Directed by Sérgio Toledo • 1986 • Brazil
Starring Ana Beatriz Nogueira, Raul Cortez, Aida Leiner
Based on the tragically short life of Brazilian poet Anderson Bigode Herzer, this intense drama tells the story of Bauer, a trans man who navigates a difficult upbringing in an orphanage before finding love with a young librarian. He has the sympathy of his mentor, a professor who sees his talent as a poet, but struggles to be understood by others: “I’m not what everyone thinks I am. You hear me? I’m different. I’m something else. Something else.” One of the earliest portrayals in cinema of a transmasculine character, VERA features a remarkable lead performance by Ana Beatriz Nogueira, who received the Best Actress prize at the 1987 Berlin Film Festival.
Up Next in LGBTQ+
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Lan Yu
Directed by Stanley Kwan • 2001 • Hong Kong, China
Starring Liu Ye, Hu Jun, Huatong LiFilmed in secret in Beijing, this tender gay romance by Stanley Kwan combines the timeless conventions of classic melodrama with a radically frank depiction of queer intimacy as it traces, over the course of y...
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Greetings from Washington, D.C.
Directed by Lucy Winer • 1981 • United States
Starring Rob Epstein, Jan Oxenberg, Terry LawlerOn October 14, 1979, LGBTQ+ history was made when tens of thousands of people converged on America’s capital for the first ever National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. This empowering ...
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The Aggressives
Directed by Daniel Peddle • 2005 • United States
Starring Kisha Batista, Marquise Vilson, Octavio SandersFilmed over the course of five years, this bold, candid documentary follows the journeys of six masculine-presenting, genderqueer New Yorkers who defy labels in their quest to live authentic...
