Realistic and Moving
Rating: 9 of 10 
Realism in movies is always a double-edged sword: On the one hand, it may be an unorthodox method to tell an old story in a new and gripping way, on the other hand, it can manifest itself in blurry, badly-lit videotape pictures and Jerry Springer-inspired acting. But because realism is something more or less new in Hollywood, it is applied more and more often - with differing results, and somehow, 'Boys Don't Cry' seems to move into the rather flawed direction in the beginning.
However, the movie manages to overcome the initial weak points and proves to be something new indeed, something speaking with a new voice, something which is telling new stories also. A lot of effort goes into making this as realistic as possible, and the acting especially on the part of Hillary Swank is top-notch, indeed deserving an Oscar.
The effort, sadly, shows, and everything feels like a lot of effort went into it. The realism feels enforced sometimes, the camera perspective to be deliberately unconventional. The movie tries hard to look like not trying hard, it doesn't come as natural as it should. So while there is a certain realistic feeling to it, this is undermined by the unconventiality ex machina, by an intense trying to be modern, or rather, post-modern. This somehow lessens the effect of the movie, but only to a small degree. What remains, is still a gripping and sometimes terrifying experience, told in a different way than usual.
September 20th, 2000
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