Boys Don’t Cry (1999)

In one of the most profound stories to reach the screen, Boys Don’t Cry profiles Brandon Teena, formally Teena Brandon, a 21-year-old transman who was brutally raped and murdered on New Year’s Eve in 1993. The vicious hate crime took place in a small Nebraska town at the hands of men Brandon thought were his friends. Director Kimberly Peirce leads this beautiful project, with Hilary Swank playing Brandon and Chloë Sevigny portraying Brandon’s love interest, Lana. Both women were nominated for Oscars, with Hilary rightfully taking home the Best Actress prize.

Side note: Hilary prepared for the role of Brandon by living as a man for a month, a transformation that led her neighbors to believe her brother had taken up resident in Hilary’s home.