Outrageous! (1977)

One of the earliest North American gay-themed films to receive theatrical distribution, Outrageous! is a funny and affecting film about a female impersonator and his touching friendship with a schizophrenic girl. Craig Russell plays a gay hairdresser and star-wannabe who does flawless impressions of Barbra Streisand, Judy Garland, Bette Midler, Mae West and others. And while the musical segments are fun, the film best succeeds in his friendship with Liza, a troubled young woman who checks herself out of a mental hospital but who becomes frightened and confused when her family and doctors want her to return to the institution. A tender story of ambitions, eccentricity and the courage of being oneself.