If Boys Don't Cry was a documentary...
If Boys Dont Cry had been a documentary about Brandon Teena, it would have been a very different film. Either Brandon Teena wouldn't have been raped and killed in the end, if the film crew had prevented it, or these scenes would not have been included, if the crew was absent, or the crew also would have been murdered. This would have changed the entire film, as the rape and murder of Brandon Teena was the terrible climax that followed the tension that had been rising throughout the film. Therefore Boys Dont Cry could really only exist as a retold story, and not a as documentary. Retold stories allow for personal experiences to be recreated on film and worked into a story. Although Brandon's story would have been harrowing and horrible told in any format, the level of emotional involvement that Boys Dont Cry achieves with the audience could only be attained through this format. The character development and plot, both of which could not have been so linear and flowing in a documentary, leave the audience relating to Brandon Teena. The audience then has difficulty watching the violent scenes, and walks away from the film angry that Brandon Teena was murdered. This additional emotional pull involved in retelling an already emotional story makes Boys Dont Cry an excellent tool for fighting prejudice, and probably a more effective one than a documentary. Boys Dont Cry has broader audience appeal than a documentary. It is a piece of critically acclaimed mainstream cinema, which certainly indicates a large number of viewers. This large audience is one way in which the retelling of the Brandon Teena story has power that a documentary does not. Even if a member of the audience of Boys Dont Cry does not walk away from the film angry that Brandon is dead, they will at least be thinking about people outside of the male/female gender and sex binary. The simple act of thinking about people, and knowing they exist, helps to pull them out of the margins of society.