Boys Don't Cry and Public Opinion
Films can be very powerful works of art. Important films can stir public conversation and opinion. Unfortunatly I don't think Boys Don't Cry reaches this level. Don't get me wrong, it is a very good film, with great performances from Hilary Swank and Chloe Sevigny. I would classify Boys Don't Cry as a film that preaches to the choir. Most of the people who have seen it already lean towards acceptance of homosexuals/transgender issues and the film just reaffirms their beliefs. Now you can make the argument that Fahrenheit 9/11 preached to choir as well, but the difference is that Fahreinheit also rallied the oppisition. Boys Don't Cry didn't have that effect as it played in mostly liberal parts of the country, and could be easily ignored by the opponents of gay/transgender rights. Even though Swank won the Oscar, the film was never front page news. Yes, it may have swayed people on the fence, or those with no previous opinion, but how many people is that? According to IMDB, the film only grossed 11.5 million dollars in its theatrical release. I don't remember it setting records in video sales or rentels. Yes the film helped shine a light on the issue, bu not too many people saw the light. That is not to say its a bad film, it just plays better to a specific audience, and was easily ignored by most of the country.