This is the true story of Teena Brandon. She was a young woman in eastern Nebraska undergoing a sexual identity crisis. She changed her name to Brandon Teena and posed as a man. He was a small-time thief and con man who dated women and charmed the small town folks with whom he associated.

His petty crimes caught up with him and his true identity was revealed. He was then raped and murdered by two of his "buddies." It's a horrible story and a difficult film to watch . I lived in Kansas City in the early '90s when the actual events took place far too close for comfort. It's embarrassing and horrifying that the mean-spirited, intolerant bigots depicted in the movie actually existed.

Hilary Swank plays Brandon. Her performance is nothing short of mesmerizing. You actually believe the actress is a young man. I'm sure that's exactly how the denizens of small-town Nebraska felt when the first met Brandon. It is uncanny.

Chloe Sevigny is Brandon's steady girlfriend, Lorna. Her poignant defense of a person she cares about, even once knowing the truth, is so believable and understandable, you will certainly cry.

A documentary on the same incidents, The Brandon Teena Story, was released a couple of years ago. The actual participants, less Brandon of course, were all interviewed on screen. Boys Don't Cry tells the story and makes you cringe. The documentary left me shaking my head in the disbelief that people are really as ignorant as those portrayed in this feature film.

On a lighter note, the actress that played Roseanne's daughter, Becky (the first and the third), on her self-titled situation comedy plays the first local citizen to befriend Brandon. She's changed her name for Lecy Goransen to Alecia Goransen. I thought it was Becky throughout the whole movie. I kept expecting Darlene or DJ to appear at any moment. Ah, the curse of a successful child career on television.

Listen to me: You must go see it.

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