as these three films are, they have one thing in common: each deals with the desire to be something one is not. The Talented Mr. Ripley tells the story of an impoverished young man who is sucked into the world of what Robin Leech would call the lifestyles of the rich and famous. He is so dazzled by the luxurious existence of an expatriate American in Italy that he eventually murders him and uses his talent for mimicry and forgery to take his victim's place in Rome. Based on a true story, Boys Don't Cry portrays the brief and sad life of Teena Brandon, a girl confused about her sexual identity, who re-creates herself as Brandon Teena, a teenage boy who actually manages to have a love affair with a woman. Though the film focuses on the character of Brandon Teena, it succeeds in giving a poignant portrait of the depressing lives of a representative group of lower-class Americans, all of whom wish they could be