Genre: Drama
On December 30th, 1993, two men in Nebraska shot and killed 21-year-old Teena Brandon. While awaiting gender reassignment surgery, the young woman had for years posed as a man under the name Brandon Teena. With that identity, he had arrived a few months earlier in Falls City, a desolate rural hole populated by poorly educated white Americans trying to scape together and existence far from the American Dream. As a boy, Brandon hung out with his later killers, who, like himself could not boast of a spotless criminal record. When the two unstable men found out Brandon’s true identity by an unfortunate coincidence, a predictable violent reaction ensued, during which he was openly humiliated and then raped. After Brandon reported it to the police, the men decided to silence him for good.
A case like this, in which brute force was combined with a sensational story about a sex change that had remained undiscovered for years, was of course favorite news for the American media, which then also threw themselves wholeheartedly into the dramatic trial of two perpetrators. One of them acted as the star witness, so that is friend was sentenced to death, while he himself ‘mercifully’ got off with three life sentences.
Originally, Kimberly Peirce’s directorial debut was supposed to be about a woman who impersonated a male spy during the American Civil War. However, while searching for sources on gendered behavior, she stumbled upon the Teena case. It is easy to understand what must have attracted Kimberly Peirce to Brandon’s tragic history. Besides the obvious curiosity about how a girl can survive so long as a man in such a harsh environment, the story offers several leads for a compelling drama, such as Brandon’s struggle with sexual identity and his strong desire to be accepted by the unusual romance that blossomed between Brandon and Lana, the ex-girlfriend of one of Brandon’s later assailants.
As Peirce presents it, this love story contributed to Brandon’s final downfall. As a result, the dramatic love couple resembles a modern Romeo and Juliet, for once thwarted in their passion not by rival families, but by the stupidity and intolerance of backward America. This somewhat romantic approach to the affair is especially well served by Chloë Sevigny’s excellent portrayal of Lana, who manages to transcend the cliché image of “white trash” Americans.
Compared to the subtly restrained Sevigny (only nominated for an Oscar), the acting of Hilary Swank, who won an Academy Award for her role, seems rather forced. I can see why a role like this would have been awarded, because her performance compels admiration. And it's clear Swank has put many hours of research and preparations into her performance. It’s mostly the transformation that Swank went through that makes it great, the performance itself is not that extraordinary.
Rating: 3/ 5
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