Boys Don't Cry

[Reigh Kaufman]

I was thinking about this today. The tableau scene near the end of the movie (in the bathroom when the truth about Teena/Brandon is discovered) in which Swank steps outside of herself and watches the men as they set about undressing her? Well, this is hands down, my favourite moment of any movie EVER...But why do you think this happened? Does it mean anything? Thanks in advance.

[CrowTRobot]

Spoilers?

I think the ghost teena/brandon in that scene is the fleeting phantom of teena's desired self. Despite all the pressures going against her/him throughout the film, he/she maintains this incredible optimism that her/his ideal self WILL be eventually realized, and it's this tragic blind spot to the events and dangers around her/him that make this film so incredibly affecting.

I think in the bathroom scene, when brandon is undergoing part of the unspeakable violence and abuse, the dream, the illusion of manhood, splits away. The violence has shook her back to the reality of her situation, and her other self looking at her self is almost like her spirit/dreamself blowing away.

Incredible film, incredible acting.

[mitty]

Maybe it was to symbolize that a part of her(the Brandon part) was dying.

[LAW]

I believe the Director said that all Brandon ever wanted in life was just to be able to pass as a male. The fact that she was in Lana's family and passing was a dream come true. When she was exposed, everything she had accomplished was over and she along with everyone else had to accept the truth.
Here's a question someone can help with.
What was with Lana saying that Brandon's hair looked different when she came to take her away to Memphis? At that point she already knew the truth, but was it because Brandon's hair didn't look right or something that it finally turned her off??