British actress and producer Trudie Styler’s first feature, based on James St. James’ book, tells the story of Billy Bloom (played by Alex H. Lawther), an atypical teenager. Ever since childhood he’s looked up to his eccentric mother (Bette Midler, who’s been absent from the big screen for quite some time), despite her heavy drinking, and fascinated with the theatrical dimension of reality. When Billy gets sent to live with his cold and distant father, problems arise ashe parades through school in outfits that look like David Bowie or Lady Gaga costumes. High school kids naturally have a problem with accepting Billy’s fashion choices and extravagant behavior, but he has no intention of changing his ways and conforming to social norms. His openeness and joie de vivre set in motion a chain of events, both comical and more serious, that will forever change the lives of the people around him. Styler plays with the conventions of high school comedies and their flagship characters—suddenly putting a pretty cheerleader or a school bully into a totally atypical situation. “Freak Show,” in spite of its title, doesn’t see Billy as a weirdo and doesn’t tame or normalize him. Instead, it celebrates diversity, following the subversive growing up process of a rebellious teenager. It makes the audience realize the banal but still hard to accept truth that we all have a right to express ourselves the way we want to.