TY  - BOOK
AU  - Adrian Zagler
PY  - 2011
CY  - München, Germany
PB  - GRIN Verlag
SN  - 9783640994014
TI  - The critical representation of gender and queerness in "Boys Don’t Cry"
T2  - Looking at the interplay of narration and narrative in Brandon’s ‘exposure’ scene
DO  - 10.3239/9783640994014
UR  - https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/177613
N2  - Boys Don’t Cry (2008, written and directed by Kimberley Peirce) is based on the tragic (and true) story of young Brandon Teena, who was born female but felt a man, and who was murdered for exactly this ‘sexual identity crisis’. With a protagonist who is a female-to-male transgender, the representation of gender and gender relationships looms large in the film. Therefore, this paper focuses on the way how gender and queerness (especially in respect to Brandon) are treated on the level of narrative as well as on the level of narration, and how this influences the overall effect of the film in- and outside of the cinemas. In the first part of the paper, the texts is devoted to a brief overview of the key terms used, such as ‘gender’, ‘queerness’ and ‘Queer New Cinema’ as a genre of Independent Cinema. The ensuing analysis of the film will draw on some influential schools of thought and critics, among them feminist criticism and queer theory, which are both concerned with the gender issue. This is the theoretical basis for a closer analysis of one crucial scene in particular.  In the ‘exposure’ scene, as I term it, Brandon is literally dis-covered and his female genitalia are made visible. It is one of the most violent and touching scenes in the whole film, but even more so it is the crucial point where Peirce makes the arguably most important statements about gender and queerness. Correspondingly, it is this part that deviates most openly in its narration from mainstream convention. The off-mainstream narrative techniques employed in this scene add a further layer of meaning and understanding to the representation of gender and queerness in the film. The ‘exposure’ scene is the first instance of gender-related violence towards Brandon; it manages to increase viewers’ (emotional) immersion as well as identification with the ‘queer’ protagonist. This is particularly crucial for the overall effect of the film: raising awareness, tolerance and understanding of transgendered people in the viewers, even beyond the duration of the film. 
KW  - Boys don't cry, queer, transgender, independent, cinema, screen, masculinity, body, identity, gender
LA  - English
ER  -