Vera (1986)

Before 'gender queer' or 'transgender' entered our vocabulary, there was Bauer, born as Vera (Ana Beatriz Nogueira). An orphan and poet, eighteen-year-old Bauer has left the isolated world of an orphanage for a professional job at a research facility. Challenged at work and at home to conform to conventional gender norms and conflicted with feelings for Clara (Aida Leiner), a striking woman who tests Bauer's sexuality, Bauer must grapple with issues of masculinity and gender expression. Weaving flashbacks from Bauer's days in the orphanage with an eclectic score, Toledo crafts a beautifully surreal story of isolation, love and identity.