Customer Reviews

The Brandon Teena Story (Collector's Edition)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I decided to see this video before seeing "Boys Don't Cry", the movie based on the same story. I have concluded that seeing both films is essential for anyone not directly involved in the actual situation to understand what went on. "Boys Don't Cry" took some liberties with the facts involved in the true story, as most artistic works must ultimately do. "The Brandon Tenna Story" focused on the facts leading up to the hate-crime rape and murder--showing John Lotter and Tom Nissen as amoral sociopaths who, even two years after their crimes, see themselves as homegrown heros who saved a friend through sexual assault and who each proclaims his innocence of the subsequent triple (not double) murder that followed. (This video tells of the third victim of the murder--a physically disabled African American man who just happened to be at the murder scene at the time.) Also in this film (and missing from "BDC") are interviews with the mother of Brandon Teena and the parents of the friend who offered him shelter and tried to offer him a refuge from Lotter and Nissen, only to die for her efforts an leave a 9-month-old son an orphan. The actual filmed interviews with the deputy sheriff who let Lotter and Nissen go, even after they as good as confessed their involvement in the rape to him, is perhaps the most puzzling character of all in this video. The excerpts from his interrogations of Brandon after the rape, and subsequently of Nissen and Lotter, indicate that he was far more aggressive and harsh in his questioning of the victim. There is evidence that both Nissen and Lotter were already well-known as violent trouble-makers in the county's law enforcement officers, this deputy included. In his brief appearances in the film, the sheriff of the county where Brandon dies gives a distinct impression of a town in severe financial depression where violence of all sorts is an everyday affair that everyone learns to live with, if they want to live at all. Somehow, a careful analysis of all that information, and a bit more fact gathering, might ultimately explain why, even after the murders, the deputy seems to regard himself as a law enforcement professional who did his job as best he could. At the end of this video, however, he seems to be nearly as culpable in the crimes as Nissen and Lotter themselves. I don't apologize for that impression, since evidently the Nebraska courts are still dealing with that very issue in a lawsuit filed by Brandon's mother.

This video does not portray Brandon in his best light (I definitely refer anyone to "BDC" for that), because it seems to focus more on the basic facts of his too-short life more than on the pain and confusion that must have been his--trying to live as a man when he had been given a body that appeared to be mostly female, and in a part of the world where the people surrounding him were too busy screwing up their own lives to understand his unique set of problems. So Brandon's survival skills came to include lying and occasionally writing bad checks. But even the most hardcore pragmatist would have to say at the end of the film that Brandon's "victims" would recover in short order and get on with their lives. That's a great deal more than can be said for the victims of Nissen and Lotter, who in this documentary seem to be singing, "We're just some good ol' boys, never meaning' no harm" to the world."

Perhaps the most chilling part of viewing this excellent documentary is that knowledge that this savagery took place only seven years ago in America, helped along by people who at least still give lip service to the idea that they were doing the right thing at the time. At the end of the film, one's mind is filled with the usual 20/20 hindsight solutions for the perverted conditions that enabled the slaughter, and a quiet determination to do whatever possible to change those conditions wherever they may still, unfortunately be found.

A powerful film, a definite must-see.

Even though I knew the story after seeing the movie "Boys Don't Cry", I am glad I saw this video. The facts of the case, especially the actual words that the sheriff used to interrogate Brandon after the rape, were absolutely appalling and display the ignorance and prejudice of the people in the small town of 5000, known for its dead-end jobs and domestic violence.

Now that I've seen both versions of this story, I must say I preferred Boys Don't Cry with its scripted performance and planned dramatic tension. It also was able to portray some of the more intimate moments with a sense of humor, such as the scene in which he gets a period and steals tampax from a convenience store. Scenes like this are impossible in a documentary of course.

The strength of the documentary, however, was being able to see the real people, not actors. And real photographs of the troubled Brandon. The realization that this is the truth, not fiction, adds an extra punch or horror to that sickening feeling I felt when I saw the dramatized version.

If the story intrigues you, as it did me as well as the filmmakers, make sure not to miss this penetrating true look at this horrible crime. Recommended.

The fact that there is a documentary about Brandon Teena-a young, working class, transgender person who was murdered in a small Nebraska town in December 1994-shows that there is a significant and growing movement against trans oppression.

Many transgender people are murdered at the hands of bigots. Trans people have been systematically oppressed by the cops and the bosses for hundreds of years. If we know the names Brandon Teena, Marsha P. Johnson and Venus Extravaganza-all killed by bigots and trans oppression-it's only because of a growing awareness of the lives and deaths of trans people. This is the direct result of a movement for liberation.

The documentary film, The Brandon Teena Story, produced and directed by Susan Muska and Greta Olafsdottir, is a respectful and important work. The most unfortunate aspect of the film is the absence of its main character. We see Brandon Teena only through photographs, people's memories, and testimony from the men who raped and murdered him.

The most painful part of the film is an audio tape of Brandon made by cops as they grilled him about being raped by the men who would later kill him and two others. The cops deliberately waited to arrest the pair until after the murders.

Brandon's story of transitioning, love, murder and oppression is told thoughtfully by friends and former girlfriends. It was Falls City Sheriff Charles Laux, who publicly exposed Brandon's genetic sex (female), who began the cascade of violence that ended in the triple homicide of Brandon Teena, Lisa Lambert and Phillip DeVine.

Lampert and DeVine were killed to try to protect the identities of the murderers, John Lotter and Tom Nissen.

While there is a lot of information about Brandon Teena available to the movement, this film is an important contribution because it exposes the daily oppression transgender people suffer at the hands of bigoted cops and the sexist, transphobic, anti-lesbian/gay/bi system that oppresses us all.

Seldom does a documentary film give such depth and background to a story. These filmmakers spent years in the courtroom and with the victims' families as well as the families of the killers. The obvious cooperation of law enforcement, media and members of the community is because of the attitude of Muska and Olafsdottir. They never succumbed to the promotion of the sensational aspects of the crime which prompted some lurid headlines.Without losing their objectivity, they maintained their compassion for all those involved. As someone who spent five years following this case as a reporter, I can vouch for its accuracy.

i have not yet seen "boys dont cry", and in fact i had gotten the brandon teena story on accident.i ordered it thinking it was BDC, but when i got it i realized it wasnt.i was tempted to send it back and get my money refunded but i changed my mind and opted to watch it. boy am i glad i did.this documentary moved me so much and affected me more than i was expecting it to. i came into this doc thinking it was just some regular old doc, not really expecting to get much out of it. by the end i was in tears.such a tragic incident to happen to a person like teena. the only downside to this was they focused more on the murder than on teena herself.i would of liked to of seen more of who she was...what she was like, etc. i cant wait to see BDC..."the brandon teena story" is a must-see if you saw/plan to see BDC.i am so glad i deicded to keep it :)

boys don't cry is a beautiful and amazing film, don't get me wrong, but it isn't completely truthful, nor is it meant to be. this film gives a complete account of the brandon teena story in an honest, and considerate way while avoiding the trappings of over-sensationalizing like so many other documentations of this story have. more interested in informing than shocking, this film interviews important people in brandon's life thereby giving a complete account of his time in rural nebraska that led up to his eventual rape and death. i respect this film and appreciate the homage it pays to a young man who never meant to be an activist but has in death become one.

I have to admit that after seeing Boys Don't Cry, I wanted to see the real thing. I was saddened by the documentary seeing Lana, Brandon's Mother, and other close friends. John Lotter made me sick to my stomach, seeing the real person or rather monster-in interviews. However, seeing pictures of Brandon growing up & looking happy made it real to me, very real. Something like this could happen to anyone of us just because we are different. Showing the actual house where the murders took place, outside & in, made me shudder. Seeing a picture of Brandon with a bullet hole under his chin and the stab wound in the stomach,laying lifeless made me cry. This was worth seeing. I sure opened my eyes. Brandon seemed so lighthearted & happy, loving and was just searching for a place to fit it. I think the documentary is worth seeing and also sharing with people you care about.

I saw Boys Don't Cry first, and because of that, the documentary did a good job of further fleshing out characters and background. I question whether it would be as effective on its own. One thing it does very well is shine a light under the rock to reveal the festering ooze that is life in rural Nebraska. The movie did a good job, but even an independent film glosses up the wretched stupidity on display here.

I have viewed The Brandon Teena Story about 5 times so far and I`am always left blown away by it. Brandon Teena was a person who wanted to be loved and accepted for who "HE" is and what he got was raped and killed for it. Its so sad. What really got me was that Sheriff Laux when Brandon reported the rape. This Sheriff didn`t care about Brandon and what happened, all he seemed interested in is the fact that Brandon is a woman underneath the clothing. He asked all those questions to Brandon, questions that were WAY out of line. It seemed as if Laux was getting off on it, it made me sick! Poor Brandon, what he went through. He got rape once physcially with Lotter and Nissen and then he got raped again emotionally by Laux. If it wasn`t for Laux, I believe Brandon would still be alive. Laux should have done his job and arrested Lotter and Nissien when Brandon reported the Rape. He didn`t, now Brandon is dead along with his two friends. Its so heartbreaking. No one should be treated the way Brandon was. Brandon will always be in my heart.

Although I enjoyed the documentary, I thought there could have been more details to explore than to simply turn the camera on and let the subjects talk. And there are so many "urban myths" attached to this story -- i.e. the name "Brandon Teena" was never used, only "Brandon."
The film makers had chances to explore, push buttons, and probe, but evidently chose not to do so. Lana obviously considers herself a star to the show but is never pursued as a suspect; the rumour of her being present at the time of the killings could have been explored. Both of the killer's sexualities could have been explored, showing there are no easy answers and no 'simple' crimes. Why did Teena B trust these three low life, white trash losers (Lana & the killers)? What common bond kept them together, even in the midst of a heinous crime? Interesting how much Lana played into the story, yet not once did she show emotion when discussing the crime - except to laugh.
The additions to the DVD seem slapped on - and again, could have been so much better. Documentaries can educate and explain, or open an issue to discussion.
I truly believe, as a criminologist and as a diversity instructor, all of the persons responsible for the 3 murders were not held accountable. They caught the "bad guys" and locked them up, end of story. But there seems to be so much more than this. Lana & her mother should have been interrogated for aiding the killers (Lana's mother admits to doing so in her explanation to hide the evidence). Lana's role in the killing should have been explored. These are not bright, clever people; they could have been "had" with the right interview by law enforcement.
All in all, kudos to the filmmakers for their work, but consider that nothing is as good as the TRUE story.