Kimberly Peirce on how UChicago shaped her career

Boys Don't Cry director speaks with longtime mentor, film students in campus visit. When Kimberly Peirce made  Boys Don't Cry  two decades ago, she created the movie as a labor of love. The University of Chicago alum wanted to tell the story of Brandon Teena, to honor the courage and imagination of a trans person who lost his life in pursuit of his true self. But the small, independent film became a surprise hit and cultural touchstone, one that established Peirce as a director and helped shape a national conversation about gender and sexual identity. None of that would have been possible without UChicago, Peirce insisted during a recent visit to campus. This is where she got lost in the study of Shakespeare and history and physics-and where she met a young professor whose honest advice transformed her career path. "We really have to celebrate Lauren Berlant," said Peirce, AB'90.