A biopic telling the story of Brandon Teena a trans man who was raped and murdered by two male acquaintances in 1993, “Boys Don’t Cry” was widely regarded one of the best films of 1999 – which was an unusually strong year for American cinema. Brandon was played by Hilary Swank, who won the Best Actress Academy Award for her performance. Another actor, Chloë Sevigny, was nominated for Best Supporting Actress but lost to Angelina Jolie (for “Girl, Interrupted”).
The film was not lacking in controversy: it was unflinching in its depiction of the brutality of rape and murder, some of the real people the film was based on (or their families) criticised it for inaccuracy, and of course, America’s relationship with trans people has always been uneasy.
