The Brandon Teena Story (1998) *** (out of 4) Good documentary taking a look at the female Teena Brandon who believed she was a man so she dressed that way, dated women who thought she was a man and eventually was brutally murdered with two other people. You're probably more familiar with the film BOYS DON'T CRY, which told this story but this documentary, while incredibly flawed, also offers a look at the real people involved in the crimes. I was pretty shocked to see how many of the real people attached to the story were willing to talk and this includes the two men who raped Teena and eventually murdered here. We also hear from everyone's relatives as well as several females who dated Teena, under the name of Brandon of course. As I said in my review for BOYS DON'T CRY, I don't agree with what Teena did. As a straight man I wouldn't want to be dating a female who was keeping it from me that she was an actual man. I understand the outrage that would be gleamed towards Teena but at the same time you can't condone what happened to her with the rapes and eventual murder. Watching this documentary just made me realize that those people we laugh at on Jerry Springer are really in this world and the "white trash" on display in this movie makes you understand why Teena could be raped and nothing be done about it until after she was dead. It's pretty shocking to hear some of the questions that was asked of her during the rape investigation and it's even more shocking to hear that many people probably felt it was okay what happened to her. THE BRANDON TEENA STORY has some major flaws including some really stupid attempts at emotions by using songs throughout the picture. Still, it's pretty fascinating getting to hear from all the actual people and this here is reason enough to see the film.

Although we do get to hear the voice of Brandon Teena because of her taped interview with the police, The Brandon Teena Story is essentially the plot of Boys Don't Cry without the central protagonist. Hilary Swank filled the void that Brandon's absence created with her Academy Award winning performance. What we have here is a documentary of the events leading up to his murder and what happened to his killers.When dealing with a transgender individual to properly tell the story we have to go back to the cradle to those very first questioning that something is not right with the body I'm in. So it was with Tina Brandon born in Nebraska and raised in a time where she would have had limited access to literature about being transgender. She also was raised in a redneck culture and her male role models were the redneck boys she grew up with. This was to her what it meant to be a man.Before he was murdered at the end of 1993, Tina Brandon reversed her name and started living as Brandon Teena in a nearby town where no one knew him from a previous identity as a woman. As a man Brandon did pretty good with the woman by the accounts in the film and that aroused suspicion that eventually led to tragedy.There were two crimes involving Brandon Teena. The first was a brutal rape when her physical privacy was violated on Christmas Eve and then her murder along with two other people to silence them as witnesses after Brandon Teena brought the complaint of rape on New Year's Eve.Two things I guarantee you will disturb you for all time to come. The first was the total lack of remorse by Brandon's killers, John Lotter and Tom Nissen. They still truly believe that in their heart of hearts they were somehow defending the barriers of male sexuality from unwanted invasion. Secondly it's the total lack of compassion and understanding of transgender issues by the sheriff's department when you hear the sheriff questioning Brandon about the rape. Both these things sad to say aren't a new story for me. I worked 23 years for NYS Crime Victims Board and even today the approach some police take regarding gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender crime victims is appalling. It's far worse where I live now in Buffalo than in New York City where I'm originally from. That it's not a new a revelatory story for me is another frightening thing.To get the facts as Joe Friday used to say on Dragnet, I suggest you watch the Brandon Teena Story documentary. To flesh out who was Brandon Teena than don't miss Hilary Swank's performance in Boys Don't Cry.This review is dedicated to all the Transgender support groups out there in the world, especially to the Buffalo Belles and Spectrum in my area. They provide an incalculable service to those transgender folks at various stages of their journey. Due to the insurance regulations most will die in the bodies they feel wrongly trapped in. Hopefully that will change and the Brandon Teenas don't have to stay Tina Brandon if that's not who they were meant to be.

OK. I spent the last fifteen minutes reading the comments written about this film. Out of the twenty some I've read thus far, only about four users seemingly understood the film's content and message. Brandon Teena was male. Yes, he was born in a female body, but he was transgender, therefore ONLY male pronouns should be used in reference to him. He/his/boy/man/etc. HE WAS NOT A GIRL. The fact that all of the users who have commented have presumably seen the film, and especially those of you who claim the ignorance of others, but then continue to use wrong pronouns for Brandon disgusts me. Do your research, and have some more respect.

I live in the UK and last night (Friday 28th July 2006) I turned over my TV to find a film called 'Boys don't cry' on, an hour and a half later and I had cried 3 times and felt sick, disturbed and so overwhelmed by emotions that I couldn't separate one from the other. I felt as if I wished I had been there to shelter Brandon/Teena from her tortured end. I read some other comments posted and one suggested that the violence towards Brandon was not that of a hate crime because of her sexuality, to be frank, thats total bullshit!! Those two sick, deluded individuals who call themselves men (!) bullied a person who, OK didn't have the cleanest of backgrounds and had lied about her gender, but I don't think that he should have broad casted it to the entire town, he wanted to live he's life as a man, and be treated as a man. Admittedly he should not have deceived girls once they were a couple but does that really justify murder?? The one person who had a right to be annoyed was Lana but the sorry excuses of men that brutally raped him, both anally and vaginally deserve to be tortured and tested on instead of animals, Brandon had done nothing wrong that justified a murder and after seeking help from the police-people who he trusted, they chose to do nothing and let tom and john wander free to seek revenge. You do ask yourself why Brandon chose to stay around for as long as he did, or why he didn't flee back to Lincoln after the rape, or why he's mother didn't go to he's rescue?? I'm a mum and would walk over hot coal to get to my son. The police are responsible for Brandon's death, they allowed those sick bastrds to carry out a cold hearted murder to save themselves being convicted of rape. They were proud of what they did and should rot in hell. They abused and tortured another human being for not being able to understand, they are ignorant bastards who i hope never walk free again, They tool away someone's daughter, sister niece, friend and lover and they have to live with that every day for the rest of their lives.To Brandon's family, I wish to give my deepest sympathy, my thoughts are with you. The authorities, and us as a society need to ensure this will never happen to another human being again, the sad truth is, it probably already is.