a level. It's important for transgendered people of all ages to see their stories depicted on the screen. They may not face the exact same struggles as Brandon did in the film but they can take strength from the deep love found within the story and can see somebody who is similar to them and has faced a similar struggle. As a gay teenager, I understand the importance of seeing depictions of yourself in the media. It helps to give you role models and see that you are not alone within the world.
On the flip side, presenting these stories is important for the rest of the population too. People are only familiar with the stories of people they see in their everyday lives and those in the media. Since trans-gendered people often keep their pasts to themselves and are foreign to a lot of people despite their much larger presence within the world, it's important to show their stories in the media to allow for the rest of the population to become accustomed to these stories and understand the ways others live. The media has the power to present life in many different ways. I believe that the media should present a vision of the world that is not just the regular way of being that we all know but challenges these boundaries and tells unique stories. I applaud Kimberly Peirce and this film for doing just that.
Luckily, Brandon finds a new group of friends who adopt him as one of them. For a while, this seems to go well for him and he even begins to have a little crush. Of course, everything turns sour once he starts to fall for this girl and her ex-boyfriend is insulted and eventually, the truth about Brandon comes out. One of the most striking things about this story is that Brandon's girlfriend, Lana, does not seem to stop loving him once she finds out his gender at birth. She only seems to want to save him. Having read about the author, she claims that this story is a love story about star crossed lovers similar to the tale of Romeo and Juliet and it is hard to look at this film without seeing the deep love between these two characters. Of course, their fate is that they cannot be together and they suffer in a similar way to Romeo and Juliet.
However, this story is much more important than your typical love story. The tales of trans-gendered people are rarely found in the media, especially in such a mainstream Hollywood film. Its origin may not have been as a huge Hollywood production but the fantastic performances of Hilary Swank and Chloe Sevigny have elevated the movie to such a level. It's important for transgendered people of all ages to see their stories depicted on the screen. They may not face the exact same struggles as Brandon did in the film but they can take strength from the deep love found within the story and can see somebody who is similar to them and has faced a similar struggle. As a gay teenager, I understand the importance of seeing depictions of yourself in the media. It helps to give you role models and see that you are not alone within the world.
On the flip side, presenting these stories is important for the rest of the population too. People are only familiar with the stories of people they see in their everyday lives and those in the media. Since trans-gendered people often keep their pasts to themselves and are foreign to a lot of people despite their much larger presence within the world, it's important to show their stories in the media to allow for the rest of the population to become accustomed to these stories and understand the ways others live. The media has the power to present life in many different ways. I believe that the media should present a vision of the world that is not just the regular way of being that we all know but challenges these boundaries and tells unique stories. I applaud Kimberly Peirce and this film for doing just that.
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