The Brandon Teena Story (1998)

Who payed the critics

Such a frustrating disappointment

I saw this movie before reading any reviews, and I thought it was very funny. I was very surprised to see the overwhelmingly negative reviews this film received from critics.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

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.

This video holds nothing back, giving viewers actual footage of the town and neighborhoods where the victim and killers had once walked, drove and partied in. It also takes you up the country road to the talked about farmhouse where three people were murdered in the dead of winter night. There are actual crime scene photos of Teena Brandon and the inside of the broken-into farmhouse. I found those particularly disturbing, but I guess that is how to try capturing the essence of what it was like so viewers may learn from it. The video also includes interviews from friends and family of the killers and the victims. There are even interviews from inside the prisons from the killers themselves, trying to appear wrongly accused and failing miserably. The clueless sheriff is also seen praising their law enforcement, even after botching the rape and murder case in front of the world. This is not for children or the squeamish, and it really makes a strong impact.

I just wanted to acknowledge the fact that if we are going to talk about how people are closed- minded and how society's views must be altered to include transgendered individuals as people of value and importance in our culture, then we must first begin with the little things: If Brandon felt that he identified as a male then we should give him the respect he deserves as someone who served as a lesson for us all. This means referring to him as male. If Brandon saw himself as male then we should refer to him accordingly. I suggest that whoever designed this IMDb movie profile should re-evaluate the way this profile is set up and change the cast description to Brandon Teena...himself (not herself). This is the first step to achieving what I'm sure Brandon would have wanted: to have transgendered people be accepted as how they see themselves- not how someone else sees them.

For someone who isn't familiar with this story or someone who has no interest in the gay/lesbian lifestyle..don't even try because you will end up with a wrong attitude. This is an excellent portrayal of a REAL life story. It is so sad that this can happen. Brandon Teena was hurting no one, yet these two men thought she deserved to die. It is amazing to me how all these women got all aghast when they realised he was really a woman and then felt the need to justify their relationship. There is nothing wrong with loving..whether that love is mainstream or not. If it makes you happy...go for it.