Overview
A poignant exploration of identity and acceptance in a small town.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- harrowing
- tender
- wistful
- serious movie night
- social justice discussion
What critics said
Critics broadly regarded the film as a harrowing, stirring, and powerfully acted dramatization of Brandon Teena’s life and hate-crime murder.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Brandon’s adopted male identity and relationships are placed under increasing pressure when his friends discover the identity he has kept secret.
Brandon finds belonging in a tiny Nebraska town, but the same close-knit social world becomes a source of surveillance, rejection, and violence.
Brandon’s relationship with Lana offers intimacy and acceptance while surrounding hostility makes their connection increasingly unsafe.
The film commemorates the actual life and death of Brandon Teena through candid performances and a bleak, emotionally direct rural setting.
Films like Boys Don't Cry, and why
M####y
shared transgender identity themes, rural alienation, intimate character drama, and devastating social prejudice
The Danish Girl
shared queer outsider perspective, romance under social pressure, and emotionally harrowing identity conflict
An American Crime
shared true-crime drama, rural American setting, outsider status, and escalating violence rooted in intolerance
Moonlight
shared LGBTQ identity, forbidden intimacy, restrained realism, and tragic confrontation with social hostility
Movie Details
- Director
- Kimberly Peirce
- Release Date
- 1999-09-02
- Runtime
- 118 min
- Rating
- 7.4 / 10 (1510)
Cast
- Hilary Swank
- Chloë Sevigny
- Peter Sarsgaard
- Brendan Sexton III
- Alicia Goranson
- Alison Folland
- Jeannetta Arnette
- Rob Campbell
- Matt McGrath
- Cheyenne Rushing
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Boys Don't Cry about?
- A tender new romance in rural Nebraska becomes a harrowing fight for dignity when a transgender outsider’s concealed identity is exposed.
- What is Boys Don't Cry like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Boys Don't Cry as measured, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Boys Don't Cry violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Boys Don't Cry as graphic.
- What did critics think of Boys Don't Cry?
- Critics broadly regarded the film as a harrowing, stirring, and powerfully acted dramatization of Brandon Teena’s life and hate-crime murder.
- Which films are like Boys Don't Cry?
- Films with a similar feel include M####y, The Danish Girl, An American Crime, and Moonlight.
- How long is Boys Don't Cry?
- Boys Don't Cry runs 118 minutes.
- Where can I watch Boys Don't Cry?
- In United States, Boys Don't Cry is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home.
