Spilt Milk Six months after its release, Boys Don't Cry is finally opening in Memphis. by CHRIS DAVIS "I'm out there banging my head against the wall, trying to let these distributors know that I have screens available," Malco Theatre's Jeff Kaufman says of Memphis' seeming inability to attract non-mainstream cinema (at least in a timely fashion). It's no secret to local film buffs that cutting-edge movies aren't always easy to find in the Bluff City. It's Kaufman's feeling that a fairly strong market exists for these kinds of films, but the market is hard to identify and it has several things working against it. "[Historically, when we do get these films], it's piecemeal -- very sporadic. They could be showing at Germantown or Wolfchase, or anywhere. You never know. People in Memphis really have to hunt for them," he adds, certain that the extra hassle involved in finding these films keeps a sizable chunk of the audience at home (and a problem he hopes to solve when Malco's Studio in the Square opens). This, in turn, sends a message to distributors that Memphis isn't an "art-film" kind of town. It's the chicken and the egg all over again. Boys Don't Cry, which has racked up Golden Globes, Oscar nominations, and been lovingly featured in just about every entertainment publication in America, is a sterling example of Memphis' cinematic privation. The local press screening for Kimberly Pierce's dark, gender-twisting feature happened sometime around the end of October 1999, and journalists were encouraged to run their stories prior to the film's November 6th opening. Of course November 6th rolls around and guess what? -- no Boys Don't Cry. Well, not in Memphis anyway. NYC had it and so did L.A., but l'il ol' Memphis was, as usual, SOL. After the November disappointment, word had it that Boys Don't Cry would make it to Memphis in time for the holidays. "I've been begging for it since December," Kaufman confesses. But come Christmas morning local movie-lovers were treated to a big hunk of coal in their stockings. Once again the film was a no-show. "Basically, the only reason this got bumped back is because there was not that much awareness of the film," says Diana Allen of Morach and Associates, the company currently handling marketing for the film. "They [Fox Searchlight] were waiting for the Golden Globes -- waiting for the buzz." The implication here is (and sad to say it's probably all true) that films like Boys Don't Cry can't make it in our market without Oscar's seal of approval. Of course, Boys Don't Cry had plenty of "buzz" going for it by Christmas '99. So where the hell was it? Kaufman unravels that mystery by pointing out that smaller films have limited promotional funding. They can't spend a great deal of cash on advertising, and they certainly can't afford to start cranking out more prints just because the film is becoming popular in other markets. They have to feed off the buzz, and feed efficiently. It makes a lot of business sense, even if it does seem unfair to those of us who have to wait. If the funding isn't available to create more prints, why would anyone in their right mind take a film off a screen in, oh let's say, Chicago, where (thanks to the buzz) it is beginning to do very well, and ship that same print to an untried market like Memphis? Kaufman stresses his efforts to bring quality films to Memphis. He also defends the distributors. "Each market is carefully analyzed in terms of what kind of business any given film is going to do," Kaufman says. It is hard to argue that in a city like ours, a film about rape, murder, and a female transvestite might not go over too well on its own merits. Granted, when you boil this tale of true crime down to its base elements, it isn't that far removed from Shakespeare, but you also have to consider this: If the Bard was writing his scripts for the first time in today's political climate, he would probably be targeted by feminists, fundamentalists, and anti-obscenity groups left and right. "There are people who make it a point to see all of the Oscar-nominated films," Kaufman adds, strengthening the argument that Oscar's clout can indeed make a difference among those who might not otherwise attend certain films. Anyway, Boys Don't Cry is finally opening in Memphis this week, so all you "followers" out there who can't recognize a good thing until somebody on TV tells you about it can finally go see for yourself what all of the "buzz is about." And if it is any consolation, New Orleans didn't get it until last week. You can e-mail Chris at davis@memphisflyer.com.